Roadhouse fuel stops are like a little desert oasis. And the stars on a dark night appear so close you can almost touch them.
Two things that are for sure about Australia. Number 1: It's flippin' huge. And number 2: There's heaps to see. From mountains to deserts and everything in between, there are few countries in the world that have the sheer variety and beauty of the Great Southern Land. So we flew into Perth, hired a campervan and headed up the coast to Exmouth.
We were expecting long, straight roads (armed with the podcast 'Serial', the hours would melt away), but nothing quite prepared us for just how desolate, remote and faraway parts of this trip felt. Roadhouse fuel stops are like a little desert oasis. And the stars on a dark night appear so close you can almost touch them.
And as for the sights themselves? There are two UNESCO World Heritage sites along the way: Shark Bay and Ningaloo Reef. Both of these are bucket-list destination material. We've written a bit less this time around - the photos will do the talking here.
We were expecting long, straight roads (armed with the podcast 'Serial', the hours would melt away), but nothing quite prepared us for just how desolate, remote and faraway parts of this trip felt. Roadhouse fuel stops are like a little desert oasis. And the stars on a dark night appear so close you can almost touch them.
And as for the sights themselves? There are two UNESCO World Heritage sites along the way: Shark Bay and Ningaloo Reef. Both of these are bucket-list destination material. We've written a bit less this time around - the photos will do the talking here.
Day by day Itinerary
Day |
Value |
Distance |
Driving Time |
Sights |
Day 0 |
Fly Melbourne to Perth |
3418km |
- |
Dinner in Perth |
Day 1 |
Pick up campervan; Stock up on food for the trip |
- |
- |
Check out Perth, Penguin Island |
Day 2 |
Perth to South Greenough. Stay at Flat Rocks free campsite, just south of Greenough |
388km |
4hrs |
Lancelin Sand Dunes, 90 Degree leaning trees and historic town at Greenough |
Day 3 |
South Greenough to Monkey Mia |
463km |
5 hrs |
Stromatolites at Hamelin Pools |
Day 4 |
Monkey Mia to Whalebone Bay |
60km |
1hr |
Dolphin feeding at Monkey Mia, scenic photography flight over Useless Loop and Shark Bay, New Years Eve drinks watching the sun set over Whalebone Bay. |
Day 5 |
Whalebone Bay to Quobba Blowholes |
400km |
3.5 hrs |
Swim at Shell Beach, lunch at Carnarvon |
Day 6 |
Quobba Blowholes to Exmouth |
388km |
4 hrs |
Drift Snorkelling at Turquoise Bay and evening turtle spotting |
Day 7 |
Exmouth to Coral Bay |
150km |
1.5 hrs |
Full-day tour snorkelling at Ningaloo Reef |
Day 8 |
Coral Bay to Geraldton |
700km |
7 hrs |
Long drive south |
Day 9 |
Geraldton to Woodridge |
336 km |
3.5 hrs |
Hutt River Provence, Pink Lake, Pinnacles Desert |
Day 10 |
Woodridge to Perth |
80km |
1 hr |
Fly to Melbourne |
On the first day, Day 0, we caught an afternoon flight from Melbourne to Perth, giving us an evening of wandering around Perth City.
Day 1: Perth
Itinerary: Penguin Island
Sleep: Perth (Woodman Point)
Distance: 50km
We had a spare day up our sleeve, and decided to spend one day in Perth waiting for Pete's drone to arrive (it never did). To pass the time, we planned to visit Rottnest Island for it's adorable quokka population, but after realising the exorbitant costs, decided to head down to Rockingham and visit Penguin Island instead. We also spent about 2 hours filling the camper van with food, alcohol and kookaburra cookies for the trip.
Sleep: Perth (Woodman Point)
Distance: 50km
We had a spare day up our sleeve, and decided to spend one day in Perth waiting for Pete's drone to arrive (it never did). To pass the time, we planned to visit Rottnest Island for it's adorable quokka population, but after realising the exorbitant costs, decided to head down to Rockingham and visit Penguin Island instead. We also spent about 2 hours filling the camper van with food, alcohol and kookaburra cookies for the trip.
Day 2: Perth to Geraldton
Itinerary: Lancelin Sand Dunes, Greenough
Sleep: Flat Rocks (about 40km south of Geraldton)
Distance: 420km
The long drive north begins! We took the coastal road, and enjoyed watching the bushland surrounding Perth gradually give way to open shrubby grassland with thousands of beautiful grasstrees. First stop was the Lancelin sand dunes, where we spent an hour or so running up and down snow-white dunes accompanied by the buzz of quad bikes doing the same.
