Perth to Exmouth campervan route: the Coral Coast in ten days

Perth to Cervantes 200km. Cervantes to Geraldton 230km. Geraldton to Kalbarri 480km. Kalbarri to Denham 380km. Denham to Carnarvon 360km. Carnarvon to Coral Bay 240km. Coral Bay to Exmouth 150km.

The Geraldton to Kalbarri and Denham to Carnarvon days are the long ones. Everything else is comfortable.

Nambung National Park for the Pinnacles, best at sunrise or sunset. Then Kalbarri for Nature's Window and the coastal cliffs — the walk is short and the view is one of the best in Western Australia.

Kalbarri is also the last decent-sized town before Shark Bay, so stock up on food there.

Denham is the base for Shark Bay. The dolphin feeding at Monkey Mia runs in the morning and is worth the early start once. Shell Beach and Eagle Bluff are both a short drive from town.

Francois Peron National Park requires a 4WD and tyre deflation. In a two-wheel-drive campervan, skip it and do the coastal walks instead.

Coral Bay is where the reef starts. You can swim out from the beach into coral gardens, which is rare anywhere in the world. Then Exmouth and Cape Range for Turquoise Bay, Oyster Stacks and the whale sharks between March and July.

Campgrounds at Coral Bay and in Cape Range fill up. Book ahead for June to August.

All of this is sealed road and a standard campervan handles it comfortably. A van with a fridge and solar is a genuine advantage here, because it is hot and an esky does not last.

Go between May and September. From October the heat becomes serious and by December the north is in cyclone season.