The remote Australian town built by America

Exmouth may be renowned as the springboard to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef and epic swims with the Indian Ocean’s “Big Three” – whale sharks, humpback whales and manta rays – but it hasn’t always been famous for fins. Instead, the regional hub, 1128 kilometres north of Perth, once championed another identity: a slice of Americana.

In 1967, at the height of the Cold War, the Australian-United States alliance established Exmouth to strengthen strategic operations in the Indian Ocean. With the US military descending on the RAAF Base Learmonth, so too came traces of Uncle Sam: green money, bowling alleys, a baseball field, and American cars cruising Exmouth’s few streets.

America played a large role in Exmouth becoming what it is today.Credit: Alamy

Although the war (thankfully) remained cold, this “Little America” paved the way for Exmouth to change course and become the tourist hotspot it is today.

A brief history of “Little America”

The Big Prawn greets me as I drive towards Exmouth’s township. The seven-metre-high crustacean pays tribute to local industry, dwarfing a mediocre whale-shark sculpture at an adjacent petrol station. Still, the mammoth prawn is small shrimp compared to what looms large in Exmouth’s landscape.

How Exmouth became home to some of the southern hemisphere’s tallest structures dates back to WWII. In 1942, the Exmouth Gulf was deemed a vantage point for the Australian and US navy and air forces, and a strategic airfield and submarine base called Operation Potshot was established. A year later, the Exmouth Gulf endured Japanese bombing raids, with the region left intact.

The Harold E. Holt Naval Communication Station’s transmission towers are among the tallest structures in the southern hemisphere.Credit: iStock

Decades later, with the threat of the Cold War looming, the Australian and US governments combined forces to bolster their defence and military intelligence. They built the Harold E. Holt Naval Communication Station in the North West Cape, 14 kilometres north of Exmouth. Opening in 1967, the station’s 13 Very Low Frequency transmitter towers assisted ships and submarines worldwide.

The white skeletal structures in a spider-web-like formation are hardly a view to swoon over, but remain impressive. Global landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building, would stand in the shadow of the station’s tallest tower, Tower Zero, at 387 metres. The remaining slightly shorter radio towers surround Tower Zero, and all were erected to withstand cyclone winds up to 500km/h.

The town was established to accommodate US Navy personnel working at the defence base. Exmouth soon became a “Little America”, with a unique blend of American culture in a pocket of outback Australia. Patriotic residents didn’t hold back on traditions either, with Fourth of July festivities prompting a blue, red and white takeover of the town oval.

Uncle Sam celebrations dwindled in 1992 when the US withdrew military personnel and assigned private contractors to manage the station’s infrastructure. While RAAF Base Learmonth supports land, air and sea operations in the region today, America’s departure prompted Exmouth to reinvent itself as a more playful place.

Swims of a lifetime

I’m visiting in September at the tail-end of Exmouth’s whale season. Temperatures are on the up, hovering around 29 degrees. Perhaps not the ideal time to erect a tent, but it is a compromise to afford Exmouth’s bucket-list experiences in the big blue.

Exmouth is the gateway to the world’s largest fringing reef system, Ningaloo Reef. Western Australia’s premier underwater amusement park stretches 260 kilometres along the north-west coast. Unlike its eastern counterpart, the Great Barrier Reef, threatened by industrial developments and runoffs, Ningaloo Reef thrives. Paired with the warm Leeuwin Current, its remoteness enables over 500 tropical species and corals to flourish, attracting returning residents.

Epic swims with ocean giants are Exmouth’s forte – whale sharks and humpbacks migrate along the coast, dubbed the “Ningaloo Highway”. Guided swims with the former are offered from late March to October.

The world’s largest shark cruises the waters of Nigaloo Reef from March to October. Credit: Tourism Western Australia

The coastal highway becomes busier mid-year, with humpback whales journeying northward from Antarctica from July to October. Several tour companies offer swims from $499 per adult (seasonality varies with each operator).

I opt to swim alongside whale sharks with Exmouth Dive & Whale Sharks. The odds are in my favour, with Ningaloo Reef’s 97 per cent interaction rate. The day is full of suspense: When will we see the big fish? How long do we have to perform scissor kicks beside them?

Diving at Navy Pier.

The boat is split into two groups, enabling everyone to enjoy precious moments with the world’s biggest fish. I’m within metres of this giant, its mouth wide open, big enough to engulf me. Thankfully it has an appetite for plankton, not humans. After what feels like an eternity, its tail slowly swooshes past me, and it’s over. But it won’t be the last fascinating swim on this trip.

Diving into a Cold War-era playground

Some Cold War relics are less ominous. Located 14 kilometres from town is Exmouth Navy Pier, a T-shaped jetty that’s 110 metres long and 300 metres wide. Once a US Naval base for transporting resources, it is now a drawcard for divers, often regarded as one of the world’s top shore dives. But getting to dive is not straightforward.

The pier now forms part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) restricted area. It is the only operational naval base in the world that permits commercial diving, making it conceivably the most exciting defence base. The only catch? You need to bring your passport.

Dive Ningaloo is the only scuba-diving operator permitted to take divers to explore what lurks beneath this accidental diving destination. It feels strange being chauffeured into the high-security area in a full-body wetsuit, passport in tow. All visitors must also pay the ADF a $50 fee in advance for the privilege of accessing these protected waters.

It’s a mad rush to get in once past the checkpoint, with the dives timed with tidal movements. Once in the water, all becomes chaotic. Over 200 fish species make up this colourful universe, often described as a “glassless aquarium”. A non-stop stream of divers shimmer 12 metres below, spotting large schools of trevally, barracudas and moray eels, their hangry-looking faces peering out from bright, soft corals. Grey nurse sharks, sea turtles, odd-looking carpet sharks and doe-eyed groupers come and go. Life really is a whirlwind down here.

Exmouth: a slice of American pie in Australia’s outback.

Calling the last round

The stars-and-stripes influences of yesteryear are evident throughout Exmouth. Potshot Hotel Resort is a timeworn tribute to the past, with the former military-era inn accommodating budget-conscious travellers.

Another nod to America is the country-themed music bar, Cadillacs Bar & Grill. Life-size cut-outs of American country icons safeguard every inch of this honky-tonk – even Taylor Swift makes a 2D appearance. Americana adorns the walls, including guitars, bull horns, concert posters, slogans and – of course – plenty of flags. The menu is what you’d expect – burgers, steaks, wings, greasy American classics.

The Harold E. Holt Naval Communication Station’s transmission towers glow against the night sky.

Whalebone Brewing Company embodies the Exmouth of today. I sip a pint of session ale and watch a band perform under zigzagging fairy lights. I’m reminded of the beauty of Ningaloo, dotted by whales and surrounded by nautical relics – it’s a slice of Australia I can’t get enough of.

THE DETAILS

Fly
Qantas flies directly from Perth and Melbourne (seasonally) to Exmouth (Learmonth). See qantas.com

Stay
Rooms at RAC Exmouth Cape Holiday Park start from $143. See parksandresorts.rac.com.au

Explore
Exmouth Dive & Whale Sharks offers whale shark swim tours from $499. See exmouthdiving.com.au

Dive Ningaloo offers dives at the Exmouth Navy Pier from $230. See diveningaloo.com.au

The writer travelled at her own expense.