 North West Coastal Highway is a generally north @-@ south Western Australian highway which links the coastal city of Geraldton with the town of Port Hedland . The 1 @,@ 300 @-@ kilometre @-@ long ( 808 mi ) road , constructed as a sealed two @-@ lane single carriageway , travels through remote and largely arid landscapes . Carnarvon is the only large settlement on the highway , and is an oasis within the harsh surrounding environment . The entire highway is allocated National Route 1 , part of Australia 's Highway 1 , and parts of the highway are included in tourist routes Batavia Coast Tourist Way and Cossack Tourist Way . Economically , North West Coastal Highway is an important link to the Mid West , Gascoyne and Pilbara regions , supporting the agricultural , pastoral , fishing , and tourism industries , as well as mining and offshore oil and gas production . 
