In a nutshell
- Southwest Australia is still under the radar for many travelers — but in our opinion it’s one of the best destinations for a road trip in the entire country.
- The perfect starting point for a Western Australia road trip is Perth. From there, a day trip to Rottnest Island to meet the quokkas is an absolute must.
- Our personal highlights on the route are the Margaret River region (wine, caves, and stunning beaches) and the Denmark area, especially Greens Pool and Elephant Rock.
- You can do the southwest just as easily in a campervan or a regular rental car — compare rental car deals on Discovercars to find the best price. Also check out our tips on renting a camper in Australia.
- Keep reading for our complete southwest Australia road trip itinerary — with all the stops, distances, and practical advice you need to plan your trip.
Highlights and Attractions in Southwest Australia
Enough of the intro — let’s get into the best places to visit on a Western Australia road trip. We’ve listed the stops in order, starting in Perth and heading south along the coast.
Perth
For most travelers, a southwest Australia road trip begins in Perth — the largest city in Western Australia and the only one with an international airport.
Perth is especially great if you’re into street art, with countless murals and installations to discover around the city. In our experience, one to two days is more than enough to see the main highlights.
Our restaurant recommendation: Market Grounds — delicious dishes made from local ingredients
Our hotel recommendation: Alex Hotel — stylish hotel in a great location
We’ve put together a full guide to Perth with all our tips and top sights:
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Rottnest Island
One of the top highlights near Perth is Rottnest Island — an easy day trip from the city and home to one of Australia’s most lovable residents: the quokka.
These friendly little marsupials are found only in Western Australia, and Rottnest Island has the largest population of them anywhere in the world.
Beyond the quokkas, Rottnest Island is seriously beautiful. You can rent bikes on the island and spend hours exploring the stunning natural scenery at your own pace.
For everything you need to know before you go, check out our detailed Rottnest Island guide:
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Fremantle
Fremantle is a small port city just south of Perth — only a short drive from the capital, but with a totally different vibe.
Fremantle, affectionately called “Freo” by the locals, really won us over. You can tick off the main sights in a single day, but the laid-back atmosphere kept us there for a whole week.
Our restaurant recommendation: Little Creatures Brewery — great pub food and excellent house-brewed craft beer
Our hotel recommendation: Port Mill Bed & Breakfast — cozy accommodation in a perfect location
We’ve also written a full guide to Fremantle:
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Rockingham
The first real stop heading southwest is the small town of Rockingham. We visited on a day trip from Fremantle, but you can easily fold it into your road trip itinerary instead.
Rockingham is known for two things: Penguin Island and swimming with wild dolphins.
Little penguins — the smallest penguin species in the world — nest on Penguin Island, and they are genuinely adorable. You reach the island by a short boat ride, during which you’ll also spot sea lions and usually dolphins.
And yes, you really can swim with wild dolphins here. It’s one of those experiences that’s hard to top.
Our restaurant recommendation in Rockingham: Bayside Barista — a fully gluten-free restaurant where the food is genuinely excellent.
For the full story on Penguin Island and the dolphin swim, check out our dedicated article:
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Mandurah and Bunbury
The first full day of our Western Australia road trip proper — Perth and Fremantle hadn’t quite given us that open-road feeling yet — ended in Bunbury. Halfway between Rockingham and Bunbury you’ll pass through Mandurah.
Both Mandurah and Bunbury have close to 70,000 residents, making them the largest cities in Western Australia after Perth. The further south you go, the more the landscape opens up and the crowds thin out.
Mandurah is especially popular as a weekend escape for Perth locals, and it’s easy to see why.
For travelers on a road trip, neither town is a must-see — but both make a perfectly decent stopover to break up the drive.
Our restaurant recommendation in Bunbury: Yours or Mine — a hip spot in downtown Bunbury serving tasty, sometimes adventurous dishes with fish, meat, and vegetarian options. Highly recommended!
Our hotel recommendation for Bunbury: Clifton Motel & Grittleton Lodge — rooms in a historic building with great value for money
Busselton Jetty & Cape Naturaliste
The next standout on our southwest Australia road trip was the small town of Busselton, best known for its iconic pier.
The Busselton Jetty was built in 1865 and, at nearly two kilometers long, is the longest jetty in the Southern Hemisphere — and you can walk the whole thing for just $4. Seriously good value.
If two kilometers on foot sounds like a lot, a little train runs back and forth along the jetty for $13.50.
At the far end is an underwater observatory. For an extra $18 admission, you can descend two levels below the surface and watch the marine life through glass panels.
Honestly, though, there isn’t a huge amount to see down there — we don’t think the observatory is worth the extra cost.
From Busselton, it’s also well worth a detour to Cape Naturaliste, a scenic headland with a pretty lighthouse and dramatic rocky cliffs.
Our restaurant recommendation in Busselton: The Goose Restaurant — right on the waterfront, with solid Australian and international cuisine and great ocean views.
Margaret River
Margaret River is probably the most famous region in Southwest Australia — and for good reason. It’s celebrated for its world-class wine and legendary surf breaks.
We’d recommend spending several days here and using it as a base for day trips along the coast heading south. There’s a lot to explore.
Top picks around the area include Red Gate Beach, and the fascinating cave system nearby — highlights are Lake Cave, Calgardup Cave, and Giant Cave.
The Boranup Forest is an absolute must. The road winding through the towering karri trees makes for one of the most photogenic drives on the entire trip.