We opted to pass by Cervantes and the Pinnacles Desert, saving it for the return trip. By late afternoon we'd reached the historic town of Greenough, famous for it's trees which lean at a 90 degree angle from the constant battering by the wind. Our first free campsite for the trip was a gem, Flatrock Beach just south of Greenough, where we had the entire beach to ourselves. After pulling a a couple of ice cold beers from our mini fridge, we decided the campervan lifestyle ain't so bad!
Sleep: Flat Rocks (about 40km south of Geraldton)
Distance: 420km
The long drive north begins! We took the coastal road, and enjoyed watching the bushland surrounding Perth gradually give way to open shrubby grassland with thousands of beautiful grasstrees. First stop was the Lancelin sand dunes, where we spent an hour or so running up and down snow-white dunes accompanied by the buzz of quad bikes doing the same.
We opted to pass by Cervantes and the Pinnacles Desert, saving it for the return trip. By late afternoon we'd reached the historic town of Greenough, famous for it's trees which lean at a 90 degree angle from the constant battering by the wind. Our first free campsite for the trip was a gem, Flatrock Beach just south of Greenough, where we had the entire beach to ourselves. After pulling a a couple of ice cold beers from our mini fridge, we decided the campervan lifestyle ain't so bad!
Day 3: Geraldton to Shark Bay
Itinerary: Attempted to find Hutt River Provence, Denham, Hamelin Pool, Monkey Mia
Sleep: Monkey Mia
Distance: 470km
We passed through Geraldton, keen to get to Shark Bay. Our aim for the morning was to find the Principality of Hutt River, Australia's first and oldest micronation. Unfortunately, we trusted Google Maps on this one, which literally led us to a dead end at the end of a dirt track, where we managed to get our camper bogged in the sand of a wheat paddock and had to dig ourselves out. The only thing that saved us was a plastic chopping board which we could shove under the back wheels for some gripping action, and managed to leave behind after all the excitement of freeing ourselves. I'm sure the farmer will one day be wondering how a plastic chopping board ended up in his wheat paddock, miles from anywhere.
Needless to say we gave up on Hutt River for the day (more to come on that later), and decided to continue onwards to Denham. Just before the turnoff to the peninsula of Shark Bay is the Hamelin Pools, with it's famous Stromatolites; the oldest living fossils in the world. Its kind of mind boggling to walk out over these lumpy mounds in the shallow water, and think that these 'living fossils' have been around for about 3.5 million years.
We arrived to Monkey Mia (via Denham) pretty late in the day to find it super packed for the holidays, and were amazingly lucky to fit our van into the last free spot at the caravan park. There is no free camping around here, so if you want to stay close to the Dolphin feeing areas, its basically your only choice.
Sleep: Monkey Mia
Distance: 470km
We passed through Geraldton, keen to get to Shark Bay. Our aim for the morning was to find the Principality of Hutt River, Australia's first and oldest micronation. Unfortunately, we trusted Google Maps on this one, which literally led us to a dead end at the end of a dirt track, where we managed to get our camper bogged in the sand of a wheat paddock and had to dig ourselves out. The only thing that saved us was a plastic chopping board which we could shove under the back wheels for some gripping action, and managed to leave behind after all the excitement of freeing ourselves. I'm sure the farmer will one day be wondering how a plastic chopping board ended up in his wheat paddock, miles from anywhere.
Needless to say we gave up on Hutt River for the day (more to come on that later), and decided to continue onwards to Denham. Just before the turnoff to the peninsula of Shark Bay is the Hamelin Pools, with it's famous Stromatolites; the oldest living fossils in the world. Its kind of mind boggling to walk out over these lumpy mounds in the shallow water, and think that these 'living fossils' have been around for about 3.5 million years.
We arrived to Monkey Mia (via Denham) pretty late in the day to find it super packed for the holidays, and were amazingly lucky to fit our van into the last free spot at the caravan park. There is no free camping around here, so if you want to stay close to the Dolphin feeing areas, its basically your only choice.
Day 4: Shark Bay
Itinerary: Monkey Mia Dolphin feeding, Scenic Flight, Denham,
Sleep: Whalebone Bay
Distance: 60km
We woke up early to catch the first of the Dolphin feeding sessions, and were lucky enough to be chosen as one of the feeders! It seems controls are pretty tight these days with the Dolphin feeding, and while in the past it might have been a free-for-all with the Dolphins getting a smorgasboard from anyone who turned up, they have so many visitors now that they really control the amount of fish given out. Even so, its a pretty amazing experience to see the wild dolphins come in daily and hang around in the water so close to the shore.
