Western Australia Road Trip

Travelling along Western Australia was a highlight of my year. Yes, I love it that much. I saw so many unique and beautiful places, that I have a strong feeling, that you cannot find that many spots in one area nowhere in the world. We had some worse days like the night when we found a massive spider enjoying a toilet of our camper or when a poisonous snake was chilling next to me on rocks, but otherwise it was all awesome and mind blowing. So if you want to have the best travel adventure ever, go to Western Australia and try to avoid spiders and snakes (difficult, yet possible). 

Here are some tips for you:

What to pack

As little as possible. You will need your flip flops, shorts and t-shirt, plus sunscreen (you can get a local one, they make some awesome organic ones over here). Take one jumper and one long trousers just in case and a change of t-shirt. Obviously, if you are a fashion icon or you go to Australia to take pictures of yourself, take more. Otherwise as little as possible. Why? Because you will have this one thing off your plate and the question “ what should I wear today” will disappear.  Also, because you simply don’t need more. And if you see this one perfect t-shirt that you need to have, you will have a space for it in your backpack.. 

What not to pack

– toys for your kids. They will get some on a plane and then you will see how excited they get about shells and sticks. If you stop in a restaurant – there will be some, on camping grounds as well. In the end, you always end up with a bag of toys you took all the way to Australia only to see them stay in that bag. 

– books – you will need only one. You will be surprised how little time you will have for reading (there are breathtaking sunrises, sunsets and all in between, add driving time and the time you want to spend with your family and you end up with 15 minutes of reading per day. The other thing is that on each campsite and in many cafes and restaurants or roadhouses you will find many books you can exchange yours for.)

– something you hardly ever wear but maybe you will wear it in Australia – no you won’t.

– sunglasses, you will need them, the sun is strong and they will simply make everything easier for you.

What to remember and what I learned

– try to remember to drive on the left side like all the time,

– try not to drive at night. There is a lot of wildlife in OZ. There are huge kangaroos that like to jump through the road and there is a high chance that you will meet them a lot at night. Nights are for watching stars.

– watch stars. Remember that word is a beautiful place and that on holiday you should try to do things you cannot do at home. Like watching stars. In Western Australia you can see many of them, evenings are warm so enjoy!

– tank when you see a gas station. The next one may be really far away. 

– try not to park under trees in the middle of nowhere, because there is a chance that a nice juicy spider will find a shadow in your car. It happened to us and we did not enjoy it.

– do not hurry. I know that there are so many extremely beautiful and unique spots in Western Australia, but you should enjoy them, not see them fast and go. 

– during a day close shades in your camper, it will help you to keep the temperature lower.

– use as many wild campings as possible, but remember to be a good traveller and to use the legal spots. Sometimes you need to book spots in advance (we did not and we managed to find many awesome spots). Some of the spots are for free, some ask for a small amount.

– buy local food and support local businesses. What I’ve noticed is that people living in this area are very friendly and helpful. Also there are not that many people living over there, when you compare it to Eastern Australia. We got a flat tire once and the first car passing us stopped to help and then literally each next one. It does not happen that often in Europe. 

– take care of your rubbish and help to keep the area clean.

– drink A LOT of water and always have some extra. If you go for a short walk, always take water. There is a lot of drinkable water, so there is no need to buy plastic bottles all the time, just refill one you have.

– buy insurance for tires, because getting a flat is not unusual. 

– there is a high possibility that you will be taking a salty shower on a campground and it somehow makes your hair look better.

How to travel

We chose a camper van. It is my favourite way to travel and it gives you many additional options and freedom. You can see many amazing spots and you are never in a hurry to find accommodation or to get to the booked one. It gives you a freedom of always being able to change your mind,. And I am telling you, you will love it there so much, that you will want to stay in places for longer. 

Wild camping contra awesome  campsites

It all depends on you. If you like to take a good shower and often (like each day), you better choose campsites. Most probably it will be a salty one, but still, you will be clean. If you don’t mind taking 30 second showers in a camper, then you are ok in the wild. I love the wild experiences. You meet great people, you learn a lot and you discover more. Wild campings are usually in better locations like on a beach or next to it. There are way less people around and in general I love wild campings. You have apps which will tell you how to find spots and if there is a fee. Usually there is a bush toilet you can use. You can also find water to fill your camper on the way and at the same spot you can get rid of the grey and black water. After a few days you will be so comfortable with everything, that you will feel like you did it your whole life.

Is it worth it?

100% yes. Just look at my pictures and remember that it shows only like 5% of the beauty there was.

How much time do you need?

A lot. I’d suggest a month. If you have less time, like 2 weeks, go only north or only south of Perth. Unless you want to see it all and do a lot of driving in between.

