Cruise Islands And Icons Of The West Coast
Australia’s west coast is home to some of the country’s most extraordinary wonders – many of which are only accessible by sea. Travel by small ship cruising to remote archipelagos, world-famous reef systems, and imposing geological formations that few have the opportunity to visit. Our knowledgeable Expedition Team and Guest Lecturer program provide expert guidance and insightful presentations that allow you to see the big picture.
The wild and largely untouched west coast boasts a contrasting palette of rich red sands and turquoise sea. Its natural coastal reserves harbour abundant birdlife and marine species. Explore the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Shark Bay World Heritage Area, Ningaloo Reef, Montebello Islands, Muiron Islands and Dampier Archipelago.
Multiple departures 2023, 2024 & 2025
In partnership with Australian Geographic, join our inaugural Whales and Trails of Western Australia expedition to discover the migratory habits of Humpback and Southern Right whales. Come ashore to explore the coastal walks, vineyards and wildflowers in springtime. Experience a special winemaker’s dinner at historic Leeuwin Estate.
Departs 5 October 2024
Discover natural cave galleries and rock formations to reveal Wandjina and Gwion Gwion figures. Travel deep into the King George and Berkeley River systems to witness a landscape carved by the powerful forces of tides and monsoon rains.
Departs Aug & Sep 2024, and Jul & Aug 2025
This voyage down Western Australia’s Coral coast visits the spectacular Rowley Shoals Marine Park, Dampier Archipelago and historic Montebello Islands. An exploration of the renowned Ningaloo Reef completes our voyage. Our marine experts and guides lead our discovery of this pristine coastal habitat.
Departs Sept 2024 & May 2025
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cross the Great Australian Bight, visit islands and iconic National Parks. Walk secluded beaches at Cape Arid National Park, Cape Le Grand, and Bremer Bay. Discover sea lions at the Archipelago of the Recherche. Enjoy sunset drinks with the kangaroos at Lucky Bay and see the stingrays at Hamelin Bay.
$500pp travel credit* in 2023
Departs October 2023 & 2024
Set sail on an expedition into Southern Australia’s rugged coast and its wild nature, rich history and delicious regional. Explore the unique natural beauty of Apollo Bay and the famed Twelve Apostles. Learn the history of Port Fairy with its Georgian style merchant homes and visit the character-filled township of Robe.
Departs February 2024 & January 2025
West Coast Voyage Logs
Coral Expeditions Ships In Western Australia
Our three Australian-flagged ships are designed for expedition cruising in Western Australia, ideal for navigating low-laying sandy islands such as Abrolhos and the spectacular coral reefs surrounding Ningaloo and Rowley. They feature wraparound decks, private balconies, and outdoor dining to enjoy the balmy air and glorious ocean-facing sunsets. Open-sided Xplorer tender boats allow you to take in magnificent vistas of the low-laying islands and burnt orange sand dunes while sheltered from the harsh sun.
Cruise The Wild West
Western Australia’s wild and largely untouched coast, with its contrasting palette of rich red sands and turquoise sea, has a fascinating maritime and Indigenous history. From the Malgana people of Shark Bay to the exploratory journeys of William Dampier, Dirk Hartog, Baudin and Freycinet – this region is layered with stories. The coastline harbour an abundance of birdlife and marine species. Our voyages explore the entire west coast, from the historic Houtman Abrolhos islands, to Shark Bay World Heritage area, Ningaloo Reef, Cape Range national park, Montebello Islands, Muiron Islands, the renowned Kimberley wilderness and out to the far-flung Rowley Shoals, Scott Reef and Ashmore Reef.
My Happy Place by Howard Gray
Media Release | New Expedition: Whales & Trails of Western Australia
Voyage Log: Abrolhos Islands & The Coral Coast – Coral Geographer
Posts from our West Coast voyages
During our expedition to the Abrolhos Islands and the Coral Coast, we captured some fantastic pictures. One of the highlights was a snorkelling session at Morley Island, where a juvenile Australian sea lion, who was very friendly, decided to join our guests.
#CoralAdventurer #AbrolhosIslands #WAtheDreamState #SeeAustralia #MorleyIsland #expeditioncruise #travel #explore #wildlife #CoralCoast
Mar 15
With Abrolhos 2023 only a few months away now we couldn`t help but look back at the beautiful images we`ve captured over the past few years.
