The city of Perth in Western Australia is the most isolated city on the planet; to the North and South lay hundred of miles of pristine coastal beauty. Teeming with stunning flora, fauna, and geographic features nearly undisturbed by human civilization. The West is oddly often overlooked by tourists, many afraid of the isolation from the rest of the world. This guide is intended to encourage and assist anyone considering making the unforgettable journey to this spellbinding part of the world.
Why Western Australia?
Many visitors to Australia only visit the East Coast. The East Coast contains great cities like Sydney and Melbourne, fun people, nice beaches, etc. However to a seasoned traveler, the East can still feel like anywhere else in the modern world. Western Australia is a whole different experience. A few tiny towns dotted over a thousand miles of unique geological features. Sandstone pinnacles, deep caves, eerie termite mounds, forests of bulging Boab trees, all teeming with remarkably diverse species of reptiles, kangaroos, emus, peacocks, and flocks of birds most people only get to see at exotic zoos. The entire stretch of coastline contains magnificent white sand beaches with warm crystal blue waters, and a magical world of undersea life.
Transportation.
Given the rough conditions, only one main road, and small populations sparsely distributed, your travel options are limited in the Western Outback.
- Tour
- By far the most expensive route, but with the proper tour company you will be able to see much of what Western Australia has to offer. However, you must also enjoy the journey with dozens of others, which takes away from the charm of the outback’s isolation. Not our choice of exploration, but some people enjoy guided tours.
- Public Bus
- We have met a few travelers who went this route, but were disappointed. It may seem the cheapest option, however part of the true joy of the West coast is enjoying the isolation of remote beaches, nature reserves, and the ability to stop and explore when you wish. Public buses generally only drive to the small towns along the coast, and from each town you will waste much time and money getting to the points of interest surrounding it. With unlimited time this is doable, but not necessarily cheaper because nearly every night you will be paying for a hotel in the cities where the bus stops; this can get quite pricey.
- Campervan or Car
- This is by far our favorite option. Having your own vehicle allows absolute freedom to camp along the beach or in the outback with no humans for hundreds of miles. The cheapest campervans are Wicked and start at about $40 a day; from there the price goes up with the comfort level (Wicked being notorious for discomfort, we went with the lower-middle priced campervan from Backpacker Campervan Rentals.
More on Campervans
- The biggest decisions you must make regarding your camper van is to get a 2 or 4 wheel drive and your desired comfort level. 2 wheel will allow you to travel by the main roads, which is an unforgettable experience itself. 4 wheel drive is more expensive, but allows you to go off road in the outback (where a number of serious dangers await and is only advised for very experienced travelers). Your car or camper van can often be dropped off in most any major destination city you choose.
- The most expensive part will be gasoline, which is more expensive than almost anywhere in the world. With a camper van you can sleep inside, and with a car you should bring a tent (not to stay warm, but the mosquitoes, OH THE MOSQUITOES!!!). There will be plenty of places along the main roads outside of cities to park and camp for the night.
- Many campervans come with a gas stove, which saves money as you can cook the majority of your meals. I suggest grilling kangaroo teriyaki burgers (don’t feel sad about eating kangaroo, it is a pest in Australia, plus almost always organic, free-range, low-fat, and not conventionally farmed).
Where to go.
Our trip started in Perth where we first drove south through the Margaret River region. This region is overflowing with delicious local wineries, breweries, chocolate factories, and dairy farms. Weeks could be spent just sipping wine and snacking on cheese or chocolate while lounging on the flawless beaches. The area is also covered with a number of caves to visit, many containing beautifully unique geographic features. With pristine, warm waters and nice medium sized surf breaks, Margaret River is a mecca for surfers and all beach-lovers. Camping hikes can be made along the shore through the entire region, and you’ll often see tents up along the beaches in remote spots; nothing could be more romantic.
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We next hit the Southwest city of Albany where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet, then headed back North, a bit inland this time. The most memorable parts were the organic farms with bounties of fresh veggies for sale and only an honesty box to place your money. Our map guided us through an awesome forest of massive trees to Dave’s Bicentenial Tree where we nervously climbed a nerve-wracking step system to the very top of the whole forest. It was an awesome experience feeling to be part of the trees. Many other canopy walks exist throughout the area to explore this unique eco-system from above.
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A long drive north brought us to Nambung National Park to see the pinnacles, like golden sand gravestones stretching for miles along a flawless coast.
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The historical village Greenough lays north which is worth seeing if you are interested in colonial history. Further North is one of the most amazing points of the West Coast; Sharks Bay. Sharks Bay contains stunning white seashell beaches, acidic waters containing the most ancient forms of earths life; cyanobacteria, and Monkey Mia where dolphins swim at your ankles on the beach or you can take a cheap boat tour to see manatees, stingrays, and dolphins in the crystal clear waters.
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North from there we hit Coral Bay where there are dozens of spots for snorkling as good and often better than even the Great Barrier Reef. Between April and July thousands of travelers enjoy swimming in this area with the rare and unique whale sharks (it is technically a shark, but vegetarian like a whale). Hundreds of agencies will organize trips in the area, but you’ll will; have to wait in the area until one is located for you to be brought to in a speed boat. Sometimes this can take a week or more. A Whale-shark trip will set you back a few hundred dollars and can be arranged by a number of organizations in the area. The Northern point of the West coast is the tiny city of Broome which has the most stunning tide pools I have ever seen; blue crabs, octopus, and dinosaur footprints nestled inside red and black volcanic rock.
