Western Australia is brimming with wildlife and a captivating natural beauty. It’s a place where you can explore patchwork wine regions, desertscapes, world-class beaches, ancient cultures and incredible natural formations, and step foot in places virtually untouched. One of the best ways to experience this captivating part of Australia – the country’s largest state – is on a self-drive adventure. So we’ve asked the team from leisure travel brand PriceBreaker to give us the five best Western Australia road trips that include exploring a famed reef, wave rock, pink lake and more.
How to organise an epic Western Australia road trip
With so much space to cover, regions to choose from and experiences on offer, planning an adventure in WA is something that can be tricky to tackle. To take the pressure off, let the experts organise your trip plan and customise it for you.
PriceBreaker will tailor your itinerary (including road trips) to suit your interests and budget. It helps that they have a connection with over 100 airline partners, accommodation and activity providers, and insurance companies. Also, if you want to chat through the options in person, you can just walk into one of their two studios in Great World and Parkway Parade to discuss everything with a travel specialist.
With PriceBreaker you can line up a real adventure, but without any stress. The only thing left to do? Get behind the wheel and feel the Aussie wind in your hair!
#1 Perth & Surrounds
Watch the cityscape disappear as you head into hills patterned with vineyards on a trip into Swan Valley. This easy drive from Perth (Indigenous name: Boorloo) offers a 32km loop through the region. There’s plenty of opportunity to stretch your legs in galleries, breweries and cellar doors, or browse fresh produce.
Gourmet Tour
To enjoy the vineyards from a different perspective, you can take a return cruise through the upper regions of the Swan Valley on a gourmet tour. This includes a lunchtime grazing table at the renowned Sandalford Estate, followed by a wine tasting, live entertainment and desserts. You then cruise back into Perth.
#2 Australia’s Coral Coast
In the Coral Coast, red desert meets turquoise water where the ocean’s gentle giants – whale sharks, humpback whales and more – can be found in a spectacular underwater paradise. On land, the rock formations and ancient gorges are coloured like tapestries. The pink lake of Hutt Lagoon contrasts with the bright blue ocean and wildflowers decorate the earth while the sky is adorned with an astonishing display of stars. Here you also have the opportunity to learn about thousands of years of Aboriginal history.
If you choose a Western Australia road trip along the Coral Coast, here are several key attractions you should have in your itinerary, and how to best experience them.
Pinnacles Desert
Within Nambung National Park is an incredible natural attraction formed between 25,000 and 30,000 years ago. These limestone structures protrude from the sand like pillars and can be well over three metres high!
For the ultimate adventure, take a sunset and stargazing tour. You’ll first learn about native plants used by Indigenous communities as you walk along the banks of Moore River. Afterwards, try sandboarding and go on a wildflower walk before ending up at Pinnacles Desert.
Once night falls, you’ll see the Milky Way and gaze through a telescope at the stars and planets while listening to Dreamtime stories about Indigenous Australians – the world’s first astronomers.
Pink Lake
At first glance, you’ll find it hard to believe that the 70 square kilometres of Hutt Lagoon can have such a striking hue. It’s bubble-gum pink! Algae here produces beta carotene, a red pigment also found in veggies like carrots, and which is used for cosmetics, supplements and natural food dye.
One way to see the highly Instagrammable Pink Lake is on a thrilling buggy tour. Jump in a six-seater buggy and drive into the sand dunes and up high for a good view of the lagoon. Plus, you’ll likely encounter emus, kangaroos and lizards during the experience!
Alternatively, you can take a one-hour helicopter ride to see the pink lake contrasted against the coast’s brilliant blues.
Ningaloo Reef
Just a few metres off the shore of Australia’s Coral Coast is an underwater paradise teeming with wildlife and the country’s largest fringing coral reef. Dive or snorkel for your chance to swim alongside manta rays, humpback whales and dolphins. Alternatively, see the latter while visiting the shores of Monkey Mia beach. However, the most famous experience here is a tour to swim with whale sharks, a gentle and beautiful spotted marine animal guaranteed to be on almost everyone’s bucket list.