The highlight of the day though was undoubtedly the scenic photography flight Pete had booked for us, over the Shark Bay peninsula and salt evaporation ponds near Useless Loop. We were totally buzzing after the one hour flight, which took us over red sand dunes flowing into turquoise waters, abstract landscape patterns and sheer cliffs cutting into the ocean.
And to top it off, it was New Years eve! We found ourselves another spectacular free camp spot at Whalebone Bay (see map below), where we watched the sun sink into the ocean for the last day of the year with a couple of drinks, and were curled up in our sleeping bags and asleep by 9.30pm.
There are a couple of other free campgrounds in this area (Fowlers, Eagle Bluff and Goulet), and www.findacamp.com.au has info on all of them.
Sleep: Whalebone Bay
Distance: 60km
We woke up early to catch the first of the Dolphin feeding sessions, and were lucky enough to be chosen as one of the feeders! It seems controls are pretty tight these days with the Dolphin feeding, and while in the past it might have been a free-for-all with the Dolphins getting a smorgasboard from anyone who turned up, they have so many visitors now that they really control the amount of fish given out. Even so, its a pretty amazing experience to see the wild dolphins come in daily and hang around in the water so close to the shore.
The highlight of the day though was undoubtedly the scenic photography flight Pete had booked for us, over the Shark Bay peninsula and salt evaporation ponds near Useless Loop. We were totally buzzing after the one hour flight, which took us over red sand dunes flowing into turquoise waters, abstract landscape patterns and sheer cliffs cutting into the ocean.
And to top it off, it was New Years eve! We found ourselves another spectacular free camp spot at Whalebone Bay (see map below), where we watched the sun sink into the ocean for the last day of the year with a couple of drinks, and were curled up in our sleeping bags and asleep by 9.30pm.
There are a couple of other free campgrounds in this area (Fowlers, Eagle Bluff and Goulet), and www.findacamp.com.au has info on all of them.
Day 5: Shark Bay to CArNArvON
Itinerary: Shell Beach, Hamelin Pool, Carnarvon, Quobba Blowholes
Sleep: Quobba blowholes (70km north of Carnarvon)
Distance: 400km
After being woken by hundreds of tiny zebra finches tapping on the windows of our camper, we headed to Shell Beach for a super salty, super shallow and super floaty swim, sharing the waters with a couple of giant (and stationary) jelly fish. On the way out we paid our respects to the Stromatolites again at the Hamelin Pools, and headed further north towards Exmouth.
This part of the trip is a fairly long haul and could probably benefit with a couple of more interesting stops along the way. We had lunch in the fruit town of Carnarvon, walked the length of the 1 mile jetty, and ended the drive by stumbling across yet another awesome free camp spot...the Quobba Blow Holes. The blow hole area seems to be favourite for all the local fisherman to hang out, but we were enthralled by the blowhole itself, where the ocean hits the jagged cliffs with its full force and sends huge plumes of water into the air. You can stand on the edge of the cliffs and hear the water gurgling and boiling beneath you as its forced through the openings in the rock before blasting out into the air. Hours of entertainment to be had!
Sleep: Quobba blowholes (70km north of Carnarvon)
Distance: 400km
After being woken by hundreds of tiny zebra finches tapping on the windows of our camper, we headed to Shell Beach for a super salty, super shallow and super floaty swim, sharing the waters with a couple of giant (and stationary) jelly fish. On the way out we paid our respects to the Stromatolites again at the Hamelin Pools, and headed further north towards Exmouth.
This part of the trip is a fairly long haul and could probably benefit with a couple of more interesting stops along the way. We had lunch in the fruit town of Carnarvon, walked the length of the 1 mile jetty, and ended the drive by stumbling across yet another awesome free camp spot...the Quobba Blow Holes. The blow hole area seems to be favourite for all the local fisherman to hang out, but we were enthralled by the blowhole itself, where the ocean hits the jagged cliffs with its full force and sends huge plumes of water into the air. You can stand on the edge of the cliffs and hear the water gurgling and boiling beneath you as its forced through the openings in the rock before blasting out into the air. Hours of entertainment to be had!
