Welcome to our Western Australia Itinerary.
We have saved the biggest and best for last. In this itinerary you will be travelling nearly one third of the ENTIRE distance of our Australian road trip, having started in Cairns.
In case you had never noticed on a map, Western Australia is absolutely massive with huge distances between each stop off!!
- Where: Lake Argyle to Coral Bay (Lake Argyle – Broome – Karajini National Park- Exmouth – Coral Bay)
- Time: Minimum of 4 weeks
- Distance: Approximately 2700 Kilometers
Because this itinerary is so big, we will break it up into Part One and Part Two.
For this itinerary, we will be spending most of our time in the beautiful Kimberly region. Starting in Lake Argyle and making our way across to Coral Bay via Broome, Karijini National Park and Exmouth.
The landscapes, climate and temperatures in Western Australia can be very diverse and contrasting. This is evident in the range of activities and cool things to see in the biggest state of Australia.
Let’s check out all the incredible things you are going to experience on your ultimate Western Australia itinerary.
Western Australia Road-Trip: The Kimberly Region
If you are coming from the Northern Territory, don’t forget that there is a time difference of one hour between the two states. That means you will gain an hour when travelling into Western Australia.
That can also mean, you could be too early to check in to your campground/resort….
In the northern part of WA, you have the famous Kimberly region. A vast and remote location with countless amounts of termite mounds and giant Boab trees.
This is a classic and picturesque Australian outback landscape.
For part one of this gigantic itinerary, you will be starting in the Kimberly region at Lake Argyle, which is just over the Northern Territory border.
Some R&R in Broome is then next on the list.
After a few days of relaxing in Broome we will be heading back in-land to hike Australia’s best and most fun Gorge walks at Karajini National Park.
Western Australia Road-Trip: Gascoyne Region
After a few adventurous days of hiking and swimming it will be time to pack away the boots and pull out your snorkeling gear. You will have now left the Kimberly region and come into the Gascoyne region. Here we will be visiting Exmouth and its famous Ningaloo Reef.
Lastly, we will be visiting the tiny town of Coral Bay for a bit more snorkeling. This will be the end of part one, which at this stage is over 2500 kilometers!
You will have now started to notice the difference in landscapes after many kilometers of driving. The red dusty land and rocks has turned into flat endless plains that were once seabed’s millions of years ago.
Allow yourself plenty of time for this Western Australia itinerary. We would recommend AT LEAST 6 weeks as these are some crazy and huge distances we are talking about.
For most of the northern road trips in Western Australia it will take you two days of driving to get to your next stop. But of course, all of it will be worth it!!
Western Australia Itinerary: Lake Argyle
In our last itinerary “The Northern Territory“ we spoke about the different options you will have once you have finished your Katherine visit.
To get to Lake Argyle from Katherine you will have to drive over 500 kilometers. As mentioned above, this will be a reoccurring theme almost right up to Perth!!
On the bright side though, you will have an abundance of choice of free campsites along the way to save a few dollars. At this stage you should be a guru of washing out of a bucket so this shouldn’t be any issue to you!
Another thing to remember is to stock up in Katherine. Almost immediately after you cross the Western Australia – Northern Territory border you will come to the turn off for Lake Argyle. If you are stocked up, then this will save you some time and fuel.
Should you need to get extra supplies then it is possible to drive on to the nearest town Kununurra. But you are adding an extra hour and half to your journey and prices for most items will be inflated.
Just stock up in Katherine to make life easier!
Lake Argyle Resort
Lake Argyle is Australia’s second largest man-made lake, and it is surrounded by stunning landscape. You would of noticed this on the drive towards the border with a large build up of red rock mountains and striking rock formations.
Credited with having Kimberly’s most spectacular pool, Lake Argyle Resort provides an infinity pool that overlooks the breathtaking scenery of the massive lake. A lake that also has a large population of freshwater crocodiles!
The downside of having an amazing pool is that it is pretty much always busy there. The gorgeous views and chilled out atmosphere will make up for that small issue though.
Lake Argyle is a very popular resort, and the only one in the area. Booking in advance is very strongly suggested to guarantee your spot. A night of accommodation for an unpowered site starts at 50$ per night, which you would think for its location is a fair price.
In our opinion nearly all amenities were well overdue an upgrade, in particular the camp kitchens. For this reason, we thought it was a bit pricier than what it should of been.
