How to Plan an Epic 5-Week Western Australia Road Trip

A road trip along the West Coast of Australia is high on many people’s bucket lists. But Western Australia (WA) is massive. To tackle the endless distances between the Western Australia highlights, from Exmouth in the north down to Esperance in the south, you need time. We spent 5 weeks on our West Coast Australia road trip and had to completely overhaul our original route due to a cyclone. Because of this, we drove over 8,000 km in 5 weeks: a mistake you don’t have to make.

In this post, we’ll share our optimized and honest itinerary for a road trip through Western Australia, highlight which stops are actually worth it, and show you what you can safely skip. We are currently working on alternative itineraries for shorter timeframes of 2 to 4 weeks, which we will link here soon, because those timeframes are doable too.

Western Australia Road Trip: Planning, Best Time & Overview

⏱ Recommended duration: 4 to 5 weeks
🗺 Start & End: Perth (Round trip)
☀️ Best time to travel to Western Australia: October to April (Note: In the north, the extremely hot cyclone season starts in November; in the south, the weather gets changeable from April onwards. Next time, we would head south earlier). You can find more details here.
🚗 Vehicle: Campervan or 4WD. Tip: We are currently writing a separate post on rental companies in Perth, insurance, and the 4WD vs. Campervan debate.

5-Week Western Australia Road Trip Map & Itinerary

Our route is based on starting in Perth, heading up the Coral Coast to Exmouth, then heading back inland to Esperance in the deep south, and returning to Perth. In our opinion, the inland route is optional, but if you skip it, you’ll be driving the exact same stretch up and down (from Perth to Exmouth and from there to Esperance or vice versa).

Our recommendation is also not to book too much in advance (except during school holidays), but rather to see where you like it and where you don’t. This spontaneity is part of a West Coast Australia road trip. We are currently writing detail blog posts for each stop. Below you’ll find a first, brief overview of each stop:

Perth (2-3 nights)
Jurien Bay (1-2 nights)
Kalbarri (2 nights)
Shark Bay (3 nights)
Exmouth (4 nights)
Esperance (3-4 nights)
Bremer Bay (2-3 nights)
Denmark (1-2 nights)
Margaret River (3 nights)
Busselton (1-2 nights)

Perth & Surroundings (2 to 3 Nights)

Perth is the perfect starting point for your West Coast Australia road trip. Pick up your camper, grab a local SIM card (Telstra is recommended here), and stock up on supplies. We spent almost a week in Perth at the end of our road trip, and we could have stayed even longer:

🍜 Foodie Tip: Head to East Victoria Park / Albany Highway! Highly recommended for Asian food and a cool street food vibe.
🛍️ Karrinyup Shopping Centre: Has awesome outdoor food courts. In the evenings, it feels more like a dining experience than a shopping mall, and it’s super busy at night.
🌅 Markets & Events: On Thursdays, there’s the Scarborough Sunset Market. You can find a great overview of events, markets, and more in Perth right here.
⚓ Fremantle & Markets: “Freo” is an incredibly awesome neighborhood. Definitely visit the famous Fremantle Market.
🌊 Beaches & Surfing: Cottesloe Beach is very beautiful, but a bit more upscale. Scarborough Beach is great during the day, also perfect for surfing.
🌞 Tip for Day Trips: If you have time, take a day trip from Perth via ferry to Rottnest Island to see the famous quokkas.

💡For more inspiration, hidden gems, and practical tips for your stay, head over to our comprehensive
Perth Travel Guide.

Pinnacles Desert, Cervantes & Jurien Bay (1 to 2 Nights)

Cervantes is about a two-hour drive from Perth, forms the first stop heading north, and is famous for the Pinnacles Desert. Depending on your time, an overnight stay here isn’t strictly necessary in our opinion. Jurien Bay is only 20 minutes from Cervantes and offers a variety of activities:

🦭 Australian Sea Lions: Jurien Bay is home to hundreds of rare sea lions. There are daily sea lion tours.
🪂 Skydive: You can also explore Jurien Bay from above by skydiving.
⛱️ Sandy Cape: A bay where you can camp on the beach, swim, snorkel, fish, and sandboard.

