West Is Best – The Ultimate Roadtrip Along Australia’s West Coast

MY TWO-WEEK TOUR ALONG THE AUSTRALIAN WEST COAST

Since I was backpacking alone and wanted to discover Australia's west coast, I decided to go on a tour. Here I will tell you about my experiences with the tour operator from Perth to Broome and back. Unfortunately, my tour is not available anymore but I still want to share the itinerary so you can hopefully plan your own trip with my tips!

Already two days before the start of the tour I flew from Sydney to Perth to explore the city a little bit before I got picked up.

Day 1: Perth to Kalbarri

Let the adventure begin! I packed my backpack in my hotel room and walked to the meeting point where I got picked up for the tour. While waiting, I have already met three other solo travelers and we chatted a little bit. We are the first ones on the bus and picked up a few more at hostels along the way until finally all fourteen people have found room in the car.

We had our first tour stop at the Pinnacles in the Narbung National Park. There, thousands of spectacular rock towers rise from the sand dunes - a pretty spectacular place!

day 2: Kalbarri to Shark Bay - Monkey Mia

For day two The Murchison Gorge, Natures Window and the Z-Bend in Kalbarri National Park were planned. But as it rained all night and during the day, we had to skip them due to the bad weather and drove directly to Shell Beach and Denham.

day 3: Shark Bay to Coral Bay

Monkey Mia has been one of my West Coast highlights. The wild dolphins are fed early in the morning and they come to the beach every day. A few lucky hotel guests randomly selected and are allowed to feed the dolphins themselves. But even if you are not selected, it is a great opportunity to admire the dolphins as they swim extremely close to the beach.

On the further way we made a stopover at the Stromatolites. Stromatolites are the oldest known fossils and could therefore provide clues as to how life has evolved from very simple to more complex forms.

day 4: Coral Bay

In Coral Bay we have booked a Manta Ray tour and together we went out to sea and went snorkeling twice.

day 5: Exmouth

In Exmouth we had the choice between a Whale Shark Tour or a trip to the Cape Range National Park. Since the Whale Shark Tour was too expensive for me and I had a slight cold from the previous Manta Ray Tour, I decided for the alternative and went snorkeling with five others from the group and went to Cape Range National Park.

In the evening we all watched the sunset together at Vlamingh Head Lighthouse.

day 6: Exmouth to Karijini National Park

Today we spent the whole day driving. We covered quite a distance until we arrived at Karijini Eco Retreat and spent the night at Eco Safari Tents.

day 7 & 8: Karijini National Park

We spent two days in Karijini National Park. The park is an absolute highlight in Western Australia and there is so much to explore! Among other things we hiked to Hancock Gorge, Weano Gorge and the corresponding Handrail Pool, Dales Gorge, Circular Pool, Fortescue Falls and the Fern Pool.

In the evening of the second day we went on to the Pardoo Roadhouse, where we spent our last night together, camping in swags under the open sky and admiring the Milky Way.

day 9: Pardoo Roud House - Broome

On our final day together we drove to Broome to the 80 Mile Beach and Cable Beach. There it was up to us what we wanted to do in the evening. For some of us the tour was over. They either continued their journey alone or went on to Darwin with a following tour.

day 10 & 11: Broome

For all those who booked the tour back to Perth, two full days in Broome were at their free disposal. We decided to just go to the beach and enjoy the sun.

day 12 - 14: Broome to Perth

The last days three of us went back to Perth. On the way we watched the sunrise at a red lake early in the morning and in the evening we slept one last time in swags under the open sky.

Conclusion:

For me the tour was a great experience and adventure. The group was perfect, we all got along very well and exchanged information about our previous trips and shared experiences and tips with each other. Our tour guide Paul was also great. He already had a lot of experience, told us about all kinds of things and always had a funny story ready. He also took great care of everyone in the group. In addition, he was a trained cook, which is why we had very tasty and varied meals during our road trip (which you can't exactly say about many tours).

So I really can only recommend joining a tour along the West Coast of Australia. Whether you're out alone or with friends. This part of Australia is not the safest area. One drives for several hours without passing a rest area or anybody else and the mobile phone reception is not really good. Sure, if you drive yourself you can plan your route and days yourself, but I didn't feel like I missed out on anything. It was just a great two weeks in which I could discover a lot and meet lovely new people.

Enjoyed this blogpost? Pin this post on your Pinterest board!

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to write them in the comment section below. ⇣

xx

Nina