The ultimate Western Australia itinerary
Follow in the tracks of Annie and Steve through Perth, Esperance, Broome, Darwin and Adelaide.
By Annie and Steve
We’re Steve and Annie, the travel-loving duo behind Londoner in Sydney. Our journey together started when we met while travelling through India, and over the years, our shared love for adventure has taken us all over the world. But recently, we found ourselves feeling like life was passing us by. We needed to take a step back, reconnect with each other, and rediscover the joy of living adventurously.
Our road trip through Western and Central Australia was filled with breathtaking landscapes, unforgettable experiences, and plenty of personal reflection. You can read more about our highlights, lessons, and the deeper meaning behind our trip in our Star Story.
Our road trip was split into 4 sections:
From Perth to Esperance
- Margaret River
- Pemberton
- Denmark
- Bremer Bay
- Lucky Bay
- Wave Rock
- Perth
Perth to Esperance is an amazing road trip that took us through so many different terrains, from the lush green forests around Margaret River and Pemberton to some of the best beaches in the world from Albany down to Esperance. We were blown away by the start of our road trip down to South West Australia.
Margaret River is an absolutely beautiful region, complete with wineries, exceptional beaches and fantastic restaurants. We loved the area up in Cape Naturaliste including the hidden gems like Canal Rocks and Injidup Natural Spa. There are plenty of caves to visit in the region as well including the fantastic Lake Cave which is a must visit.
The drive from Margaret River to Pemberton is beautiful as you drive through lush forests. Stop at the beautiful Pemberton swimming pool to see what must be one of the most beautiful swimming pools in Australia. Check to see if Gloucester Tree is open, a 61m tall tree that you can actually climb.
Continue onto Walpole and don't miss the Valley of the Giants tree top walk to see some of the tallest trees in the world.
Spend the night in Denmark to swim at the stunning Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks before making your way to Albany. Now, Albany has some of the best beaches in Australia, with Misery Beach, Salmon Beach and Little Beach in Two Peoples Bay being home to the most beautiful beaches you might ever see.
From here spend the night in Bremer Bay before heading over to Cape Le Grand National Park near Esperance. Make sure you pre-book Lucky bay Campground and explore the jaw-dropping beaches in this national park. Don't miss Hellfire Bay and Wharton Beach which are both just as spectacular as Lucky Bay. If you have time, I highly recommend doing a scenic flight over Cape Le Grand National Park and the Rainbow Lakes where you'll see a series of pink, yellow and green salt lakes in the region.
As you drive back to Perth, drive inland and stop off at the remarkable Wave Rock campground and don't miss, Lake Magic salt pool and Quairading Pink Lake.
From Esperance to Broome
- The Pinnacles Desert
- Geraldton
- Kalbarri National Park
- Shark Bay & Monkey Mia
- Carnarvon
- Coral Bay & Exmouth
- Karijini National Park
- Broome
It's a long road trip but completely amazing with other worldly scenery that might make you think you're on another planet. Our highlights included the incredible Shark Bay, Exmouth, Karijini National Park and of course the underrated city of Broome.
When you leave Perth, you can't miss the famous Pinnacles Desert, which is a collection of natural limestone structures dating back 25,000-30,000 years.
From here stop off at Jurien Bay which is famous for snorkelling with seals, before spending the night in Kalbarri National Park. The 400 million year old national park is an amazing sight to be seen with some of the best lookouts in Australia at the Kalbarri Skywalk. I also recommend walking over to the Natures Window and if you have time do the Z Bend Walk.
Next up is the exceptional World Heritage Listed Shark Bay. This incredible region is home to Monkey Mia, where wild dolphins come up to the shore every single day, a beach literally made out of Shells and the famous Francois Peron National Park.
After spending some time in Shark Bay, head up to Carnarvon to see the cactus garden and the fun Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum (it's a brilliant activity for kids), before driving up to Coral Bay and Exmouth.
Coral Bay is a small tourist town, famed for being able to snorkel with manta rays in the Ningaloo Reef, while Exmouth is home to the magnificent Turquoise Bay and a chance to snorkel with whale sharks.
