This two-week road trip north to Broome will be intense in terms of the dramatic landscapes and wildlife you’ll be able to experience… and the sheer amount of driving! The pvtistes team has tried and tested the route, so all our advice on the must-see places can be vouched for by fellow working holiday makers.
Day 1 – Perth: Visit the capital of Western Australia
Your adventure begins in Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Start your day in the must-see Kings Park and Botanic Garden. Here, you can see a Boab tree that is over 750 years old, as well as more than 3,000 different types of native plants.
For the afternoon, head to Fremantle, or “Freo” as the locals call it. Grab lunch at the Fremantle Markets, before taking a tour of the World Heritage Site Fremantle Prison. Coffee lovers should check out the different cafes and shops along “Cappuccino Strip”.
Finish your day in Perth watching the sunset at Scarborough or Cottesloe beach, before heading back into the CBD for drinks at one of the many waterfront bars.
If you want to add more time into the itinerary to explore more of Perth, here is a list of other places to visit:
- Crawley Edge Boatshed
- Swan Valley wineries (30-minute drive)
- Hillarys Boat Harbour
- Omeo Wreck
- Swan Canning Riverpark
- Matilda Bay Reserve
- Bold Park
Day 2 – Rottnest Island: Meet the happiest animals in the world
▶ Travel time: 25-minute ferry from Fremantle, 45-minute ferry from Hillarys Boat Harbour, or 1.5-hour ferry from Perth Barrack Street Jetty
▶ Price: Approximately AU$80 per person for a foot passenger (return ticket prices vary depending on times and ports selected)
For the second day of your road trip, it’s actually time to leave the car behind! Today, jump on the ferry and head to Rottnest Island to meet Australia’s famous smiling marsupial: the quokka. There are several ways to explore the island once you arrive, including cycling, walking or taking the hop-on, hop-off bus.
As well as seeing the quokkas, your itinerary for the day will be jam-packed with snorkelling, hiking, relaxing on the beach, and whale watching (if you’re there during migration season!).
Book your ferry in advance because tickets can sell out quickly, depending on the time of year.
Here is a list of the must-see spots on Rottnest Island:
- Vlamingh Lookout
- Cathedral Rocks and Cape Vlamingh viewing platforms
- Jeannie’s Lookout
- Mushroom Rock Lookout
- Wadjemup Lighthouse
Day 3 – From Perth to the Pinnacles:
Limestone formations that feel out of this world
▶ Travel time: 2-hour drive to the Pinnacles
▶ Price: AU$15 per vehicle
It’s finally time to hit the road and say goodbye to Perth. Your first stop will be the Pinnacles Desert, part of Nambung National Park. The easiest way to explore the yellow sand and towering pinnacles (measuring up to 3.5 m high!) is to self-drive the 4.5 km Pinnacles Desert Lookout and Drive Trail.
In the afternoon, you will carry on 30 minutes north to Jurien Bay Marine Park. Here, you can have a leisurely afternoon snorkelling or sunbathing on the beach, or you can opt for a boat trip to spot sea lions and dolphins.
You might also enjoy:
- Skydiving over Jurien Bay
- Surf lessons
- Lancelin Sand Dunes (sand surfing)
- Fishing for rock lobster
- Sandy Cape
- Stockyard Gully National Park (50-minute drive)
Day 4 – Kalbarri National Park: One of Western Australia’s most spectacular national parks
▶ Travel time: 2.5-hour drive to Geraldton, then a 2-hour drive to Kalbarri
▶ Price: AU$17 per vehicle for Kalbarri National Park
First, make your way to Geraldton, a small coastal town where you can break the journey up with a bit of sightseeing:
- HMAS Sydney II Memorial
- Museum of Geraldton
- Point Moore Lighthouse
Then, it’s back in the car for another hour to reach Port Gregory, or more specifically, Hutt Lagoon. This is one of Australia’s famous pink lakes. The naturally pink colour comes from algae and looks particularly impressive in the sunlight. For a unique experience, you can book an aerial tour to view the lake from above.
Your final stop of the day is Kalbarri National Park, just over an hour north of Hutt Lagoon. This rugged park is defined by the Murchison River gorge. Don’t miss the Kalbarri Skywalk for panoramic views of the park, and the Nature’s Window trail to see a “window” naturally shaped by wind.
Although you won’t have time for everything in your afternoon in Kalbarri, you can choose to add in some of the following viewpoints or activities:
- Kalbarri Abseil
- Kalbarri Adventure Tours (canoeing)
- Red Bluff Beach
- Mushroom Rock
- Rainbow Valley
- Pott Alley
- Eagle Gorge Lookout
- Shell House Lookout
- Natural Bridge and Island Rock
Day 5 – Monkey Mia: World Heritage site at Shark Bay
▶ Travel time: 4-hour drive
▶ Price: AU$15 entry fee per adult
The road trip continues towards Monkey Mia, which is located within Shark Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This region is extremely preserved with hundreds of protected species of birds, mammals and reptiles. This is also the westernmost point of the country, part of the Gascoyne region.
On the way, make sure you stop at Hamelin Pool to see the largest concentration of stromatolites in the world. You can make a second stop at Shell Beach, where the sand is completely replaced by white shells. Little Lagoon is also worth a visit for a quick swim in the clear water.
Finally, you will reach Monkey Mia, which is famous for the daily dolphin feedings. We recommend spending the night in Denham and catching the first feed of the day at 7.45 am.
Monkey Mia is also a great place for beginners to practise snorkelling, due to the calm waters.
