The Perfect Western Australia Road Trip Itinerary
It was such a dream to be back in beautiful WA for our 2 week Western Australia road trip.
WA beaches are my favorite, there’s really nowhere else that has such stunning coastline, but we also got to experience so many other incredible places on this trip including Albany, Rottnest Island, Esperance, Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef..
Visiting in the autumn is a great time to explore the region because it’s not too hot but the water was still a perfect temperature to swim in.
If you’re short on time but really want to see the best of WA, use this Western Australia road trip itinerary to help you plan the perfect trip!
Western Australia Road Trip Itinerary: 2 weeks
Day 1: Drive from Perth to Wave Rock at Hyden
After picking up our 2berth Britz Campervan from Perth Airport, we headed straight out on the road towards Hyden and Wave Rock on the first stretch of our Perth to Esperance itinerary.
The journey from Perth is about 3.5 hours, and you’ll need to pay an entrance fee of $12 per vehicle when you reach the reserve.
It was my first time seeing Wave Rock and not only is it stunning but also how mind-blowing that it’s thought to have formed over 2700 million years ago?!
I also love that you can actually walk on the rock here. There’s a short walking route you can do from Wave Rock to Hippo’s Yawn which takes about 1 hour.
We spent our first night in the camper at Wave Rock Caravan Park. It’s super easy to find great camper sites in Australia, and we opted for a powered site to keep the campervan running.
Also for anyone wondering about space in the camper, we find the 2berth campers have plenty of space for the both of us. Britz is a 4WD hire company, so no worries about driving off-road or onto beaches - it gives you the ultimate flexibility to go where you want!
Day 2: Drive to Esperance
We set out early the next morning for the 4-hour drive to Esperance.
Honestly, if you go to one place in WA, it has to be Esperance. You can also fly to Esperance from Perth too.
Esperance is home to the whitest sand and the bluest water I’ve ever seen in my life. There’s so much beauty and nature here that I’d really recommend spending a week in the area if you have time.
This was my fourth time in Esperance, and I never get tired of it - there’s always more beauty to discover here, and it’s a really special place for both of us.
On our first night, we stayed at the RAC Esperance Holiday Park and had dinner at Taylor St Quarters which was yum!
Day 3 & 4: Esperance
Esperance is 100% a nature lover’s paradise. If you love being outdoors then you need to spend time here!
Close to Esperance itself, we love Blue Haven and Twilight Beach, which are only 10-minute drives from Esperance.
The whole drive from Esperance to 11 Mile Beach is epic. Plan in some extra time because we were constantly stopping to shoot content and to take in the stunning scenery.
Make sure you head to the famous Lucky Bay while in Esperance too. It is home to insanely white beaches and kangaroos that hang out on the beach!
We checked into the Lucky Bay Campground before we headed out to do some exploring in the area. The campground is the perfect base to explore Cape Le Grand National Park.
Lucky Bay and Hellfire Bay are definitely the most popular and 100% you need to visit and swim in those crystal clear turquoise waters yourself!
We had to head over to Wharton Beach, which is my favourite beach IN THE WORLD. Every time I visit, I’m just blown away by the breathtaking colour of the water and the white sand beach.
You can read my full guide to the best beaches in Esperance here.
We hit a couple of spots of bad weather while we were there, so that was also a great chance to try some local spots.
We were big fans of Lucky Bay Brewing - highly recommend their tasting flight of beers. Cloud Eleven for coffee in Esperance is another great option.
Day 5: Drive to Albany
Sadly we had to say goodbye to Esperance at some point to take the 5-hour drive to Albany - our next stop on our Western Australia road trip itinerary.
Albany is such a charming, historic city and it’s where the first European settlers arrived in Western Australia. There are museums, galleries and beautiful buildings everywhere, as well as loads of cafes and restaurants.
You can also reach Albany easily from Perth. It’s a pretty direct 5-hour drive or 1-hour flight.
We stayed in Albany for two nights at BIG4 Middleton Beach Holiday Park.
Day 6: Exploring Albany
After a long drive the day before, we were up for sunrise to explore as much of Albany as possible because it’s an area we’ve never really visited before.
There are so many beautiful spots around Albany, but since we only had one day, we decided to spend it at William Bay National Park which I highly recommend!
The National Park is home to the famous Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks and is about 1-hour drive outside Albany town.
Green Pools was so stunning, I couldn’t resist a dip since the water was warmer and so clear. The pictures don’t do it justice!
Elephant Rocks is right next door to Greens Pool, and I’ve never seen anything like it. WA really does spoil you with epic coastlines and more stunning beaches than you could possibly imagine.
We ended the day at The Gap and Natural Bridge in Torndirrup National Park where there’s a viewing platform 40 meters above the granite rock coastline. I could stay forever watching the waves crash on the rocks below.
The viewing platform projects out from the cliff face, so you’re suspended above the crashing water below. It might not be for you if you’re afraid of heights!