North from Perth

Hutt Lagoon aka Pink Lake – this is your obligatory stop. Come here just to see how beautifully pink one lake can be. We went to see three pink lakes and this one is our nr 1. Also, depending on a weather the lake can look totally different.

Greenough Wildlife & Bird Park – a perfect stop for parents with young children. There are many Australian animals – kangaroos (even some albino ones), emus, crocodiles, beautiful birds, all saved. You can feed some of them and look at them a lot. There was this little fox, his mom was killed and one lady saved him. It is forbidden to keep foxes at home in Australia, so she had to give it away. This was a unique opportunity to hug a pup fox for us. He will never be able to go back to nature, so he is raised like a home animal.

Shark Bay – we got up early in the morning, grabbed Mia’s pink fishing rod and we went to convince some not so smart fish to grab a raisin and let us cook them. It did not work, there were only smart ones apparently. But we had fun and spent a beautiful time on a stunning beach.

Shell Beach – it has it’s name for a reason.

Monkey Mia – this place is seriously something. I’ve been a volunteer over here about 10 years ago and I guess it is still one of my favourite places in Western Australia. If you want to see wild dolphins, learn about them and if you’re lucky, present them with a fish, come over here. I could write long stories about how beautiful these animals are, how it feels when they touch you and when they turn to look at you (they don’t look up so they have to turn their body on the side to be able to look up). If you wake up very early in the morning, there will be you and them and maybe a few other people. You can take a paddle board and swim next to them or just go on a platform to look at them. There are also big beautiful pelicans, who look like they are dolphins best friends (swim next to them), but it’s because they want to grab their fish.

Quobba Blow Holes – I love this stop. There is a nice wild camping and a beautiful beach just next to the blow holes. And the holes itself are incredible. The pressure is huge, so there is a chance that you will have a shower. I suggest getting there early in the morning and spend longer time observing the coast line.

Mildura Wreck – we were in a neighbourhood, as in the area you can see female turtles laying eggs and then the little ones trying to get to the ocean. Check dates for both, as it happens when it is supposed to happen only. The wreck is interesting as well, you can swim there or walk when the tide is low.

Road nr 1 leading to the Exmouth Is magnificent. You do not want to spend too much outside of an airconed car, as it is super hot over there, but you remember my words and try to count all the “wow”s.

Carnarvon – they have a lot of palm fields in this town. Just have on mind, that there are many spiders over there as well.

Kalbarri National Park – this is a must. Such beautiful views. It can get really hot over there so remember about water and proper clothing. Definitely worth seeing during the sunrise.

Kalbarri – this town has so many amazing walks and such a beautiful coastline that you need to see it.

Coral Bay – there is a shark sanctuary, which means that after a short walk you will see many reef sharks swimming very close to the beach. You can walk into the water and if you wait, they will start circling around you.

South from  Perth

The drive south is incredible itself. You will pass small, beautiful  towns, where everyone is so friendly. There are some tourist traps, as some people call it, but the traps itself are pretty awesome, so don’t worry about it. This is a beautiful wine area, but as we were driving and living in a van, it wasn’t something we could experience. We saw many other things and beautiful beaches and I have a feeling that it was only 5% of what this area has to offer.

Canal Rock – majestic rocks connected by a narrow wooden bridge. I may be the person who walked this bridge most, as Mia made me run there and backward for an hour. 

Hamelin Bay – a very unique spot where you can see stingrays swimming just next to you. It is scary at times as they literally push you, but it is also a beautiful experience and something you should not miss. I suggest going there very early in the morning, when not many tourists are around. 

Elephant Rocks – one of the most beautiful spots. These rocks are mind blowing. I strongly suggest sunset over here. There are poisonous snakes in the area. Do not worry, they will not attack you, but be careful and walk the paths. I saw one just next to me, so I can confirm that there are some. 

Two People Bay – if you like beautiful beaches, this one will be one of your favourites. There was no-one else when we got there and we had it all for ourselves. Beautiful white sand, lonely round stones and some nice places to walk.

Wylie Bay – We got here very early in the morning and I had a coffee by myself over there. Such a beautiful and peaceful place. 

Lucky Bay – this is this famous beach where kangaroos chill and you can look at them while swimming in turquoise water. If you have 4wd, you can park on a beach. You can stay over here for a night, but you need to ńbook way in advance, as it is obviously very popular. We stopped about 30 minutes drive away, on a lovely campground and in the morning we saw a big group of dolphins jumping around and having fun.

Wharton Beach – We got here totally by accident. We stopped for a night in the area and went on a beach for a morning coffee. This is where we saw a group of wild dolphins. The view was spectacular, they were playing in the water, jumping and having fun. One of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen. 

Wave rock – incredible rock formation, if you’re in the area, definitely go there. You can also drive there on your way back to Perth. There is a camping ground just next to the rock, so you have easy access. Important when you travel with kids, hehe.