Kalbarri National Park & Skywalk (2 Nights)

Kalbarri is great and has a lot to offer. However, it’s often crowded during the holidays:

🏞️ National Park: At the famous Nature’s Window and the Kalbarri Skywalk, it’s often 10 degrees hotter than in the town on the coast. You should only hike the Loop Trail with an extreme amount of water; when we were there, it was even closed due to the extreme heat.
🦟 Must-Have in the National Park: Mosquito repellent for your face! You will be literally chased by sticky flies here. Honestly: We didn’t find the national park super spectacular.
🌊 The Coast (Blue Holes): You can snorkel beautifully at the Blue Holes (Note: currents at the reef). If the waves are high and you’re lucky, you’ll see dolphins jumping through or surfing the waves here.
🐬 Dolphins in Town: Right on the beach, where the river meets the ocean (opposite Tasman Park), we saw dolphins, sometimes very close to the shore.
🍻 Evening Program: Every Thursday, there’s karaoke at the local pub.

Shark Bay & Monkey Mia (3 Nights)

Shark Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Area and offers unique experiences. Note: Free camping is not allowed here and there are no rest areas. Definitely book campsites like Eagle Bay in advance. The Francois Peron National Park is only accessible by 4WD:

🐬 Monkey Mia: Known for dolphin feeding, but we found it a bit problematic because the animals are being fed. Our tip: Head out onto the jetty outside of feeding times. It’s much less crowded there, and huge pods of dolphins, turtles, and stingrays swam by all day long.
🦭 Here you can see the rare dugongs on a wildlife cruise.
🏞️ With a 4WD, you can explore the Francois Peron National Park.
🏝️ Experience Dirk Hartog Island with its beautiful nature & untouched wilderness.

Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef & Cape Range National Park (4 Nights)

Exmouth is the gateway to the world-famous Ningaloo Reef, a true highlight for your Western Australia trip! The region thrills with a unique underwater world, surfing opportunities, and unparalleled nature:

🌞 Cape Range National Park: This is where the true dream beaches are. Turquoise Bay is breathtakingly beautiful: perfect for snorkeling right off the beach. At the right time, you can even watch turtles nesting on the beach here.
🐋 Whale Sharks: Here you have the opportunity to snorkel with whale sharks and see numerous other marine animals like manta rays, tiger sharks, and more.
🚐 4WD Required: Generally, for Exmouth (as well as for Shark Bay): Many of the remote beaches and highlights are only accessible with a 4WD (four-wheel drive).
🏕️ Camping: There is no free camping in Exmouth and hardly any rest areas (ours was also closed due to cyclone flooding). You absolutely must book your spot in advance.
🚨 Ranger Checks: While we didn’t see many rangers overall, we were warned in Coral Bay: If you’re parked with your campervan in a normal parking lot and have all the doors open (e.g., to air it out), this is quickly considered illegal camping.

Optional Western Australia Road Trip Stops

On many Western Australia road trip itineraries, you’ll find the following stops, which in our view are optional. Below we briefly explain why we skipped them and/or wouldn’t include them next time:

Hutt Lagoon (Pink Lake): The color isn’t always pink, and from the ground, the lake wasn’t pink at all. When we were there, you could only see it with a drone. Don’t make an extra stop here unless you’re driving past anyway.
Karijini National Park: We decided against it. The flies are super intense, it’s incredibly hot, and we preferred to spend more days on the coast.
Wave Rock (Hyden) & Cue: A massive detour, extremely expensive fuel, and at the end of the day, you “just see a rock.” We would skip this stop. The campsite was also very mediocre. We had booked it because it’s a way to drive a different route from Exmouth to Esperance than taking the same one back along the coast, but we drove straight on.