As this resort has over 100 sites which are all nearly booked out you do wonder where all that money goes to…. We will finish on a positive though.
There is live music and/or live matches every night. And the scenery is absolutely gorgeous. Besides hikes and swimming, you can also go on boat cruises and helicopter rides.
Since you must pass through this area to enter Western Australia, you would be mad not to pull in to Lake Argyle and embrace its beauty for a few days!
Lake Argyle: The Lake
Lake Argyle is of course a lake, so go for a swim in its warm yet refreshing water. Wait, did you not mention that there is a large population of freshwater crocodiles here?! Yes, you are correct, I did say that! In fact, over 25000 crocodiles reside in the lake. Before you tell me to F off, read on further please!
Firstly, you should know that there is a big difference between freshwater crocs and saltwater crocs. The freshwater crocodile is a lot smaller and is generally very timid, eating only small prey such as fish and insects.
It is considered safe to swim in the lake even with that many crocodiles living in it. If you should see a “freshie” in the water, then leave it alone and do not approach it. More than likely, it will flee from you anyway.
PLEASE RESPECT THE WILDLIFE!! Ignoring this advice could lead to injury to yourself or others
Now you are well informed, and with your fear overcome, let’s go for a swim. A steep but short hike down to the left of the infinity pool will bring you to a pontoon that you can have entirely to yourself as most people will be in the infinity pool anyway. Of course, this is not a guarantee but definitely worth checking out.
Perhaps swimming in lake Argyle is done best at the end of a hike. There’s an easy 5-kilometer hike which starts at the same point as the trail that leads down to the pontoon.
This walking trail will bring you across to the hills that overlook the resort and offers some amazing views of the lake as well as the take-off/landing point of the helicopter ride.
Western Australia Itinerary: Broome
Getting to Broome is another massive distance that has to be covered at nearly 1000 kilometers!!
There are two different roads to drive there and unfortunately, we had to take the less exciting one.
The Gibb River Road
Ideally this would have been our preferred road to have taken as there are many cool stop-offs to visit along the way. This is an environment that is best suited for four-wheel drive vehicles.
One day we would like to return here and still try it with a conventional vehicle just to see how far we can get. Stay tuned for that one!
Broome Town
We once looked into flying to Broome from Mackay. This was a four-flight way to get there and was also costlier and more time consuming than a flight from Mackay to Ireland.
Obviously, we were very happy to finally be getting a chance to visit this gorgeous town after months of driving through desert. We were now going to be chilling at white sand beaches that stretch for miles, swim in the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean and watch whales and dolphins play.
Broome has an enormous amount of accommodation available. Ranging from 5-star resorts to humble campgrounds with good amenities.
June until end of September is the peak time. So do not expect to find much availability if you have nothing booked in advance. School holidays are also extremely busy periods.
After running low on supplies you now also have the opportunity again to stock up in the available supermarkets and BottleO’s.
For alcohol purchases there are limitations in place to what you can purchase per day.
Broome: Cable Beach
The main activities to do in Broome are lounging on the many gorgeous beaches. The most famous one being Cable Beach. The name stems from a communication cable being laid here connecting Australia and Java Indonesia.
Driving a car onto Cable Beach is possible and this is a perfect way to spend your days in Broome.
Set up your camp, then go for a swim in the gorgeous waters, read a book, bake in the sun or play a bit of football. Or whatever non stress activity you prefer!
At sunset the camel tours will come out around the same area at “Zanders”. This is your opportunity to get your famous Broome photograph.
Broome Stargazing
Stargazing is one of our favourite things to do on the road. Broome has some of the best nightly skies in the world to experience this.
Look up and embrace the thousands of stars in the clear sky with a distinctive white Milky Way cutting through!
Based in Broome is a man called Greg Quicke aka Space Gandalf and he is one of the world’s best self-taught astronomers.
Greg made a brilliant documentary called “A stargazers guide to the cosmos” and now runs his own Broome star gazing tours – Astro Tours Broome.
Western Australia Itinerary: Karijini National Park
Getting to Karijini National Park is best done in two days of driving as it is over 900 kilometers away. The biggest town to stop off in is Port Hedland.
Unless you are a fan of road trains and industrial towns, we wouldn’t suggest staying there!
Instead, stop off at Pardoo, this is a great area to set up camp for one night. Here you will find blue water, white beaches and a stunning sky at nigh-time.
When the tide goes out for hundreds of meters it exposes huge rocks of basalt creating a moon like landscape.