Day 7: Drive back to Perth and take a ferry to Rottnest Island
This was a big travel day heading to one of my favourite spots on this trip - Rottnest Island.
But first, we set out early for the 5-hour drive from Albany back to Perth. Then we took the ferry from Fremantle B-Shed ferry terminal to Rottnest Island.
We went with SeaLink Rottnest ferries which have high-speed catamarans from Fremantle and Perth several times a day. The ferry journey takes 30 minutes and tickets are around $30-40 each way, depending on the time of day you travel.
We stayed in an Ocean View Apartment at Geordie Bay on the island for two nights and were greeted by the most unreal sunset right from our deck. It was the perfect start to our stay on Rottnest Island.
Day 8: Explore Rottnest Island
It was awesome to have a full day to explore the island. Rottnest is a haven for wildlife and of course, it’s famous for the adorable Quokkas that are sooo friendly!
The whole island is a nature paradise, with 63 bays, 20 beaches, plenty of hiking, swimming and snorkelling, diving and nature tours.
Rottnest Island has such a relaxed vibe, and the best way to explore it is by hiring a bike. We hired ours from Pedal & Flipper.
I honestly had no idea how epic Rottnest Beaches were but Parakeet Bay was just magical. The turquoise colour of The Basin with the lighthouse in the background didn’t even look real!
You can reach all these places by bike so it’s a super chilled, slower pace of living here which I LOVED.
Our top photo spots on Rottnest are:
Bathurst Lighthouse
The Basin
Parker Point
Pinky's Beach
Little Salmon Bay
We took the afternoon ferry back to Fremantle and spent the night at the National Hotel in Fremantle. We also 10/10 recommend dinner and drinks at Tonic & Ginger in Fremantle.
Day 9: Fly to Exmouth
We took a morning flight from Perth to Exmouth to explore further north on this WA Coral Coast itinerary.
We picked up our 4WD hire car and checked in to our hotel for our stay in Exmouth - Mantarays Ningaloo Beach Resort.
The resort is the only resort on Sunrise Beach in Exmouth, and it’s the perfect location for exploring the Ningaloo Reef and Cape Range National Park which are world heritage listed.
Our room was literally right on the beach with such an incredible view, I could have just stayed there to drink it all in!
We headed out to one of the most beautiful beaches in the area - Turquoise Bay. I’d recommend visiting at sunset and during the day too because it’s so beautiful and we were rewarded with the most breathtaking sunset of the whole trip (and it had some tough competition to beat!).
We also checked out Whalebone Brewing Company for drinks and Whalers Restaurant for dinner. Both had a super fun vibe, and the food and drink were spot on.
Day 10: Ningaloo boat tour and whale shark swim
If you get a chance to do a boat tour while you’re in Exmouth, I highly recommend going with Ningaloo Discovery. We did a full-day tour from 7.30am to 4pm, and it was an experience I’ll never forget.
I also recommend the Ningaloo Discovery tours because they’re eco-certified, so you can swim with Whale Sharks, see Humpback Whales, snorkel or dive with turtles, dolphins, manta rays and see the corals knowing you’re doing it responsibly and protecting the marine life.
Luckily we were visiting in May which is Whale Shark season, and we literally saw one straight away before barely leaving the dock!
There’s nothing I love more than being in the water surrounded by such beautiful creatures. It’s so beautiful but also completely peaceful. If you get a chance to do this in Exmouth - please do!
The tour company provided all our snorkel gear, wetsuits and food and drink for the day too. This meant we could just enjoy the day without having to pack anything special for the tour.
Day 11: Explore Cape Range National Park
On our last day in Exmouth, we explored Cape Range National Park which is a beautiful mix of 50km of coastline as well as huge rugged stone canyons and bush.
We started our day with sunrise at Charles Knife Canyon which is pretty mega with fiery red rocks and rugged views up the gorge. It’s such an unreal contrast between the turquoise blue coastline and the rugged rocks just a short trip inland.
Some of the cliffs are pretty high, so stay back from the edge if you’re not a fan of heights, but the dramatic views were so worth it - especially at sunrise.
Other spots to check out in the National Park are Mandu Mandu Gorge, Shothole Canyon and Yardie Creek Gorge.
Day 12: Fly back to Perth to head home
We ended our final day with coffee at our favourite Exmouth cafe spot - The Social Society Exmouth before heading to the airport for our 2-hour flight back to Perth.
You could also extend this trip by driving back to Perth using our Perth to Exmouth road trip itinerary in reverse!
WA will always have a special place in my heart and this WA road trip itinerary was the perfect combination of revisiting our favourite spots and discovering some new favourites too.
From stunning beaches to incredible wildlife, Western Australia is a must-do Aussie experience and hopefully this Western Australia road trip itinerary has inspired you to plan your own trip out west!
LIKE THIS POST? PIN IT FOR LATER AND SHARE IT WITH OTHERS!
