It was founded in the 1960s to support the US Navy communications station Harold E. Holt (still active) and now has about 2,800 inhabitants (2021; estimates vary).
Tourism is the main industry.
Exmouth is best known as the gateway to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef (the largest fringing reef in the world) and Cape Range National Park.
Visitors come for snorkeling/diving (including Turquoise Bay), swimming with whale sharks (peak April-July), manta rays and humpback whales, hiking in canyons, and the unique “reef-to-range” experience.
It is a remote, quiet tourist destination with a tropical climate.

















