If you explore the rock pools carefully, you will find octopus hiding away. These smart creatures can be very hard to find though due to their camouflage.
Going for 32$ a night for 2 people plus vehicle Pardoo can be a bit expensive. It definitely has gorgeous views but to be honest it lacks decent amenities for that price.
For this reason, if you opt not to stay in Pardoo, the good news is that you will have lots of choices for free 24 hour stop offs on the way to Karijini NP.
What to do in Karijini National Park
Karijini NP is an adventure haven, and you should spend at least 3 days here. You will be inundated with endless viewpoints and deep gorges.
Enjoy exploring the many gorges and enter a secret world of waterholes, waterfalls and steep red cliffs that you will be hiking through.
Once down in the gorges be prepared to get your feet wet, there is no way to get around this. In fact, in some places you will even have to swim to continue your hike.
Therefore, instead of tip toeing around the water just accept you will get wet and dive in (not literally, it’s not that deep!!). This way will make the hike a lot easier, and a lot more fun!!
Where to Stay in Karijini National Park: Dales Campground
Dales campground is a great place to base yourself and explore the attractions nearby that are within walking distance. Dales is a large campsite with many sites but very basic costing 11$ per night per person.
Optus account holders will be glad to hear there is full reception here. Unfortunately for Telstra account holders there is none.
Only a couple of hundred meters away you will find the main attraction “Dales Gorge Walking Track”. Before you descend down into Dales Gorge, visit the viewpoints of Circular pool and Three Ways Lookout.
From Three Ways Lookout you can make your way down the steep decline via ladders into the gorge.
The reason we recommend starting your hike there is the reward you will have at the end.
After about 2 kilometers of a walk through the gorge you will arrive at Fortescue Falls. A cascading waterfall with a large pool at the bottom to swim in. The cliffs that surround the pool make it look like you are in a Roman amphitheatre.
Continuing on for an easy 5-minute walk from Fortescue Falls you will appear at Fern Pool. A stunning water hole with a small but nice waterfall that is accessible from a platform with ladders. This pool is much deeper than Fortescue Falls and can also be a lot busier.
We can guarantee that the beauty of the surroundings combined with a refreshing dip will make you forget how busy it is.
Karijini National Park Hikes: Hancock Gorge
The pick of Karijini hikes has to be Hancock’s Gorge. If you have a drybag make sure to bring it with you as you are now going to get your feet wet and some places you have to swim to continue.
Accept this reality and embrace the fun in the clean and refreshing water!
The start of the hike is a steep descent down via ladders and stairs and can be a bit tricky in some parts. Once down after about one hundred meters you will come to the first water crossing.
This is only ankle to knee deep and if you want it is still possible to climb along the side walls to keep your feet dry (Remember just embrace and plough right through it!)
Next up is the “spider walk section”. Unless you have a dry bag, then this is the place to leave your bag behind. This is the beginning of the swimming section where the water will be up to chest height.
In other parts you can “spider walk” through the tight crevices’ using all four of your limbs (Or simply walk through the water like a normal person!)
After that you will walk/slide through a few natural waterslides to get to the finale.
The last part of this amazing trail is called Kermit’s Pool. A natural and deep swimming hole with emerald water and surrounded by soaring red rock walls. If you’re lucky enough, you can have this distinguished pool all to yourself
Karijini National Park Hikes: Weano Gorge
Only few minutes away from Hancock’s Gorge you will find Weano’s Gorge. This offers another exciting hike through a gorge called Handrail Pool. Walk down the steps into the gorge and turn right at the bottom.
It is not as difficult as Hancock’s Gorge but be prepared to get your feet wet again.
An easy one kilometer walk that brings you through ankle deep water will guide you on to Handrail Pool.
If you decide to plunge yourself into the freezing water, then make sure to visit the secret pool behind Handrail. Swim to the other side and scramble up the boulders to a smaller area and an even colder pool!
After the swim at Handrail Pool, you must backtrack the path you came in. This will bring you back to the bottom of the steps where you turned right originally.
It is possible to continue on another easy walk through the bottom of Weano Gorge, and you will stay dry. This track will bring you back to the carpark where you started.
Karijini National Park: Corrugated Roads
For some unknown reason a lot of roads in Australia are really shite!! You can drive 100 kilometers to get to the place you want to visit, and then the last 10 kilometers the road will be in absolute tatters.
