It is located within the northern suburbs of Perth, from Ocean Reef in the west, to Landsdale in the east, with a portion travelling northwards along the coast to Iluka.

[1] From the mid-1970s Ocean Reef Road was so named and constructed from a point approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) west of today's Edgewater Drive up to Marmion Avenue (heading in a north-westerly fashion from the aforementioned point).

Ocean Reef Road was the northern terminus of the Mitchell Freeway for eleven years from 1988 to 1999.

[2] In 2006 Ocean Reef Road was extended along the coast from Hodges Drive to Shenton Avenue.

[citation needed] As part of the Federal Government's AusLink Strategic Regional Program, Ocean Reef Road was extended east to Alexander Drive.

Ocean Reef Road then travels through the suburbs of Woodvale and Wanneroo, as well as the Yellagonga Regional Park reserve for 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) up until the southern part Lake Joondalup, where the road transfers into the City of Joondalup local government area.

Only another 280 metres (920 ft) later takes the road to the Mitchell Freeway at a standard diamond interchange.

The road continues to run parallel to the coastline as a two-lane divided carriageway through Ocean Reef for about 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) before terminating at Shelton Avenue at Iluka.