Broome to Fremantle | 12 nights | March 2023
📸 Join the voyage: Abrolhos Islands and the Coral Coast
#WAtheDreamState #AbrolhosIslands #SeeAustralia #CoralExpeditions #ExpeditionCruise #Travel #Turtle #SharkBay #CapePeron #Exmouth #WestCoast #WesternAustralia #CoralCoast #Explore #Cruise
Jan 11
"This morning we watched as full moon set and an orange sun rose over the Montebello islands. Our first Xplorer departed for a cruise around the western side of Trimouille island to look at a blast site from atomic testing in the 1950`s. We then cruised across to some of the Western islands including Alpha, Campbell and Delta. We weaved through the low lying islands. A friendly dugong swam next to the Xplorer, dolphins cruised through the bay and eagle rays leaped from the water. We passed by Thomas Haynes old pearling lease from the 1900`s. Our other destination for the day was a walk to the highest point of the Montebellos, on top of Trimouille island. Here we looked out over the array of islands. Nankeen kestrels were seen soaring through the sky."
- Expedition Leader Melanie Faithfull, 9 Dec 2022
🚢 Discover The Voyage: Abrolhos Islands and the Coral Coast
•
•
•
#CoralGeographer #SeeAustralia #WesternAustralia #Cruise #Travel #AbrolhosIslands #WAtheDreamState #amazing_wa #expeditioncruise #explore #MontebelloIslands #Trimouilleisland
Dec 12
"We started the day with a morning snorkel on the eastern side of South Muiron Island. There was a lot of fascinating corals and we spotted lots of marine life, reef sharks, a wobbegong, turtles, and plenty of fish. The divers went along the reef edge, where they swam through coral bommies and spotted colourful nudibranchs."
- Expedition Leader Melanie Faithfull, 6 Dec 2022
🚢 Discover The Voyage - Abrolhos Islands & The Coral Coast
#CoralGeographer #SeeAustralia #WesternAustralia #Cruise #Travel #AbrolhosIslands #WAtheDreamState #amazing_wa #expeditioncruise #explore #MuironIsland
Dec 9
"We began our day in the beautiful peninsula of Exmouth. The divers went to the Navy Pier, where there was plenty of marine life around; Wobbegongs, nudibranchs, lionfish, moray eels, turtles, and catfish. For those not diving, we visited Vlamingh Head lighthouse and the picturesque Turquoise bay. We took the chance to snorkel the reef, swimming amongst the fish and sea turtles feeding. After our swim we continued down the coast to Yardie creek, where we set off on a hike along the gorge. Along the way we spotted plenty of birdlife including ospreys, egrets, butcher birds and even fruit bats hanging from the mangroves. A few wallabies were spotted resting in the cool wind on the rocks."
- Expedition Leader Melanie Faithfull, 6 Dec 2022
🚢 Discover The Voyage: Abrolhos Islands & The Coral Coast
•
•
•
#CoralGeographer #SeeAustralia #WesternAustralia #Cruise #Travel #AbrolhosIslands #WAtheDreamState #amazing_wa #expeditioncruise #explore #Emouth #NavyPier #VlaminghHeadlighthouse #Yardiecreek #Turquoisebay
Dec 8
"In the early morning, we could see the lighthouse at Cape Inscription on Dirk Hartog Island as the ship cruised by heading for Withnell Point. There we went for a refreshing swim in the turquoise waters and spotted 15 different species of bird in the bay and the salt flats behind the dune. After lunch, we cruise from Cape Peron to Skipjack Point in the Xplorer, where we spotted Dugongs feeding along the seagrass and Cormorants lined the beach on the waters edge. "
- Expedition Leader Melanie Faithfull, 4 Dec 2022
🚢 Discover The Voyage - Abrolhos Islands & The Coral Coast
•
•
•
#CoralGeographer #SeeAustralia #WesternAustralia #Cruise #Travel #AbrolhosIslands #WAtheDreamState #amazing_wa #expeditioncruise #explore #SharkBay #DirkHartogIsland #CapePeron #SkipjackPoint #WithnellPoint
Dec 6
"We woke to a magical day in the Abrolhos. Our morning adventures began by exploring some islands in the Easter group. We cruised around Rat island, looking at cray fisherman shacks and bird life. We also visited the very quaint Little Sandy island. Although a small island, it was alive with wildlife. Birds flocked to the water`s edges and nested in the vegetation. A few nudibranchs were spotted sliding along the water`s edge. A large Australian sea lion bull greeted us amongst his harem of females. We watched as they rolled around in the sand. For some lucky guests, a couple of playful juvenile pups came to say hello while they were out for a snorkel."
