Qantas' inaugural flight between Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport and Exmouth's Learmonth Airport has officially taken off.

From today, Sunday 30 April until Thursday 26 October 2023, Qantas will fly twice weekly between the two destinations, providing a direct connection between Australia's East Coast and Exmouth in the UNESCO Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area for the first time. In addition to creating a direct connection, the flights also create the opportunity for travellers to explore the entire Coral Coast region by flying one-way into Exmouth, driving the Coral Coast Highway to Perth and flying home from there, or vice versa.

Exmouth, recently named Australia's Top Small Tourism Town for 2022, is the northern gateway to the Australia's Coral Coast region. The town is the perfect base from which to explore the World Heritage Area, encompassing the otherworldly Cape Range National Park, Ningaloo Coastal Reserves and the mesmerising Ningaloo Reef – the world's largest fringing reef. The area is renowned for its marine interactions such as swimming with whale sharks, humpback whales and manta rays, its world-class snorkelling and dive sites, globally significant turtle nesting areas, and the rugged canyons and gorges of Cape Range. Nearby Coral Bay, 1.5 hours' drive south of Exmouth, is a marine-lovers paradise named after the coral gardens which lie mere metres from the town's white beaches, will also benefit from the direct flights.

The Melbourne-Exmouth flights are the latest initiative to increase the accessibility and affordability of Australia's Coral Coast, following the introduction of reduced one-way car rentals between Perth and Exmouth with Avis Australia and the establishment of the Coral Coast Highway fly-drive road trip itinerary in 2019.

About Australia's Coral Coast:

Stretching along 1,100km of breathtaking coastline from Cervantes, two hours north of Perth, to the World Heritage Listed Ningaloo Reef, Australia's Coral Coast is a place where coastal wonders meet ancient landscapes and the open road beckons you to adventure. Here, gentle marine giants (whale sharks, humpback whales and manta rays) invite you to cruise alongside them in their underwater paradise, and pristine islands, spectacular rock formations and arid outback landscapes create a kaleidoscope of colour like nowhere else on earth. Wander ancient tracks to relive thousands of years of aboriginal history through the eyes and culture of our traditional owners. Feel the sand beneath your toes on endless white beaches and lose yourself amidst ancient gorges, dazzling carpets of colourful wildflowers and untouched coral reefs teeming with marine life. In Australia's Coral Coast you'll find some of the best known and most loved attractions in Australia, from the Pinnacles Desert, a bubble-gum Pink Lake, Kalbarri National Park and the UNESCO Shark Bay World Heritage Area, to the friendly Monkey Mia dolphins and mesmerising Ningaloo Reef. Australia's Coral Coast is a boundless marine wonderland with open skies and otherworldly landscapes tied together by the Coral Coast Highway – one of the greatest road trips on earth.