Exmouth Town & Naval History Walk
Walk Exmouth — Australia's most remote significant coastal town — established by the US and Australian navies in 1967 to support a very-low-frequency submarine communication station, now a gateway to the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area.
- 1
Exmouth Town Centre
Exmouth's town centre has the character of a planned naval base converted to a tourist gateway — the wide grid streets, the heritage naval buildings, and the abrupt transition from suburbia to wilderness define a town that exists entirely to service the surrounding national park and reef.
- 2
Harold E Holt Naval Base
The Harold E Holt Naval Communication Station is a joint US-Australian facility occupying the North West Cape — the 13 very-low-frequency towers, each 388 metres tall, transmit to submerged submarines throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
- 3
Exmouth Visitors Centre
The Exmouth Visitor Centre is the starting point for planning access to Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Marine Park — the centre manages the entry passes, tide tables, and ranger information that are essential for safe snorkelling on the exposed coast.
- 4
Exmouth Cape Hotel
The Exmouth Cape Hotel is the social hub of the town — established during the naval base construction era, the pub has served the fishermen, tourists, navy personnel, and locals who make up Exmouth's transient and permanent population for over 50 years.
- 5
Learmonth Airport
Learmonth Airport 40 km south of Exmouth was built as a WWII air base — the long runways remain from when the airport served as a fighter and bomber base defending the northwest coast, and the airport now connects Exmouth to Perth three times weekly.
- 6
Exmouth Marina & Gulf
Exmouth Marina on the gulf provides the base for game fishing, whale watching, and dive tour boats — the marina's protected waters inside the gulf contrast with the exposed Ningaloo coast to the west, and the fishing boats targeting marlin and sailfish make Exmouth a serious sportfishing destination.