Exmouth, town in Australia on the central western coast of the state of Western Australia. Exmouth sits on North West Cape at Vlaming Head overlooking Exmouth Gulf, an arm of the Indian Ocean. The town was founded in 1964 as a service center for a nearby communications station. The station monitored transmissions via satellite and radio towers and was operated jointly by the United States and Australia. The United States has since turned over control of the station to Australia. The tallest of the towers measures nearly 400 m (nearly 1300 ft) in height, and is among the tallest structures in the southern hemisphere. Exmouth also profits from the exploitation of local offshore oil. Tourists come to the town to see the magnificent local scenery and the rich fish, pearl, and coral stocks of the nearby continental shelf and Exmouth Gulf. Much of the cape is protected by the nearby Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Marine Park. Exmouth is connected to the rest of Australia by a single major highway, an offshoot of the North West Coastal Highway. Population (1991) 3,128.