Day 6: CarnavRon to Exmouth
Itinerary: Turquoise Bay
Sleep: Exmouth
Distance: 400km
Waking around sunrise, we broke the 4 hour drive by admiring huge termite mounds, and by mid-morning we were in Exmouth. We booked ourselves onto a tour the following day - it was very last minute and we were lucky to get onto anything at all. After a quick lunch by the Exmouth lighthouse, we spent a lazy afternoon drift-snorkelling at Turquoise bay, and spent an hour after sunset waiting for nesting turtles to come up onto the beach. Unfortunately we only saw their tracks, but echidnas and kangaroos made up for it. This whole top area is pretty amazing and there's a tonne to see. With our schedule we had to pick and choose, but if you're planning a trip up here - try squeeze in an extra day or two up here. You won't regret it.
Sleep: Exmouth
Distance: 400km
Waking around sunrise, we broke the 4 hour drive by admiring huge termite mounds, and by mid-morning we were in Exmouth. We booked ourselves onto a tour the following day - it was very last minute and we were lucky to get onto anything at all. After a quick lunch by the Exmouth lighthouse, we spent a lazy afternoon drift-snorkelling at Turquoise bay, and spent an hour after sunset waiting for nesting turtles to come up onto the beach. Unfortunately we only saw their tracks, but echidnas and kangaroos made up for it. This whole top area is pretty amazing and there's a tonne to see. With our schedule we had to pick and choose, but if you're planning a trip up here - try squeeze in an extra day or two up here. You won't regret it.
Day 7: Exmouth to Coral Bay
Itinerary: Full-day tour snorkelling with Manta Rays
Sleep: Coral Bay
Distance: 150km
We woke up early to drive the 150km from Exmouth to Coral Bay (where our pre-booked tour began). There are two campgrounds at Coral Bay though, so we could have stayed here, but we'd already driven 400km the day before and were pooped.
This day was particularly amazing: Ningaloo Reef is a spectacular fringing reef, meaning it begins literally meters from the sandy beach. Seriously - put on a snorkel and some goggles, and just wade in and all around your legs will be schools of 50cm-long fish. The reef actually hugs the coastline all the way from Coral Bay up to Exmouth, making for one of Australia's most diverse marine parks.
But to see the really good stuff, you've got to jump on a tour. We went with Coral Bay Eco Tours (highly recommended), and our day out on the waters was spent with turtles and giant manta rays, spotting dolphins and narrowly missing one out-of-season whale shark. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, and sailed out onto a lake-still reef with surrounded by water colours you only dream about.
Oh and did we mention the water colour? Postcard perfection.
Sleep: Coral Bay
Distance: 150km
We woke up early to drive the 150km from Exmouth to Coral Bay (where our pre-booked tour began). There are two campgrounds at Coral Bay though, so we could have stayed here, but we'd already driven 400km the day before and were pooped.
This day was particularly amazing: Ningaloo Reef is a spectacular fringing reef, meaning it begins literally meters from the sandy beach. Seriously - put on a snorkel and some goggles, and just wade in and all around your legs will be schools of 50cm-long fish. The reef actually hugs the coastline all the way from Coral Bay up to Exmouth, making for one of Australia's most diverse marine parks.
But to see the really good stuff, you've got to jump on a tour. We went with Coral Bay Eco Tours (highly recommended), and our day out on the waters was spent with turtles and giant manta rays, spotting dolphins and narrowly missing one out-of-season whale shark. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, and sailed out onto a lake-still reef with surrounded by water colours you only dream about.
Oh and did we mention the water colour? Postcard perfection.
Day 8: Coral Bay to GEraldton
Itinerary: Long drive, Carnarvon as a break
Sleep: Coronation Bay (30km north of Geraldton)
Distance: 700km
After a morning dip, we had a lot of distance to cover - this was going to be around 8 hours driving in the end, leaving the blistering heat and red earth behind. Highly recommended podcast for a long day in the van: The Serial. We polished off over half the season! Our only real stop was in Carnarvon on the way for some mango ice-cream and various condiments and chilli pastes. If we had an extra day, it would have been spent at Kalbarri National Park, but we'll have to save something for next time.
We stayed the night at Coronation Beach (popular with windsurfers). We were lucky to squeeze into the last campsite spot, and for $12 a night, got ourselves some toilets, showers and BBQ's. There's also a lovely wooden staircase structure which made sunset number 8 pretty enjoyable.
Sleep: Coronation Bay (30km north of Geraldton)
Distance: 700km
After a morning dip, we had a lot of distance to cover - this was going to be around 8 hours driving in the end, leaving the blistering heat and red earth behind. Highly recommended podcast for a long day in the van: The Serial. We polished off over half the season! Our only real stop was in Carnarvon on the way for some mango ice-cream and various condiments and chilli pastes. If we had an extra day, it would have been spent at Kalbarri National Park, but we'll have to save something for next time.