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East of Broome is the Kimberly region, best visited with a 4 wheel drive car. This area is where many of the native aboriginals still live in small communities, but many dangers exist in the Outback to the inexperienced. Every year, travelers to the Kimberlies get eaten by crocodiles, bitten by snakes, or run out of gas and water with no other human able to come to aid for hundreds of miles. Crunched for time we took the safer route just driving along the main road, which was still spectacular to witness the boab trees, termite mounds, and blood red soil that stretched for miles.
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That is just a tiny taste of all the glory Western Australia has to offer. The most memorable spots will be the ones you discover yourself. My favorite memories were waking up along a completely uninhabited strand of beach, and as a morning shower I would dive into the warm, crystal clear waters with my goggles and explore a magnificent undersea world.
Dangers and annoyances.
- MOSQUITOES! (or mozzies as the Aussies say) After this trip I hate mosquitoes more than any other creature on earth, though thankfully they do not cause dengue or malaria in Australia. Every night was a battle to keep mosquitoes out of our camper van; we couldn’t close the windows completely or put on a blanket because it is SO HOT! Smothering towels with all natural citronella helped a little, but then I had to choke on the smell and suffer from hundreds of mozzie bites! The lesson I learned is to have a portable fan, or some method of cooling yourself at night, but if you want your cars air conditioning you have to leave the engine on which is just a waste. Or just don’t go during the hot season – see next bullet point.
- HEAT! Like you have never experienced before. Right near the equator, the summer months (November to February) are remarkably hot, up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or more. The sun simply bakes your skin every day. Do the obvious, and you’ll be fine; lots of sunblock, hats, & glasses. You could just not travel during the hot season, but we found it enjoyable for the near complete lack of other tourists.
- Sharks. They do exist in the waters, but are rarely a threat. The reef sharks are beautiful to observe, and as long as you stay calm they will not harm you. Most often you will not be deep enough to be in any real danger from sharks, near the coast are shallow waters and reefs that dangerous sharks will not enter. Great whites hang out mostly in the south.
- Crocodiles. These vicious, man-killing machines attack mainly in Australia’s northern regions. Along the West coast they are no threat at all. Any places crocodiles may exist are clearly marked.
- Cyclones. In 1974 the city of Darwin was utterly obliterated by Cyclone Tracy. A force to be reckoned with! I am going to direct you to our story of almost getting completely stranded because of cyclones and flooding: Escape from Australia!
- Jellyfish. Thankfully the really deadly jellyfish like box jellies, irukandji, and man o’ wars exist only on the East Coast. The West Coast waters are quite safe to swim without a stinger suit. Otherwise the beaches will be well posted with warnings, but we never encountered this.
- Stingrays. Have no fear of suffering the same fate as Australia’s famed crocodile hunter, the West Coast paradise contains few deadly stingrays. Seeing one in the water is a thing of excitement since they display some truly outstanding colors.
- Kangaroos. Unless you really anger them, they are pretty docile (and cute) rodents. However, kangaroos are one of the most dangerous creatures in Australia. More injuries happen by people who hit kangaroos driving at night, than injuries from any other critter.
- Flies. Almost as annoying as mosquitoes! Thankfully however, the West lacks the massive black flies on the East Coast cut your flesh open to drink your blood. There are also no itchy sand flies here.
- Snakes. Another creature that will leave you alone if you leave it. The vast majority of snake bites happen to native Australians who misidentify the snake as non-poisonous and try to capture it. Just be cautions, and don’t try to catch snakes.
Yes, there are some scary critters in Australia, but just avoid them and they will avoid you. Worst case scenario is you will die having experienced one of the most gorgeous parts of the globe. (I’m kidding, your not going to die, unless you jump into a stream clearly marked as crocodile territory, then yes, you will die with certainty. Crocodiles kill first and never ask questions later).
So that’s it! Enjoy your trip to Western Australia. It is one of my favorite parts of the planet!
I am going to direct you to our story of almost getting completely stranded because of cyclones and flooding.
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I enjoyed your post. It brought back memories of my campervan trip from Perth, around Margaret River and all those towns that end in “-up”, up to Shark Bay, then back through Geraldton and the interior not missing the abbey at New Norcia. One of my experiences was free-camping near the Pinnacles and waking up early enough to be in the park as the sky began to turn violet as the sun rose, turning the Pinnacles a golden color, revealing a surprising number of kangaroos and mother emus with their young.
I did see two problems though with your article: kangaroos aren’t rodents; they’re marsupials. Also, depending on how you mean it, I wouldn’t really call them a “pest” even though my family probably doesn’t appreciate it when they get in their gardens at night. They’re more like an annoyance to those who live or farm in their territory and they get culled from time to time to keep their numbers down. Kangaroos are pretty much like deer in North America. They get in our gardens at night, we accidentally hit them with our car, we then hunt them and eat them to keep their numbers down. The rabbit, though, is a rodent and truly a non-native pest (though yummy too).
I do agree with you that kangaroos make good eats — just don’t cook them too long.
great post you guys! one thing you may have forgotten to mention- gas/petrol stations in WA are few and far between (once you leave perth and drive up the coast to exmouth) so people hiring a camper should plan accordingly and always stop for a petrol station, even if they aren’t on empty.