14 places to stop on a Coral Coast Highway road trip

The Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park is a can't miss on any Coral Coast road trip, transporting you into what feels like a completely different world. With landscapes that look more like they should belong to the moon than earth, the Pinnacles are such a unique site to see, only a short drive from the city.

It's estimated that the thousands of ancient limestone columns across this desert are between 25 and 30,000 years old, with some reaching up to 3.5 metres tall, all completely covered in yellow sand. It's an easy 4km drive around the desert, or you can jump out and take the 1.2km walking trail right through the middle.

Pop into the Pinnacles Desert Discovery Centre before you leave, to find out more info about this dramatic landscape, as well as all the unique flora and fauna found in the park. This is also a great place to visit during wildflower season (July to October) with hundreds of thousands of beautiful colourful flowers creating a blanket over the ground.

A lovely small city along the coast, Geraldton is a great stop along the Coral Coast. The sixth largest city in Western Australia, Geraldton is home to great food, water activities, street art, culture and history and unique Indigenous drive trails. Spend your days here getting wet, with swimming, surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, windsurfing, kitesurfing, diving, flyboarding, jetskiing, wakeboarding and tubing are all on the menu. There's options to keep you going for days.

When you're back on the land, taste your way through the city, with all kinds of cuisine on offer. There's plenty of fresh seafood to try, including Geraldton's famous rock lobsters, caught right off the Geraldton shore, and an emergence of cafes as the coffee scene explodes here.

Stop for a photo opportunity at Western Australia's most famous pink lake - Hutt Lagoon. In fact, it might even be the most famous pink lake in the whole country. Sitting alongside Port Gregory, Hutt Lagoon covers about 70 square kilometres, with different shades of pink as far as you can see. It's quite a sight to see up close, and is definitely worth the stop on your travels. The lakes change colour throughout the day, sometimes appearing bubblegum pink, sometimes reddish and sometimes even a little more lilac. The middle of the day is considered the best time to visit, when the sun is nice and high in the sky.

Why is it pink? Hutt Lagoon gets it's colour from the presence of a carotenoid-producing algae, dunaliella salina, which is a source of beta-carotene, a food colouring agent and a source of vitamin A!

Oh, Shark Bay. Where the rust-red sand of the outback meets the bright turquoise water of the ocean. Shark Bay is such a beautiful spot to visit, with landscapes that are sure to blow you away even more in real life. The colours of Shark Bay are bright and vibrant, as if someone has turned the saturation up right in front of your eyes. Shark Bay was named a World Heritage Area in 1991, the first location in WA to receive UNESCO status.

Denham is the main town of Shark Bay, and is a great place to base yourself to explore the region. While you're here make sure you take the time to explore Francois Peron National Park. A 4WD adventure, you will need your own car to tackle this one, but Francois Peron offers some of the most dramatic and contrasting views of Shark Bay, where red dirt roads turn abruptly into white sand beaches. If you don't have your own car during your visit, there are plenty of 4WD tours you can hop on so you don't miss out.

To experience Shark Bay and Francois Peron from the sky, book a scenic flight with Shark Bay Scenic Flights. An incredible way to see these landscapes from above, depending on the flight you choose, you can see the Big Lagoon, Useless Loop, Hamlin Pool, Zuytdrop Cliffs and the pink lakes from the sky.

You can't go past a stop at Monkey Mia, one of the most surprising stops along the Coral Coast. A caravan park of the brightest white sand appears almost out of nowhere in a landscape of deep red dirt, and rolling right into the blue ocean that lies alongside. Famous for it's pod of friendly dolphins that love to pop up and surprise visitors swimming in the water, Monkey Mia is such a special place to spend a night or two.

A favourite fishing spot, there are boats coming and going here all the time, while turtles and dolphins can regularly be spotted from the main jetty and even the sand. Families of emus are often spotted running through the campgrounds, and palm trees dot the foreshore. It really is such a unique little spot. A reserve fee applies per person visiting the area, you can pay at the pay station when you arrive.

It's extremely important to book in advance if you're hoping to stay at the RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort, particularly during school holidays and public holiday long weekends, as the resort can be booked out months in advance.

We have to admit, Coral Bay might be one of our favourite places so far in Western Australia. This sleepy little seaside town is windswept with vivid white sand, with everything lying alongside the most beautiful calm little bay, with turquoise water filled with coral gardens, colourful fish, peaceful rays and reef sharks. It's famous for it's manta rays, with tours to swim with them on offer daily and the opportunity to swim with whale sharks from March to June, or humpback whales from July to October. There are 4WD tracks to explore, sand dunes looming over the town, and an endless amount of hours to spend under the water.

It might seem small on the map, but don't skip over it on your Coral Coast adventures, it's definitely one that you'll remember forever.

WA’s answer to the Great Barrier Reef, the less famous Ningaloo Reef is no less beautiful. In fact, with its clear waters, countless species of tropical, colourful fish, and seasonal whale sharks it definitely gives the GBR a run for its money. The world’s largest fringing reef, you will be snorkelling just metres from the shore, likely from a beach you have all to yourself.

If you’re planning a visit here between March and August, make sure you book a day swimming with whale sharks for an incredible experience you will remember forever, or jump on a humpback whale watching cruise from August to October. For the turtle lovers, November to March is turtle nesting season, and you’re likely to spot baby turtle hatchlings making the dash for the ocean from February to May. Pop into the Ningaloo Aquarium & Discovery Centre to learn more about this incredible region.