We stayed the night at Coronation Beach (popular with windsurfers). We were lucky to squeeze into the last campsite spot, and for $12 a night, got ourselves some toilets, showers and BBQ's. There's also a lovely wooden staircase structure which made sunset number 8 pretty enjoyable.
Day 9: Geraldton to CERVANTES
Itinerary: Hutt River Provence, Pink Lake, Pinnacles Desert
Sleep: Roadside near Woodridge (100km north of Perth)
Distance: 400km
Our plan was to be at the Pinnacles Desert for sunset, so we had a bit of time up our sleeves and decided to give The Principality of Hutt River another go. And this time we found it at the intersection of Box Road and Ogilvie Road West. We met the 91-year old Prince Leonard and after wandering around the micronation's odd little buildings, we ended in the Post Office having a good chat to Prince Graeme. It's easy to take a lighthearted approach to their abdication, but Graeme put everything into perspective.
In a nutshell, the Western Australian government introduced a policy regarding wheat-production quotas that allowed the family to only sell a mere hundredth of what they had produced. As this policy wasn't actually law, the family protested, were ignored, and took up their case with the Queen, for whom they had utmost respect for. A bill was introduced a few weeks later to essentially silence the whole case, and the family realised that if they enacted International Law, they could stand up for themselves. Fast forward a few decades of border-related anecdotes and you quickly realise how Australia never really has a process of dealing with a secession. It helps that Hutt River is small and quite far away and the impression we were left with was that the Australian Government doesn't really care, just so long as Hutt River doesn't cause any trouble.
With a dose of something totally different to talk about for the drive, we headed to the Pink Lake (which does what it says on the tin), and then ended up at the Pinnacles Desert for sunset. The clouds didn't give us much, unfortunately, but the landscape made for some eerie wandering as the darkness fell.
Our only plan was to stay at the night as close to Perth as possible - we found a roadside stop that was perhaps the least glamorous of our trip so far, but being self-contained, we could have stopped anywhere.
Sleep: Roadside near Woodridge (100km north of Perth)
Distance: 400km
Our plan was to be at the Pinnacles Desert for sunset, so we had a bit of time up our sleeves and decided to give The Principality of Hutt River another go. And this time we found it at the intersection of Box Road and Ogilvie Road West. We met the 91-year old Prince Leonard and after wandering around the micronation's odd little buildings, we ended in the Post Office having a good chat to Prince Graeme. It's easy to take a lighthearted approach to their abdication, but Graeme put everything into perspective.
In a nutshell, the Western Australian government introduced a policy regarding wheat-production quotas that allowed the family to only sell a mere hundredth of what they had produced. As this policy wasn't actually law, the family protested, were ignored, and took up their case with the Queen, for whom they had utmost respect for. A bill was introduced a few weeks later to essentially silence the whole case, and the family realised that if they enacted International Law, they could stand up for themselves. Fast forward a few decades of border-related anecdotes and you quickly realise how Australia never really has a process of dealing with a secession. It helps that Hutt River is small and quite far away and the impression we were left with was that the Australian Government doesn't really care, just so long as Hutt River doesn't cause any trouble.
With a dose of something totally different to talk about for the drive, we headed to the Pink Lake (which does what it says on the tin), and then ended up at the Pinnacles Desert for sunset. The clouds didn't give us much, unfortunately, but the landscape made for some eerie wandering as the darkness fell.
Our only plan was to stay at the night as close to Perth as possible - we found a roadside stop that was perhaps the least glamorous of our trip so far, but being self-contained, we could have stopped anywhere.
Day 10: CERVANTES to Perth
Itinerary: Perth, Fly to Melbourne
With a 9:30am flight booked, we had to return our camper van early. A 3-hour time-zone difference along a 3.5 hour flight meant our day was really weird by the time we arrived in Melbourne.
We were full of energy, so decided to change our plans and drive a further 3 hours to Albury. And then onto Sydney the following day.
What a trip!
With a 9:30am flight booked, we had to return our camper van early. A 3-hour time-zone difference along a 3.5 hour flight meant our day was really weird by the time we arrived in Melbourne.
We were full of energy, so decided to change our plans and drive a further 3 hours to Albury. And then onto Sydney the following day.
What a trip!
Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions or updates to what we've written here, leave us a comment!
SALT SERIES PHOTOS
Pete put together a few photos of the Salt Evaporation ponds on his
website and they've been doing the rounds online.
website and they've been doing the rounds online.