Exmouth and Kalbarri Recommendations

Drive the coast from Exmouth to Coral Bay (if Yardie Ck is passable).

Drive along the beach from Learmonth Jetty to as far North as you can get (I prefer this on a low spring tide as there is a heap to see - the Soldier Crabs are cool!)

Check out the 4WD tracks around the Bay of Rest (access is opposite the RAF base entrance). We launch our boat from here and I love this area a lot more than the western side...

Stay at Bullara Station ( Tim and Edwina are great hosts, and it is away from the more 'touristy' type of things

Check out Sandy Bay (better than Turquoise on my opinion...)

Buy things from Mrs Macs Op Shop - our kids LOVE it!!

When near Exmouth we always go up the Cape and round the top to Yardie Homestead (not to be confused with Yardie Creek way down the coast). From the homestead we do a couple of day trips into the Cape Range Nat. Park. On the way round from Exmouth you'll see the Harold Holt naval communications base...quite impressive...a forest of huge poles and wire. You can camp in the nat. park but actually getting one of the fixed sites takes far more effort and patience than I can handle. My swimming pick is South Mandu beach, because the Ningaloo reef is closest there to the shore. One can park the car, stroll to the beach, wade out a few metres and swim alongside the reef in quite shallow, sheltered water....plenty of small tropical fish to see. If you want lots of larger impressive fish, a guided commercial tour would be in order I guess. My plan suits me...cheap enough and quality fish. Re driving from the top of Cape Range Nat. Park all the way down and out at the bottom...one has to cross Yardie Creek...would pay to check how 'doable' that is at your intended time...and insurance $$$ risks associated.
No doubt about outback WA though...what a place !

Wagoe and Lucky Bay are good fishing and 4WD'ing, about 30kms S of Kalbarri.
Just watch out for the king waves! They come out nowhere, and will cause you a lot of grief, if one catches you.

Brother and SIL got caught, a couple of years ago, just sitting on some rocks S of Kalbarri, watching the ocean, and about 3 metres above it.
The wave action was only modest, then suddenly a king wave came from nowhere and hit them - they were washed into the rocks, ended up bruised and sore, lost wallet and purse, mobile phones, and very lucky to not get dragged into the sea. They were old enough to be experienced (late 60's, mid-70's), and knew about the dangers of that coast, yet they still got caught out!

Cheers, Ron.