Camplify Uncovered: stunning WA Coral Coast adventure

After spending most of 2020 locked in their apartment in Melbourne, Jake and Eden could not have thought of anything more liberating than exploring WA's Coral Coast in a fully equipped van named 'Lilly'. Read on to see what they got up to on their 7-day WA road trip.

This year was spent being covered head to toe in sweaty PPE whilst Jake works as a Paediatric Emergency Nurse and Eden a Midwife during a pretty stressful pandemic, so swapping protective clothing for a pair of boardies and a bikini could not have been more of a welcomed contrast. When they aren't working full time in healthcare, Jake travels Australia and the World DJing, which is where he began to capture his experiences through Photography/Videography. With all shows cancelled and a goal to focus on only doing the things that make them happy since arriving home to WA, a trip of a lifetime to uncover the hidden gems of WA to share with you was the perfect way to cap off the year.

Handover

Anticipation was met with relief as we caught up with the owners of Lilly (the van) outside their home in Perth's northern suburbs. "Lilly," was named after their dog and purpose-built to accommodate the pooches as families travel WA. This van was both immaculately planned and impressive. Clever storage space hugged the large double bed/back seat in the rear of the converted Toyota Hiace. Cupboards stocked with everything from DVD's to an emergency toilet, board games next to bug spray, and tealights with magazines were all capped off by an inbuilt air-conditioning unit and TV for those days when relaxing inside is required. All we needed was our clothes, toiletries, fishing gear and of course...cameras.

Sandy Cape

Sandy Cape is a sneaky 2.5hr drive from Perth. It's conveniently far enough from the city that you feel like you're proper camping at the beach however it is close enough that you can get your new "home on wheels" set up to enjoy your first day. An exciting detour via the Pinnacles and onto the site saw us pull up pretty in prime seaside real estate. Sheltered behind a sand dune, the site contains amenities, so your midnight walk to the bathroom won't see you blown out onto the dune behind it.

We caught our first incredible sunset here overlooking the beach before retreating to our kitchen set up for a bbq under the stars.

See: The Pinnacles desert at Cervantes is a WA gem (aka "must-see" if you've read a travel magazine). Take any 2WD around the loop and experience a remarkable phenomenon that I can only imagine when first discovered, looked like oversized "sand bundies" that can't be thrown. Don't drive past it.

Tip: Bring small denominations of banknotes with you and a pen. Many campsites require you to fill out your own permit and rangers come around and check. Most sites are about $20/night.

Kalbarri

Kalbarri is a 3hr drive north of Sandy Cape as the landscape starts to flatten out into country WA. Sheltered by some impressive rock and sand formations, the river meets the ocean and a fantastic sand spit was born. Kangaroos jumped through our campsite at night, and in the morning, a pod of dolphins surfed the waves near the Red Bluff Lookout. We tried our luck off the sand spit at night, catching some fish with the locals whilst the large beaked residents (Pelicans) stood close by for an easy meal. Just like that person on your Europe trip that never wants to pay for dinner but then asks to finish people's food when you're all done eating.

See: On the way, make sure you stop at Hutt Lagoon in Port Gregory. It is a phenomenon you have to see to believe. The salt lakes have a rich pink colour that makes you want to dip in a stick and turn it into fairy floss. I couldn't find the secret tunnel to Willy Wonka's factory, but I'm starting a rumour that it is in-fact the base ingredient for nerd rope or pink lemonade (Don't drink it please). You just have to go here.

In Kalbarri, make sure you catch a sunset on the sandspit then head down to the local pub for a meal. The famous skywalk is really cool and worth checking out; however, it is very touristy. Drive up the road a bit and check out Hawke head which was just as lovely but less photographed. As you enter Kalbarri, there are a few turn offs to various lookouts and features. Check out Red Bluff and also the Blue Holes. We loved Kalbarri so much; we stayed an extra night.

Tip: Ask ahead of time for a beachfront spot at the caravan parks. We watched the sunset from our rooftop tent overlooking the water, and it was bloody unreal.

Denham/Shark Bay

Easily skipped on the way to Exmouth, the Shark Bay region is a flat, red dirt giant sand spit (in my mind) that you can see from space that takes over an hour to drive down. It's surrounded by thousands of shallow beaches as well as loads of both sea and land life. We were stopped multiple times by Emus and Kangaroos on the road, as well as the odd goat. We took a wrong turn and ended up at Eagle Bluff were in the shallows of the lookout we saw a fair few sharks and even a Turtle.

See: Stop by Billabong Roadhouse en route to experience an iconic rest stop. The local tourism centre has a fantastic immersive display of the history of the area. Eagle Bluff is a great lookout to see sharks/turtles swimming around the shallow water. Monkey Mia is 15 minutes up the road and is an excellent dolphin experience for families but is a little less exciting if you've just seen about 20 in Kalbarri and locals of the area recommend sunset cruises departing from the same area. Squidding off the jetty at night guarantees you a catch according to locals, and the bakery does a good pie at 8:30 am. Shell Beach is precisely that and makes for a fantastic photo. Denham caravan park has everything you need, and the manager was an absolute legend with a wealth of local knowledge.

Tip: Not all petrol stations have Unleaded at all times. If you're passing a petrol station and you're on 50%, re-gas your airhorn (vehicle), stretch the legs, grab a sneaky sausage roll (with sauce) and continue.

Milligan Island

Milligan Island is a less crowded campsite that hides next to a quiet beach. We spent our last two nights here relaxing in the van and exploring the many beaches along the turn-off. Another campsite that's fully equipped (unpowered) for any level of explorer meant there was no stress of running low on supplies towards the end of the trip. We took the van for a little explore around town before kicking back in the rooftop tent at the campground to soak an incredible week.

See: If you don't catch anything off the many fishing spots around the campsite, try your luck at the Dynamite Bay Takeaway. A cracking fish and chips from a real, local shop recommended to us by the local ranger. The Pt Louise Lookout provided the perfect sunset location to end our trip. Stop by Moore River on the way back to Perth CBD. Incredible beach and river-mouth that can easily be missed.

Tip: Have a chat with the rangers. They are usually volunteers and have a wealth of local knowledge on the area including fishing/snorkelling spots and the secret beaches.

Camplify Experience

Travelling in a self-sufficient campervan has completely changed our perspective on holiday options for the future. We genuinely loved the Camplify experience so much, we have already planned a trip for 2021 with friends. Friends have already booked getaways with their kids, and couples have locked in a similar itinerary to us. Photographer friends are heading out in January to capture content on the same route we discovered thanks to the freedom of travelling in a van. You can explore, cook, relax, work and sleep with everything you need within reach.

Hiring a vehicle is nerve-wracking for even the most experienced driver. I was blown away with how smooth Lilly was to drive but also how quick we got at setting up once at camp. Within 20 minutes, we'd unpacked our home-on-wheels and had burgers sizzling away on the gas stove. Finding and booking the van online was the easy bit, but the most reassuring thing was that the owners of Lilly were super quick to respond to any queries we had about the van.

In March, we were disappointed about not being able to travel overseas. In November, our perspective has flipped, and we are so excited to uncover more of WA and Australia travelling in absolute comfort (and style of course) with Camplify.

Equipped with this essential guide, now all you have to do is find an awesome van to take you there and back again!

Stay tuned for our next Camplify Uncovered adventure.

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