Coral Bay is one of my favourite parts of Australia's west coast. It's a super small holiday town nestled just an hour and a half south of Exmouth. It's right on the beach with just a few places to stay and eat; you come here for the beaches and to slow down. Coral Bay is world-renowned for the chance to spot manta rays. They can be seen year-round with peak viewings usually between April and October.
I first roadtripped Australia's west coast in 2019 as a solo backpacker with a tour group. We did a ten-day coastal drive from Perth to Exmouth and back again. I've returned with my partner and we're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). It's fascinating to see how much has changed in those seven years and how much is exactly the same!
→ Check out my complete guide to roadtripping Australia's west coast from Perth to Exmouth!
For over 35,000 years, the Baiyungu people lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived. Coral Bay is along the Ningaloo Coast, a named derived from the Aboriginal word Nyinggulu, meaning "deep water".
The first Europeans to arrive in Coral Bay came by sea on the Maud in 1884. A townsite was gazetted in 1896 which became Maud's Landing in 1915, with residents primarily working in wool and sheep farming. Bill's Bay, a beautiful beach a few kilometres south of Maud's Landing, became increasingly popular for leisure and tourism; the first holiday shack was built here in 1933. A hotel, caravan park and service station were added in 1968 at which time the area became known as Coral Bay.
Purchase my Australia | Ultimate Map
Every single spot (and more) that I mention in all my blog posts about Australia can be found in my Australia | Ultimate Map!
This is a digital map featuring hundreds of my favourite restaurants, campgrounds, accommodations, shops, photo spots, museums, beaches, lakes, animal spots, bridges, viewpoints, hikes and SO much more in Australia, including its three external territories.
Each pin includes exact locations, images, detailed information, the ability to open and save the spot in your Google Maps and a link to my relevant blog post to read more.
COMING SOON → Buy the Australia | Ultimate Map!
Useful Information for Coral Bay
Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Coral Bay. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In Coral Bay, the traditional language of the Baiyungu people is Bayungu.
→ Learn more about the language of the Baiyungu people.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
Some of the accommodation providers in Coral Bay have WiFi available; there is no other free public WiFi in town.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. Coral Bay on the North West Cape of Western Australia, has a cyclone season between November and April so the best time to visit is April to September for clear waters and dry humidity. Coral Bay is also world-renowned for the chance to spot manta rays which can be seen year-round with peak viewings usually between April and October.
Length of stay: I have visited Coral Bay twice as part of a west coast roadtrip from Perth up to the North West Cape, both times spending about two days in the area. I think about four days would be a good amount of time to snorkel, go on a manta ray tour and enjoy the beaches.
How to Get to Coral Bay
By car: Many people will visit Coral Bay as part of a west coast roadtrip from Perth. The easiest way to visit Exmouth and explore it is therefore with your own wheels.
→ Check out my complete guide to roadtripping the west coast of Australia from Perth to Exmouth!
By flight: It is also possible to fly to Coral Bay if you just want to explore the area (perhaps combined with a trip to Exmouth) and don't have the time to drive all the way from Perth. The closest airport is Exmouth's regional airport in Learmonth connecting only to Perth with Qantas, a flight of about two hours.
From Learmonth Airport, it's an hour and a half south drive south to Coral Bay. Rental cars must be booked in advance as it's such a small airport with limited availablity.
There is also an airport transfer available with Ningaloo Coral Bay Airport Transfers if you don't wish to drive to Coral Bay.
By coach: Integrity Coachlines runs long distance coaches throughout Western Australia. A coach journey from Perth to Coral Bay takes just under 16 hours and could be a super fun way to explore the state, especially if you don't have a car.
By guided tour: There are many tour operators who run multi-day expeditions on the west coast, starting in Perth and ending either in Exmouth or further north in Broome. This is how I visited the west coast during my solo backpacking trip in 2019!
→ Book a multi-day guided tour from Perth to Exmouth via Coral Bay!
Exmouth
How to Get Around Coral Bay
On foot: Coral Bay is really small with just one main road, Robinson Street, and a few places to stay and eat. You can easily get around everywhere you need to go on foot.
By guided tour: You can hang out on the beach and snorkel right off the coast but the best thing to do in Coral Bay is get out into the ocean with a guided tour to spot marine wildlife, especially the famous manta rays.
Where to Stay in Coral Bay
Hostel: For backpackers, there is one hostel in Coral Bay, the Ningaloo Club, offering affordable accommodation with dorm-style rooms.
→ Book your stay at the Ningaloo Club.
Hotel: The main accommodation options in Coral Bay are campgrounds but if you're coming without a campervan either by car or by coach, there are two hotels available, Peoples Park and Ningaloo Coral Bay.
Farm station: I stayed at the Warroora Station as part of my 2019 west coast group tour. It's a 265,000-acre remote farm located just south of Coral Bay and a family-owned business with a couple of thousand cattle, chickens and stunning, untouched coastline with strong waves, wild kangaroos and yellow crabs. The best part? The fact that the extreme lack of people and light population produces a fantastic star-filled night sky.
They offer a campground to stay at or three different kinds of hosted accommodations: a cottage, a homestead and an ocean villa.
Camping: We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. The best way to find camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
We camped at Ningaloo Coral Bay, a paid campground right near the beach at Bill's Bay with all the amenities you need: water, laundry, dump point, restaurant and they offer wildlife tours, too.
There is no free camping in Coral Bay.
We did stay at two free camps near to Coral Bay when we roadtripped the west coast in 2026. There are two free spots on Highway 1 before and after Coral Bay. Before we arrived to Coral Bay, we stayed at the Minilya River Rest Area, a free camp with a dump point and long drop toilets about an hour south. After we visited Coral Bay, we stayed at the Yannarie Rest Stop, a great free spot with a dump point, long drop toilets and picnic tables about two hours east.
Minilya River Rest Area
Yannarie Rest Stop
Best Things to Do in Coral Bay
Coral Bay is just an hour and a half south of Exmouth which is the furthest north you can go on a west coast roadtrip - in 2019 it was our final stop before we spent two days driving back to Perth. In 2026, we carried on with our lap of Australia by heading west towards Karijini National Park.
Coral Bay is a tiny holiday town on the beach with just a few places to eat and stay. You come here for the beaches, to slow down and to spot incredible marine wildlife. Here is what I did on both my visits in 2019 and 2026:
Go snorkeling at Bill's Bay
Bill's Bay is the main beach in town right at the end of Robinson Street with stunning, clear, blue water. You can snorkel right off the beach from the pure, white sand.
Bill's Bay in 2019
Bill's Bay in 2026
Watch the sunset over Bill's Bay
My favourite thing to do in Coral Bay is simply hang out on the beach and watch the sunset; Bill's Bay is my favourite.
Go snorkeling at Paradise Beach
Coral Bay is located along the Ningaloo Reef with over 260km of coral, one of the largest in the world. To reach Paradise Beach, walk over the sand dunes from Bill's Bay. It's much quieter here but the sea can be a little choppy.
BOOK AN EXPERIENCE IN CORAL BAY!
PIN THIS POST TO REFER BACK TO LATER!
GET READY TO TRAVEL!
— Book tours and experiences - with GetYourGuide
— Get all the gear you need for your trip - with Amazon (North America)
— Get all the gear you need for your trip - with Amazon (Europe)
— Find a place to stay - with Booking.com
— Choose a hostel to stay at - with Hostelworld
— Purchase global travel insurance - with World Nomads
— Load an international eSim on your phone - with AirAlo
— Start your own travel blog - with Hostinger
— Join the GetYourGuide Travel Creator Community - with GetYourGuide
Discover more from Jana Meerman
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