Hamelin Bay is a lovely stop along the way before you reach the lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin — the southwesternmost point of the Australian mainland. You genuinely can’t go any further southwest.
All of these spots are located south of the town of Margaret River, and the farthest — Cape Leeuwin — is only about 50 km away.
Our restaurant recommendation: Morries Anytime — modern Australian dishes in tapas-sized portions, made for sharing. Really tasty. (Address: 2/149 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River)
Our hotel recommendation: Studio Guest Suites — charming accommodation in a beautiful Georgian-style house right in the center of Margaret River.
Denmark and Surroundings
After a few days in Margaret River, we continued on to Denmark. Not Denmark the country, of course, but the town of the same name in Southwest Australia.
Denmark is another great base for day trips — there’s plenty to keep you busy for a few days.
For the more adventurous, we’d recommend a climb up the Diamond Tree, a fire lookout tree you can scale to genuinely dizzying heights.
If you’re visiting between late May and early October, a trip to Conspicuous Cliff or Ocean Beach is a must — with a bit of luck, you can spot whales from the shore.
One of our absolute favorite moments on the entire trip was Greens Pool and Elephant Rock. The massive rock formations are seriously impressive, and we were lucky enough to catch a stunning sunset there.
Our restaurant recommendations in Denmark: Yours or Mine (3/27 Strickland St, Denmark) is a lovely little wine bar for small bites and excellent wine. If you’re more of a beer person, Yours or Mine just outside of Denmark (678 South Coast Hwy, Hay) is the spot — great house-brewed craft beers and pizza that’s solid by any standard.
Our hotel recommendation in Denmark: Denmark Waters B&B — a warm, welcoming little guesthouse right on the lake.
Albany
Albany is about 60 km east of Denmark and, with nearly 30,000 residents, is the largest city in the region. If you’re craving a bit of urban energy after days on the road, this is your fix.
It’s a typical small Australian city with a pleasant atmosphere, though without any major must-see attractions in its own right.
Like Denmark, Albany works well as a base for exploring the surrounding area.
Our hotel recommendation for Albany: Country Comfort Amity Motel — a lovely place to stay with an excellent breakfast, right near the Albany marina.
Bremer Bay
The final stop on our southwest Australia road trip was Bremer Bay.
From January to March, Bremer Bay is a popular base for whale watching — orcas regularly appear off the coast during this time, and tours run regularly.
We arrived in late April and unfortunately had no luck spotting any, but the area is beautiful regardless. There are endless, near-deserted beaches, huge pelican colonies to watch, and a wonderfully slow pace that makes it easy to just switch off.
Esperance
Esperance is the ultimate beach destination in Southwest Australia.
With its powder-white sand and turquoise water, it almost feels like the Caribbean — except for the kangaroos wandering across the beach.
We didn’t make it to Esperance this time due to time constraints, but it’s firmly on the list for our next visit.
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Our Route Through Southwest Australia
To give you a sense of the distances involved, here are the individual legs of our Western Australia road trip itinerary:
- Perth – Fremantle: 20 km
- Fremantle – Rockingham: 40 km
- Rockingham – Mandurah: 70 km
- Mandurah – Bunbury: 110 km
- Bunbury – Busselton: 60 km
- Busselton – Cape Naturaliste: 40 km
- Cape Naturaliste – Margaret River: 60 km
- Margaret River – Denmark: 320 km
- Denmark – Albany: 60 km
- Albany – Bremer Bay: 170 km
- Bremer Bay – Perth 500 km
In an ideal world, our road trip would have continued to Esperance, another 400 kilometers east of Bremer Bay. We simply ran out of time, as we had plans to head north from Perth afterward.
So we ended up driving the 500 km stretch from Bremer Bay back to Perth straight through the interior in one go.
On the way down, we followed the coast the whole way — which was, of course, far more scenic and worth doing if you have the time.
The Best Time to Visit Southwest Australia
One thing to keep in mind: Australia’s seasons are flipped compared to the Northern Hemisphere. When it’s winter in Europe or North America, it’s summer in Australia.
The southwest enjoys a relatively mild climate by Australian standards.
The warmest months are during the Australian summer, from October through March. Daytime temperatures regularly climb well above 30°C (86°F) during this period.
From April onward, it gets noticeably cooler and the rain picks up.
We traveled through the southwest in April and honestly didn’t get the best weather. Daytime highs were around 20°C (68°F), it rained fairly often, and evenings could get quite cool.
The upside? It was noticeably quieter. Between May and September it gets colder and wetter still — but if that doesn’t put you off, you’ll have some of the region’s best spots almost entirely to yourself.
Campervan or Rental Car?
We’ve done Australia both ways — in a campervan and in a regular rental car. Both have their pros and cons, and it really comes down to personal preference.
Southwest Australia is well set up for campervans, with plenty of campgrounds along the route. There’s also a solid selection of hotels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation rentals in all the larger towns.
Either way, you’ll be absolutely fine.
Just remember that in Australia, traffic drives on the left — though most people find they get used to it surprisingly quickly. The further south you go, the quieter the roads get.
One thing to take seriously: be extra careful after dark. That’s when kangaroos are most active, and the risk of hitting one on the road increases significantly.
Our tip: To find the best rental car deal, we recommend using Discovercars to compare rental car prices — it’s quick and easy to find a great deal.
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