Esperance & Cape Le Grand (3-4 Nights)

The absolute dream in the south of Australia. The beaches here are the ultimate Western Australia sights:

🦘 Lucky Bay: Gorgeous to look at, but very touristy. Kangaroos live here, and you get to see them up close, with a bit of luck even on the beach. You can drive your camper right onto the beach. The beach isn’t necessarily suitable for lying on due to the consistency of the sand.
🏄‍♀️ Better Alternatives: Hellfire Bay and Thistle Cove. The sand at Hellfire Bay is more pleasant, and people were even surfing here. Just walk to the far end of the beach to be almost entirely alone.
⛺️ Camping: The spots in the national park book out extremely fast. How to still get a spot, plus all our tips: things to do in Esperance.

Bremer Bay & Albany (2 to 3 Nights)

🐚 Bremer Bay: Crystal clear water, not a huge sandy beach, but great sections to lie on. It’s within walking distance from the Bremer Bay Caravan Park.
🏙️ Albany: The city is okay, but the beaches are breathtaking.
🐳 Whaling Cove: We were completely alone there in the afternoon. Clear water and there is a 3.5-hour trail.
⛱️ Misery Beach: Super beautiful beach. Tip: Be there early, just before 9 AM. It gets much more crowded at midday, the water comes further up, and the current gets extremely strong.

Denmark & Pemberton (1 to 2 Nights)

Green Pools (Denmark): Beautiful stretch of beach, white sand, great for snorkeling. Tip: Come early! We got there at 10 AM, and after that, the parking lot became extremely packed. There is often a food truck there with fried rice, curry, and sandwiches.

Margaret River Wine Region & Augusta (3 Nights)

Margaret River is a huge region with deep forests and vineyards, many wineries, hip restaurants, and beaches where you can surf:

Augusta: A cute little village for a stopover. Granny’s Pool has clear water and is great for snorkeling, but has little room to lie down (lots of rocks).
Hamelin Bay: In the summer, there are manta rays & stingrays right on the beach here every day (only occasionally in winter).
Margaret River: Lots of beautiful wineries, like Swings & Roundabouts. The stalactite caves are also very popular.
Injidup Natural Spa: When the weather is good, it’s incredibly busy here. Cool to look at, but there’s no space to put your things down, the water is cold, and the slippery rocks are dangerous.

Busselton & Capel (1-2 Nights)

These stops are on the way back to Perth:

Peppermint Beach (Capel): An absolute insider tip! Beautiful, white sandy beach with a great outdoor BBQ area.
Meelup Beach: Blue water, white sand, and unlike many other beaches, well suited for swimming.
Busselton Jetty: Longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere (1.8 km) & great for a stroll or visiting the underwater observatory at the end.

Extra Stops for Longer Australia Road Trip (Optional)

If you have more than 5 weeks or your route isn’t a loop (round trip starting and ending in Perth), you can add the following places to your 6-week (or longer) Australia itinerary:

Rottnest Island: An absolute must-do as a day trip from Perth by ferry. Rent a bike and discover the famous quokkas!
Broome: A tropical paradise way up north in WA (famous for Cable Beach). Our assessment: Probably too far for a 5-week road trip from/to Perth, as the driving distance from Exmouth is again enormous.
Adelaide & Kangaroo Island (South Australia): If you’re not doing a loop but planning a one-way road trip, you can drive from Esperance across the Nullarbor Highway to Adelaide. From there, Kangaroo Island is an absolute nature highlight. For a classic Perth round trip, however, this is too far.

Essential Western Australia Road Trip Tips

🚗 Driving in the Dark: is not recommended as the danger from kangaroos is extremely high.
⛽ Refueling: Fuel up in good time. Especially inland or heading north (e.g., to Hyden), always fill up when you see a gas station. The distances between pumps are enormous.
📱 Network & Phone Number: The internet is often very bad. Be sure to download all maps offline and bring power banks. If you’re traveling for longer, Starlink is worth it. An Australian phone number is worth its weight in gold, especially if you need to rebook campsites at short notice or ask about leftover availability.
💳 Paying: Payment by Card is standard, but in Australia it always carries a surcharge of just under 2%.
🚁 Drones: Only fly with plenty of distance from people and where it’s allowed. The rangers in the national parks sometimes check very strictly.

💡 You’ll find all the details on budgeting, camping rules, and the best time to visit for your Western Australia road trip, plus a handy overview, in our Western Australia road trip blog.