Exmouth is our home for the next week or so. By far the largest town anywhere nearby, it is a modern, well provided and friendly place on the North West Cape, even winning the 2019 Best Town in Western Australia. Praise indeed.

Our choice of campsite, of which there are a few, is the RAC Exmouth Cape Holiday Park. A large site with good facilities and plenty of trees to offer some shade from the sun and a little protection from the wind. It is located on entry to Exmouth adjacent to the new Ningaloo Visitor Centre and close to Town Beach and it’s jetty.

Exmouth is known for, among many other things, its Emu population and true to form as we first drove into town a male Emu with 3-stripey chicks was wandering along the roadside. And not to be outdone the caravan park has its own resident birds paying regular visits around the site.

Normally Emus and wild Goats are a common sight throughout the whole of the North West region but this year they seem to be increasingly scarce according to conversations we’ve been hearing and possibly related to the continuing poor wet seasons and lack of fresh vegetation.

Exmouth Past and Present 

Exmouth grew as a service town for the US Navy refuelling ships and submarines during the Second World War. However much of the infrastructure was destroyed by a cyclone in 1945. In the early 1960’s, during the Cold War, Australia and the US signed an agreement to build a naval communications facility to plug a gap in submarine communications in the South Pacific. The near complete purpose-built town of Exmouth and the communications station were officially opened in 1967. In current times, although no longer operated by the US Navy, the Harold E. Holt Station is still in use and creates an awesome sight with its enormous array of towers, the largest reaching upwards 387-metres.

Still present is the equally enormous 3KM runway at RAAF Learmonth 36KM south of Exmouth town. Used at one time for the General Dynamics F111 bomber defending a perceived threat from Indonesia, it is now a standby bare-base ready for action should the need arise. However, it has an earlier history dating back to June 1944 when Qantas used the airfield as its first hop stop on the Kangaroo route to the UK and marking the first time the now famous Kangaroo image was placed on the tail of its aircraft.

Beach Shack Cafe

As may be obvious by now we like cafe’s especially those that serve good coffee and great food and close by the Naval Communications station is such an example – The Beach Shack. A short stroll from the beach, this delightful beach-themed cafe is right up there with the best on our recommended list.

Both of us agree, the Beach Shack serves the best fish and chips we have ever eaten – Gold Band Snapper being the fish of choice. Coming from the land of fish and chips, that is true praise. And, of course, there’s the prawns. And the coffee? That’s at the top of the list too.

The Beach Shack also offers good views into the bay where you can spot Humpback Whales breaching just off the coast. The cafe has a set of binoculars available for a closer view.

Town Beach

A pleasant stroll down the beach from the cafe is Town Beach, a safe and shallow spot for a swim, snorkel or just sitting in the clear, warm Indian Ocean. A jetty and boat launch facility is also located here and a popular location for fishing. A small mobile cafe provides refreshments but, unusually, it’s opening hours are 6.30am to 11am.

Cyclone Hit

On 22 March 1999, Tropical Cyclone Vance reached category 5 status creating the highest ever recorded wind gust on the Australian mainland at 267 km/h while making landfall just 35KM south of Exmouth causing major damage to the town. And not to be outdone by strong winds, in April 2014 Exmouth was hit by a massive flash flood, nearly destroying the caravan park and seriously damaging much of the town’s infrastructure causing a severe blow to the tourism trade that the region now depends on.

Now recovered and the town centre shopping precinct having recently been renovated, it is a pleasant town and highly noticeable for its friendliness. Everyone appears chatty and always happy to help out whether it is at the local newsagents, the popular Bakery, camping store, fresh fish shop or either of the two well stocked IGA supermarkets. Unlike Derby, Exmouth is a town very much alive and kicking.

The Giant Prawn

As well as the Naval base and the communications station that Exmouth served it also had a highly successful prawn fishing industry where many prawn trawlers could be seen in the gulf. However, following Cyclone Vance the industry was hit hard while waiting for the Reef and its sea life to recover. The family that first proved prawn fishing was a sustainable and profitable business was the only one to survive and MG Kailis is still in business today, though their factory has since closed and all catch is frozen while still at sea.

The business is now recognised as one of the world’s best managed, sustainable fisheries and to honour them a plaque has been erected in town sitting beneath a giant tiger prawn catching the eye of everyone that passes by and no doubt frustrating a great many hungry seagulls. It is so big that it has to be taken down for the duration of the wet season and its often damaging cyclone activity.

Vlamingh Head Lighthouse

High on a hill at the Northern end of the Cape Range National Park is Vlaming Head Lighthouse. Long known as one of the most dangerous coastlines in the world, it took a board of enquiry 4-years and the wreck of the Mildura before a location was finally agreed upon and construction could begin. It was by no means an easy project with the build team suffering through dysentery caused by contaminated drinking water and all building materials and supplies had to be shipped by sea from Fremantle 1250KM to the South. Almost a year to the day to complete, the Lighthouse first became operational in November 1912.

Using kerosene as a fuel, it required two Lighthouse Keepers to keep the light aflame, which could be seen as far as 40KM away. The Lighthouse continued operation until 1969 before its function was replaced by a light mounted on Tower 11 at the Naval Communications Station just to the East.

During the Second World War a radar station was constructed near to the Lighthouse to help protect the Naval refuelling operations. Extensive damage to both the Lighthouse and radar station occurred during a cyclone in 1953 with repairs to the Lighthouse carried out by the Lighthouse Keepers themselves.

Today the mast for the radar station still stands and remains surrounded by sandbags that have survived, largely intact, since the 1940’s. An excellent interpretive display was recently constructed telling the story of the Lighthouse, Radar Station and Naval Communications Station as well as the wildlife of the Ningaloo Reef that borders the coast here. And thanks to its elevation, the Lighthouse  provides an excellent location to spot Humpback Whales as they swim along the coast.

Caravan Service

We haven’t said much about our Jayco Silverline Outback caravan for a while mostly because it has been travelling well and the tyres show very little sign of wear despite 15,000KM on some less than ideal roads. From a distance it still looks clean and shiny but close-to it’s in need of a good clean after all the red dust of the Kimberly and Pilbara. However, the majority of available water has been from bores and the very high mineral content leaves white calcium stains wherever it settles and dries. The same goes for the car too. And not forgetting to mention we haven’t seen rain for nearly 5-months now so there has been no chance of a shower washing away the dust – especially on the roof where the solar panel needs regular cleaning to remain efficient. Unlike large motor homes a roof access ladder is rarely fitted – it needs one.

Our arrival in Exmouth coincided with the need to get our caravan serviced and unknown to us at the time the service centre was just 100-metres from where we camped. Having said that Exmouth is not by any means a big place. What we can say, though, is that Exmouth Caravans has without doubt provided the best customer service we have experienced for a long time. From the initial phone call, dropping the van into the workshop and pick-up on completion, was just how a business should operate. The service centre also has the best stocked store we have seen and all the more remarkable for its remote location in Northwest Australia. Very highly recommend.