Western Australia Road Trip Highlights

Whilst in WA over July this year, I managed to venture out of the cityscape of Perth and it's suburbs, with a 3 day road trip up along the coast up north. It was amazing to see what WA offered beyond the city - and I was not disappointed. Over a relatively short space of time compared how far we went (we drove around 1500km in 3 days!) I saw beaches, national parks, deserts, caves, stars and smaller settlements. The ever changing scenery as you drive for 100s of kilometers along near-straight roads meant I was constantly looking out of the window. In this blog I'll try to break down the 3 days and what we got up to.

For those of you who have the Lonely Planet book 'Australia's Best Trips', the road trip I did essentially was a portion of the 'Coral Coast to Broome Route'. We went as far as Kalbarri National Park before returning to Perth. Like my previous blog, I've embedded a map of all the locations I visited to give you a better sense of scale and bearings.

Day 1

Yanchep

Our first stop of the trip was at Yanchep National Park, home to various caves. We had a guided tour of one of them, which took us into the cave and explained the various formations of stalactites, stalagmites etc, and what features we could see. Safety gear (head torch, helmet, sturdy shoes) were all required, with some scrambling involved to get around the cave, but if you're passing by I recommend paying a visit. Being in a national park meant that we could have a picnic before we hit the road again.

Jurien Bay

Our next pit stop after lunch was Jurien Bay, a coastal town 220km from Perth in the Wheatbelt region of WA. Why is it called the 'Wheatbelt' region, you ask? It's because this part of Australia exports huge amounts of wheat to the rest of the country and the world, with ports along the western coast taking in shipping containers.

Pinnacles Desert

We used Cervantes as our base for the 3 days, as it was almost halfway through our road trip. Close by was the Pinnacles Desert, which was a region full of weird rock formations, almost looking like something from outer space! The limestone pillars are located 19km south of Cervantes. The pillars are actually remnants of compressed seashells that at one point covered this plain. The rock around it was eroded, leaving the pillars sticking out of the ground. We got there near sundown, so found a good spot amidst the dunes to watch the sun set. This was the first time I could see bushland, desert and sea all in one go!

Day 2

Day 2 was a long day, with big milage to be covered. We set off early at around 7am to make good ground, with the end destination being Kalbarri - almost 350km from Cervantes.

Geraldton

The first major stop was at Geraldton, a town known for it's shipping industry (mainly grains and metals). This was the next closest town we came by after Jurien Bay, with vast empty spaces of nothingness in between. Geraldton is the largest town between Perth & Darwin, with it's shortened nickname being 'Gero'.

Hutt Lagoon

Commonly referred to as the Pink Lake at Port Gregory, this was our next stop. The extremely high salinity and algae present in the water turns the lake pink, and when the sun is at the right angle it really does look pink! Photos sometimes don't do it quite justice.

Kalbarri National Park

We finally arrived at Kalbarri around lunchtime, with the early start making it feel like we've already seen so much! The national park contains almost 2000 square km of bushland, river gorges and coastal cliffs. We didn't see much wildlife when we went, but according to Lonely Planet there are over 200 species of birds as well as other animals and plants. Our first stop was at the Skywalk, which overlooked the valleys and rivers below. The dramatic landscape sometimes makes you feel pretty insignificant!

The next stops were some mini hikes, including Nature's Window and the Z-Bend trail. Both offer great views over the gorges and bushland. These two hikes are close driving distance from each other, so you can definitely do both. Kalbarri National Park also offers a host of other longer hikes to do, but with the warm weather and limited time we opted for the shorter routes.

We left the national park in the late afternoon and made our 377km journey back down to Cervantes. It was about 4 hours in the car - but I absolutely loved it, this was a road trip done right! The journey and adventure only ends once you're back home. On the way back we saw wild kangaroos, the sunset, vivid skylines and a blanket of stars with no light pollution (photos did NOT do it justice).

Day 3

Lake Thetis

After checking out from our accommodation, we stopped off at Lake Thetis in Cervantes - home to the famous stromatolites. These rock-looking structures resemble the earliest lifeforms on Earth, with living examples only existing in a few places around the world.

Lancelin

I've never gone skiing or snowboarding before, but when in WA you gotta try some sandboarding! Lancelin sand dunes is the place to do that, and was lots of fun. You sit (or stand) on a snowboard like thing and then make your way down the dunes. Be sure to wear a cap, sunglasses and clothes that you don't mind having sand in! It got quite tiring running up the dunes, so I recommend an hour long session.

Guilderton

Our final stop of the trip was at Guilderton, a small coastal town north of Perth. Reason for visit? - to see the spot where the Moore River meets the Indian Ocean.

And that concludes my 3 day itinerary for a WA Road Trip! Last few tips or things to note are:

• A lot of these places are remote - so come prepared! (food, first aid supplies, water etc).
• Make sure you plan where you can refuel your car en-route, as you'll be driving a lot
• Start your days early to make the most of the sunlight
• Bring layers of clothing that you can take on/off, as the temperature will fluctuate throughout the day.

If you've got any other suggestions or have visited the above places, I would like to hear about it in the comments section below. As always, thanks for reading! :)

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