The Coral Coast is a marine lover's paradise, more than living up to its evocative name. But it also offers myriad land-based attractions, not least its spectacular rock formations.
The 1270km journey takes travellers north from Perth to the world-renowned Ningaloo Reef.
Heading off, you'd find you're quickly into coastal scenery, including towns based on fish, lobster and tourism.
These include Lancelin, Cervantes, Jurien Bay and the so-Australian squatter-shack settlements of Wedge Island and Grey.
Further north is the revitalising port of Geraldton, the biggest centre between Perth and Darwin and a good spot to check out the area's maritime history, HMAS Sydney II Memorial and the buzzing dining scene on the foreshore.
Dramatic coastal cliffs hail the popular fishing and holiday town of Kalbarri, a to-die-for base for investigating spectacular gorges, whales and wildflowers. Organised activities include horseriding along the river, sandboarding on huge dunes, offshore jet boating and fishing charters.
Heading north are roadhouses whose names - Billabong and Overlander - are so welcoming you have to stop, even if you don't need to. The latter has the turn-off to the World Heritage-listed Shark Bay, where the coastal town of Denham makes an ideal base.
Iconic are the Monkey Mia dolphins though dugongs and turtles can also be about while man-made attractions include a pearl farm, aquarium, discovery centre, fishing charters, sunset sailing, quad-bike tours and riding a camel on the beach.
Other amazing sights include Steep Point's spectacular cliff-top fishing, Eagle Bluff boardwalklookout and Shell Beach.
Back on the highway, along comes the substantial town of Carnarvon, the source of much delicious fish and shelled sea creatures as well as tropical fruit and vegetables, which are surprisingly well watered from the usually dry Gascoyne. A deceptive river, its water flows underneath the sand.
A 50km must-do side trip takes visitors out to  Point Quobba, which has a mind-blowingly scenic coastline and a thumping ocean that creates blowholes that spurt jets 20m into the air.
Yet nicely protected is a beach, coral-filled lagoon and adjoining basic camping area. Mmm, nirvana. A coastal track leads northwards to Quobba Station and its camping area and cabins, cliff-top fishing and another memorial to HMAS Sydney.
Back on the highway and 100km along is Minilya Roadhouse and then it's just a few kilometres more to the final highway turn-off for this trip - to Coral Bay and the Ningaloo Coast, jewels in the Coral Coast crown - a cliche but, I think, justifiable in this case.
Ranging northwards from Coral Bay, the reef stretches 260km to Exmouth where, if it wasn't showing off enough already, it meets up with the dramatic Cape Range and the fabulous land adventures to be had. A classic grey-nomad experience is to camp by the sea and swim a short way out to find yourself amid a world-beating coral sea-life experience, maybe even spotting a whale shark.
In the region there are many camping and staying options though be sure to book ahead in busier times.
There is also a variety of eating choices, fishing charters, coral-viewing boat tours and glass-bottom canoes.
Broome and Gibb are wonderful. So's this.