Charles Knife Canyon

Charles Knife Canyon is a dramatic gorge in Cape Range National Park, about 20 kilometres south of Exmouth in Western Australia. Carved into the limestone Cape Range, it features steep red and white banded walls and a winding unsealed road leading to the Thomas Carter Lookout. Part of the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area, it is notable for panoramic views over the range, Exmouth Gulf and Ningaloo Reef.

Visitors can expect a scenic unsealed drive through a narrow limestone gorge with towering layered walls in red, white and brown hues. The Charles Knife Road is a one-way loop with several pull-over bays and culminates at the Thomas Carter Lookout, offering elevated panoramic views across the Cape Range, Exmouth Gulf and on clear days to Ningaloo Reef. The landscape is arid with spinifex and native shrubs, and there are information signs explaining geology. No swimming or extensive walking trails inside the canyon itself.