- Expedition Leader Melanie Faithfull, 2 Dec 2022
•
•
•
Discover the voyage and more on our website.
#CoralGeographer #SeeAustralia #WesternAustralia #Cruise #Travel #AbrolhosIslands #WAtheDreamState #amazing_wa #expeditioncruise #explore #LittleSandyIsland #TurtleBay
Dec 5
"Our first morning in the Abrolhos was fantastic. We walked around Post Office Island admiring the houses before making our way back to the Pearl shed. We were also given the opportunity to snorkel and dive in the lovely blue waters of the island, spotting crayfish, parrot fish and many sea cucumbers."
- Expedition Leader Melanie Faithfull, 1 Dec 2022
#CoralGeographer #SeeAustralia #WesternAustralia #Cruise #Travel #AbrolhosIslands #PostOfficeIsland #WAtheDreamState #amazing_wa #expeditioncruise #explore
Dec 2
ONLY EIGHT STATEROOMS REMAIN
Explores Western Australia’s wild and largely untouched coast, with its contrasting coastal palette of rich red sands and turquoise sea. The natural coastal reserves harbour abundant birdlife and marine species. Explore the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Shark Bay World Heritage Area, Ningaloo Reef, Montebello Islands, Muiron Islands and Dampier Archipelago.
Abrolhos Islands & The Coral Coast | Broome to Fremantle | 2 March 2023
See our website to join the expedition
#WesternAustralia #WAtheDreamState #Abrolhos #coralcoast #expeditioncruise #SeeAustralia #cruise #travel #voyage #westcoast
Dec 2
"Little Sandy Island really lives up to its name and its colony of Sea Lions are a joy to see. This beautiful little sand island is covered in Wild flowers this time of year and the Sea Lions seemed to enjoy hauling themselves up onto the beach to lay in amongst them. The Island is also home to many species of birds including, Caspian Terns, Pacific Gulls, Pied Cormarants and Ruddy Turnstones.
There is also a beautiful fringing reef that surrounds the island and we were able to spend the afternoon floating over the layers of Plate and Staghorn Corals.
We finished off our first afternoon at the Abrolhos Islands with Champagne and Sea Lions as the sun went down."
- Expedition Leader Cara Cavanagh, 10 Nov 2022
#CircumnavigationOfAustralia #AustraliaCircumnavigation #CoralAdventurer #ExpeditionCruise #Cruise #SeeAustralia #AdventureTravel #LittleSandyIsland #AbrolhosIslands
Nov 11
"At the Northern Tip of Cape Peron we started our morning with the scenic Wanamalu Trail. The stunning red dunes against the white sandy beach and the blue waters made it very picturesque. We were given the opportuntiy to climb up the dunes to walk along the cliffs, as well as take a scenic cruise along the base of the cliffs. Plenty of bird life on the shoreline with a large colony of Pied Cormorants coming in and out of the water spreading their wings to dry off in the morning sun. We were also lucky enough to come across a pair of Dugongs grazing in the Sea Grass Meadows."
- Expedition Leader Cara Cavanagh, 9 Nov 2022
Follow the Voyage: https: //bit.ly/Australia-Circumnavigation
#CircumnavigationOfAustralia #AustraliaCircumnavigation #CoralAdventurer #ExpeditionCruise #Cruise #SeeAustralia #AdventureTravel #CapePeron #WanamaluTrail
Nov 10
"We spent the day in the Pelsaert group of the Abrolhos islands. At Post Office Island we were greeted by the friendly hosts of the island. We collected our fix of fresh crayfish which the guests would be enjoying for dinner later on. Jessie took guests for a walk to some of the old fisherman shacks and across to Jane Liddons studio. We then transferred across to where Jane had some of her pearl jewelery. Guests heard stories about life at the Abrolhos and the ins and outs of Crayfishing and Pearl farming. Guests enjoyed a snorkel or kayak in the blue holes of Post Office Island. A friendly sea lion rested along the bank for the whole day, waking to say hello to us every now and then. We came back to Coral Geographer for some lunch, before departing again for the afternoon. We also offered an afternoon Xplorer cruise for any keen birders. Hundreds of dolphins playfully interacted with the boat, even riding in the wake. Our sunset drinks tipped off the perfect ending to our Abrolhos adventures. After dinner, Shane hosted our Quiz night with a bit of competition and laughs."
- Expedition Leader Melanie Faithfull, 20th Oct 2022
#CoralGeographer #AbrolhosIslands #WesternAustralia #WA #SeeAustralia #JustAnotherDayInWA
Oct 21