Day 6 – Carnarvon: The gateway to the Ningaloo coast
▶ Travel time: 3.5-hour drive
Retrace your steps to get back to the main road (National Route 1). Carry on heading north to Carnarvon, another small coastal town in Western Australia. Today, you can pick and choose from the below list for how busy you want your day in Carnarvon to be:
- One Mile Jetty
- Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre
- Carnarvon Space and Technology Centre
- Carnarvon Blowholes
- Gascoyne Food Trail
- Carnarvon Heritage Walk Trail
- Gascoyne River
Day 7 – Coral Bay: A paradise for snorkelling
▶ Travel time: 2.5-hour drive
Today is about enjoying the beaches, the sun and the ocean at Coral Bay. Snorkelling in Ningaloo Reef will allow you to get close to vibrant coral reefs and diverse marine life.
Don’t miss the Coral Bay Shark Sanctuary, a 20-minute walk from Bill’s Bay beach. While it’s not guaranteed to see sharks, it’s very common to spot them in this shark nursery. If you’re lucky, you might get to see baby sharks!
Days 8 and 9 – Exmouth: The highlight of your trip
▶ Travel time: 1.5-hour drive
▶ Price: AU$17 per vehicle for one-day entry to Cape Range National Park
We recommend you split the next two days as follows: one day for exploring Cape Range National Park, and one day for a Ningaloo snorkel or scuba diving excursion. If visiting between March and August, you will be able to swim with the whale sharks. Otherwise, the tour will swim with manta rays instead. You may get lucky and see humpback whales, too.
For your time in Cape Range, make sure you check out:
- Dune Beach
- Mauritius Beach
- Jims Beach
- Mangrove Bay
- Lakeside Snorkelling Area
- Turquoise Bay
- Oyster Stacks Snorkelling Area
- Vlamingh Head Lighthouse (breathtaking sunsets)
Days 10 and 11 – Mackerel Islands: A well-kept secret
▶ Travel time: 4 hours 10 minutes drive to Onslow, then 45-minute ferry to the islands
▶ Price: AU$120 per person (return)
Nature enthusiasts will love the Mackerel Islands. This group of 10 pristine islands and atolls extend into the Indian Ocean and remain untouched, as not many tourists make it this far northwest. The Mackerel Islands are ideal for snorkelling, scuba diving, watersports, fishing, beachcombing and stargazing.
You can either stay overnight on the islands, or use the coastal town of Onslow as your base and visit the islands as a long day trip. While in Onslow, check out the Old Onslow Ruins.
You can witness the Staircase to the Moon from Onslow. This is one of the activities that Broome is most famous for, but you can also see the natural phenomenon elsewhere in the Pilbara region!
Day 12 – Karratha: A modern town with prehistoric surroundings
▶ Travel time: 3-hour drive
Karratha is an up-and-coming town in the Pilbara region. Historically, it was rooted in Aboriginal community and culture, before developing into a busy iron ore mining town. Karratha is a great jumping-off point for exploring some of the nearby coastline and national parks:
- The port town of Dampier (don’t miss the Red Dog Trail and the Red Dog Memorial Statue)
- Dampier Archipelago (explore the islands off the coast of Dampier via a boat tour)
- Karijini National Park (Western Australia’s second largest national park)
- Burrup Peninsula and Murujuga National Park (petroglyphs and Aboriginal rock art)
- Point Samson
- Cossack (ghost town)
- Hearson’s Cove (to view the Staircase to the Moon)
Day 13 – Port Hedland: Connecting the Pilbara to the Kimberley
▶ Travel time: 2.5-hour drive
Port Hedland will allow you to further break up the final journey towards Broome. This port town might not be a standout destination on the itinerary, but it does have plenty of activities to offer for a day’s visit:
- Pretty Pool
- Cape Keraudren Nature Reserve
- Cooke Point Viewing Platform (another place to try and view the Staircase to the Moon)
- Lisa’s Kangaroo Retreat
- Redbank Bridge (good for sunsets)
- Cemetery Beach and Eighty Mile Beach (chance of seeing turtles)
Days 14 and 15 – Broome: Welcome to the Kimberley
▶ Travel time: 6.5-hour drive
You made it to Broome, a hidden gem on the Australian West Coast! This port city is known for breathtaking landscapes and a fascinating historical past. Because of its origins as a pearling town that attracted many international workers, Broome is surprisingly diverse for rural Australia. There are many must-see places in Broome and the wider Kimberley region:
- Cable Beach (popular for camel riding)
- Chinatown
- Willie Creek (pearl farm tours)
- Town Beach (night market and Staircase to the Moon)
- Roebuck Bay and Simpson Beach (dinosaur footprints)
- Matso’s Brewery
- Gantheaume Point (red cliffs)
- Broome Port Jetty
- Broome Historical Museum
- Sun Picture Gardens (the oldest open-air cinema still in operation)
- Red Sand Beach
- Snubfin Dolphin Cruises
- Indigenous cultural tour
- Horizontal Falls
Return to Perth: Back to square one
▶ Travel time: 22 hours and 10 minutes (car) or 2 hours 40 minutes (plane)
What you do next will depend on the rest of your plans for Australia. Some people stay north, carrying on into the Northern Territory to visit Darwin. If you rented a car for your road trip, it’s worth enquiring how much the one-way fee is to drop the car off and fly out of Broome (either to Perth or another city of your choosing).
If you need to drive back to Perth, then buckle up! The journey is going to be long; almost 24 hours without stops. Make sure you plan regular breaks and stay safe behind the wheel. We recommend allocating between 2-4 days to get back. Add on more time if travelling solo, as you don’t have another driver to take over when you get tired!
Possible stopping points include Newman or Mount Magnet, at which point you can choose the rest of your route. You can head back to Geraldton and retrace your steps down the coast, or stay inland on the Great Northern Highway.
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