Port of Exmouth

Exmouth in detail

The first recorded landing in the area was by the Dutch Captain Jacobz of the Mauritius in 1618. Australian Captain Phillip Parker King later visited in 1818 and named the peninsula North West Cape, and also named Exmouth Gulf after a British Royal Naval Officer. In the subsequent years Pearl Luggers visited the area from Broome and during World War II the area became important for a military operation named ”Operation Potshot”.  

This area is slightly north of the township of Coral Bay and is known as Maud’s Landing. In 1896 a town site reserve was gazetted but it wasn’t until 1915 that Maud’s Landing was officially proclaimed a town.

Three kilometres to the south, an area known as Bill’s Bay was becoming very popular with locals and adventurous travellers. In 1968 formal settlement began with the establishment of a hotel, caravan park and service station. The hotel was named the Coral Bay Hotel in reference to the beautiful coral reef in the bay area. Subsequently the settlement became known as Coral Bay. Today the township survives solely on tourism.