You'll then want to spend a good four days at Karijini National Park which is honestly one of the best places we visited on our trip. The 2 billion year old national park with some of the best swimming holes I've ever seen will totally blow you away.
It's time to head to Broome, the final stop which is where you can take a famous sunset camel ride on Cable Beach, have a ginger beer at Matso's, and don't forget to visit the incredible Horizontal Falls, a true bucket list that should be on everyone's list. If you time it right, you must see the staircase to the moon in Broome, the only place where you'll be able to witness the best moonrise in the world.
From Broome to Darwin
Considering most of the sights between Broome and Darwin are located on the famous Gibb River Road which requires a 4wd, we drove straight to Kununurra which is the gateway to the Kimberleys. This underrated town has so many amazing places to visit including the exceptional Bungle Bungles scenic flight, a stay at Lake Argyle Tourist Park which is home to what is known as the best caravan park in Australia, complete with its very own infinity pool.
The first part of the Gibb River Road is sealed so we were able to drive to the incredible Emma Gorge for a swim. It is spectacular and known as one of the best highlights on the Gibb River Road.
When you continue on to Katherine, don't miss the amazing Katherine Hot Springs, a truly incredible hot spring in the middle of town.
From Darwin to Adelaide
- Kakadu National Park
- Litchfield National Park
- Katherine
- Mataranka
- Larrimah / Daly Water
- Devils Marbles
- Alice Springs
- Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
- Coober Pedy
- Adelaide
There is so much to see and do from Darwin to Adelaide! Think incredible hot springs, Australia's answer to an African safari (aka Kakadu National Park), the amazing waterfalls at Litchfield National Park, quirky outback pubs, the jaw-dropping Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park and Kata Tjuta as well as the crazy underground town of Coober Pedy, and of course Adelaide.
Darwin is a fantastic cultural city and home to the famous Mindil Markets, fantastic sunsets, an amazing outdoor cinema and of course a chance to jump in a cage with a crocodile.
Head to Kakadu National Park for a few days and don't miss out on a scenic flight and a sunrise yellow river cruise. Both are exceptional and you'll soon realise how you've not seen anything else quite like here in the rest of Australia.
Opt for a day trip to Litchfield National Park with a swim at Berry Springs on the way before you see countless incredible waterfalls.
From here head to Katherine to Nitmiluk National Park and enjoy the fantastic Edith Falls, before continuing down to Mataranka to take a dip at the thermal pools here.
You'll then swing by two famous outback pubs called The Larrimah Hotel (highly recommend watching the Netflix documentary about this pub) before spending the night at the lively Daly Waters Pub.
Take a rest stop at the famous Devils Marbles before arriving into Alice Springs. From here, head out to the West MacDonnell Ranges to swim in the beautiful gorges, and stop by at the Kangaroo Sanctuary to learn all about how to protect and save baby joeys as well as have a chance to hold and feed one.
You're going to head to one of the biggest places on the entire road trip which is of course, Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park - a sacred site that really does live up to its name. Here we recommend doing the Field of Lights dinner, the Wintjiri Wiru drone show, a helicopter ride and complete the Uluṟu Base Walk and Valley of the Winds walk.
We're going to head down to Coober Pedy next, a wacky, yet unique town that is mostly built underground. Visit the crazy Crocodile Harry's house and Faye's Historic Underground Home to see how people live in dug out caves.
It's then onto Adelaide for the final stretch of the road trip.
Our story
Our road trip through Western and Central Australia was nothing short of extraordinary. From the turquoise waters of Cape Le Grand and the lush forests of Pemberton to the dramatic landscapes of Karijini National Park and the spiritual magic of Uluru, every stop left us in awe. This journey wasn’t just about seeing Australia’s stunning natural beauty—it was about reconnecting with each other and rediscovering our sense of adventure. If you’d like to learn more about the highlights of our trip, what inspired us to hit the road, and the lessons we took away, you can read all about it in our Star Story.