Jurabi Turtle Centre
Just near Exmouth (Warnangoora), thousands of turtles arrive at the shores of pristine beaches to mate and lay their eggs. Head to Jurabi Turtle Centre to learn about the turtle species found in Ningaloo (Nyinggulu). And make sure to book a turtle-watching tour, which starts from the information centre.
#3 Manjimup – Australia’s South West
Did you know Manjimup is where the famous “pink lady” apples were developed? While it may have started out as timber country, today Manjimup is best known for its incredible fresh produce. Intermingled with tall karri forest, the surrounding farmlands are thriving. On a trip here, you can buy apples, pears, cherries, nectarines, kiwifruit, chestnuts, hazelnuts, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and corn. They’re available straight from the farm gate!
Truffle hunting
Manjimup is also famous for being home to Australia’s first mainland truffles. Indeed, it’s now the largest producer of Black Perigord Truffles in the Southern Hemisphere. Visit the region from June to August for truffle season and make sure to join a truffle hunt where trained dogs sniff their way through the orchard to find black truffles.
In June, there is also a three-day celebration of food and wine called the Truffle Kefuffle. You can sample all the flavours of the region in one place.
#4 The Kimberley – Australia’s North West
Covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometres, the Kimberley is one of the world’s last wilderness frontiers. Head on a Western Australia road trip with a 4WD and you’ll be gifted with magnificent canyons, hidden waterholes and incredible wildlife. Despite its remoteness and size, you can also experience great food, luxury accommodation and romantic beaches.
Cable Beach
Speaking of beaches, they don’t come much more famous than Cable Beach (Walmanyjun). Just 10 minutes from Broome (Rubibi), it’s known for having sugar-white sand, clear waters and a golden Indian Ocean sunset backdrop. See this stunning evening scene of dazzling pink, orange and purple hues on a boat, or watch the incredible transition from the beach with the silhouette of a camel train swaying past.
For an even more iconic experience, don’t just watch! Book a ride on the camel train that walks along the shoreline in front of a flame red sunset.
Horizontal Falls
Sir David Attenborough has described the Horizontal Falls (Garaanngaddim) as “one of the greatest natural wonders of the world” – and for good reason. These surging waters have been formed by some of the largest tidal movements in the world. The result is swirling tides and rapids that cascade through narrow cliff passages to create stunning waterfalls.
The best way to see these unique waterways is by air on a scenic flight. Alternatively, thrill seekers can take in the action on a packed fast boat.
#5 Australia’s Golden Outback
Stretching from the rugged red earth and steep ranges to snow-white beaches, this region of Western Australia is renowned for its dramatically changing landscape and an attraction called Wave Rock.
Lucky Bay
This stunning coastline must be on your Western Australia road trip itinerary if you’re looking for picture-perfect beaches – or, more specifically, Australia’s whitest beach, Lucky Bay. Here you can paddle out into the striking blue of the Indian Ocean, go on a bushwalk, meet a kangaroo on the sand or go on an exciting 4×4 adventure that goes up the rocks and across the beach.
Wave Rock
While you’ll see how the waves along the coastline captivate surfers, the most famous wave in this part of Australia actually rises up from the middle of the outback! On a four-hour road trip through rolling farmland and fields, head to Wave Rock (Katter Kich), a huge multi-coloured granite cliff. This otherworldly rock formation stands 15 metres high. Consider adding more to your experience by continuing on to Mulka’s Cave after Wave Rock. Here you’ll get to see over 450 ancient Aboriginal rock paintings – and, if you visit in spring, a spectacular display of wildflowers.
Want to create the perfect Western Australia Road trip itinerary to the pink lake, Wave Rock or other locations? Visit PriceBreaker to find out more or visit in person to discuss your options.
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