It doesn’t make sense to us. Why have a tarmac road, but for the last stretch you go ” Ah fuck it, it will be grand!”
This is sadly the case getting to Hancock’s Gorge. The last 13 kilometers of the road is even hard to call a road. Severe corrugation, huge potholes and large rocks make up this part which is marked as 2WD.
Should you decide to go ahead then take your time. It took us 40 minutes to drive 13 kilometers and we came away pretty much damage free. However, we saw cars (including 4wd vehicles) that had blown tires and front bumpers hanging off.
Also, if you are based in Dales Campground and are visiting on a daytrip in a 2wd vehicle then ensure you take the tarmacked road of Karijini Drive. Using Google Maps will tell you to take the Banjima Road which is where the Karijini Visitor Centre is based. This is 100% a 4wd road even though it is not marked as such.
Our wish of visiting other sites that are in the area was affected by the poor state of the roads. We believed it was not worth the risk of putting our beloved Toyota Hiace through such torment and agony.
As a result, we missed out on popular tourist attractions such as Knox Gorge and Joffre Gorge.
Karijini National Park: Fuel
One more important point when visiting Karijini is to be aware of your fuel consumption. The nearest fuel station to Dales Campground is Juna Downs which is 50 kilometers away to the East. Tom Price is your nearest to the West which is 100 kilometers away!!
Western Australia Itinerary: Exmouth & Ningaloo Reef
Give yourself another two days to travel from Dales Campground to Exmouth as it is nearly 700 kilometers away. It is possible to stay in the many options available in Exmouth. But in that case, you will be far away from the main activity which is Ningaloo Reef!
Ningaloo Reef – What to See and Do
Based in Cape Range National Park you have the lesser known, but stunning Ningaloo Reef. It is not as famous as its Eastern cousin -The Great Barrier Reef, but it is just as stunning with its colorful underwater paradise.
There are lots of different activities to do in Cape Range National Park. If you don’t like the beach and sea however, then we’re afraid there is not that much to do!
Go snorkeling and witness a manta ray or shovel nose ray cruise past you whilst surrounded by coral reef gardens. Or swim next to the many turtles that inhabit this piece of paradise.
Not into snorkeling or swimming with giant beasts? In that case just relax on the paradise beaches overlooking some of the most vast and turquoise waters you will ever witness.
There are three main areas to go snorkeling and all three offer something different. Lakeside Snorkeling, Oyster Stacks and Osprey Bay.
For a more detailed read on your visit to NIngaloo Reef check out the following post:
Besides turtles and tropical fish, you can also see tons of whales migrating up and down the coast. The higher the ground the better view you will have.
Vlamingh Lighthouse is the highest ground nearby and on a good day you can sight dozens of whales splashing and playing in the sea.
Where to Stay in Cape Range National Park
We would suggest staying within Cape Range National Park instead of driving in and out, which will be nearly 100 kilometers every time.
There are 9 campgrounds over a 40 kilometer stretch with in the park. All are the same price and similar amenities.
Be smart and if you know the dates you are planning to visit then book those dates. Ningaloo is a highly regarded area to holiday and is booked out months in advance.
Western Australia Itinerary: Coral Bay
The last stop for part one of our Western Australia itinerary is Coral Bay. This is a tiny village that had some stunning coral gardens.
Get out those snorkels again, snooze, swim, stargaze and wind down in this little piece of tropical heaven.
The picture perfect photo below does it all the justice it needs.
Check out booking.com and relax beachfront in this paradise gem for as long as time allows!
Don’t forget to book in advance as with most places in Australia it can get booked out during peak times.
Things to Consider
- You are not out of the outback yet, so continue to plan and prepare for your Western Australia road-trip.
- Respect all wildlife.
- Learn what to do should your vehicle become bogged down in sand.
- When driving over corrugated roads take your time. Leave the boy racers zoom past you. Don’t worry about them, just remember the Turtle V the Hare story when you are cruising past their car with a blown-out tire!
- Most important one of all – Have fun and enjoy one of the best Australia road-trips.
Enjoy Your Western Australia Road-Trip!
We truly love this part of Western Australia and hope you love it as much as we do.
Are you planning a Western Australia road-trip or have you already visited this part of Australia? We would love to hear how you get on.
Please feel free to leave us a message below or contact us through our socials.
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Serious vibes from this one
I had to explain that this was a good thing! so thank you – that was a fun conversation haha!