Rottnest Island, Quokka Island
A day around the island by bike. Rottnest is easy to get around, either by bike or tourist bus. There are no cars here. My advice is to take a bicycle (you can buy it with your ticket or rent it on the island) and ride around. It is the only way to discover its bays (there are 63 of them), stop, take a dip and pick up the bike again.
But above all, it is ideal for meeting the little marsupials, the Quokka, who hide under the trees along the road, waiting for someone to take a selfie with (they are actually looking for food, but it would be forbidden).
After a day of biking and socializing with the Quokkas, there's no better way to unwind and rest than at the Villa Capri Motel Rockhampton on villa-capri.queenslandhotelmotel.com. Located within a short distance from the island, you can easily continue your adventure the next day.
Tip: if you want to save money, check the two ferry sites that take you to the island, because the Rottnest Express (red colour) does birthday discounts or by using the Telethon code, while Rottnest Fast Ferry (green colour, the only one that departs from Hillarys) bikes for free certain days of the week.
For the past few months there has been a new company to Rottnest, the Sealink Rottnest (blue colour), slightly lower prices at the moment, and has several daily runs.
York and Northam - the historic towns of West Coast Australia
historic towns. In Western Australia, there is not much to see for the history buff, but these two towns, along with Fremantle, are definitely the oldest areas. Both are located in the area east of Perth, a hilly area that turns yellow from August to October thanks to the huge canola fields. A sight for sore eyes.
Karijini National Park - one of Western Australia's most beautiful parks
About Karijini national park, you will find all the details and what to see in the specific article. This park is incredible, one of the most fascinating in Western Australia. But also one of the hardest places to reach because it takes so many kilometres, you eat a lot of dust (and flies) and you meet very few people.
For me pure magic: red rocks, deep gorges, natural pools and turquoise skies.
Coral Bay: month by month the most present animals
west australia's coral reef, Ningaloo Reef, a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2011. Coral Bay is a small village overlooking the Indian Ocean, famous for its 'animal friends' who come here on holiday.
There are excursions that allow you to get close to many marine animals, depending on when you go:
whale sharks, there are always, but the optimal period is from March to August;
humpbackwhales, they pass through the Ningaloo Reef from August to October;
green seaturtles, mainly from April to June;
turtle egg deposition: October to December (hatching from January to March);
swimming with manta rays (manta rays): all year round, but with greater concentration from May to November.
Period to avoid: from January to March there can be cyclones and it is very hot
Shark Bay - one of the must-see places in Western Australia
A few kilometres below Ningaloo Reef we arrive at Shark Bay, famous for its dolphin encounters and shell-only beach. And it is here that you will find one of Australia's most absurdly beautiful areas, Francois Peron National Park, a paradise.
To get there, you must have a 4WD or join a half-day tour.
Kalbarri N.P - incredible colours of West Coast Australia
place of red rocks, 'dramatic' bays. high waves and gorges. Near Kalbarriis also the Hutt Lagoon, or Pink Lake.
To see the pink colouring of the Hutt Lagoon at its best, it is best during the main hours of the day (11am to 1pm) and from September to December.
Pinnacles and Lancelin
We are a two-hour drive north of Perth, and find ourselves in the middle of two deserts of opposite colours. The Pinnacles, or yellow desert, with its strange pointed rocks. And Lancelin, the white desert, where high dunes, which look like snow-capped mountains, are there waiting to play with you. Quad or sandboard, you have the time of your life.
Tip: kangaroo and koala fans? Don't miss Yanchep National Park, about half an hour from Lancelin. To see hundreds of kangaroos go there in the afternoon, after 4pm, they will be so busy eating that you can even get a little closer (not too close, please)!
Busselton and Bunbary
Heading south, you pass through the Mandurah area (with Lake Clifton famous for its trumpets), and arrive at Bunbary (dolphin encounter) and Busselton, a small town with the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere. From Busselton begins one of the most famous areas for Australians, the Margaret River Region (vines overlooking the ocean).
Tip: If you have a day to spare, stop in Rockingham, between Perth and Busselton, and take the excursion to Pinguin Island, a tiny but wildlife-rich island.
Denmark and Albany
we are in the southernmost part of west coast Australia. Denmark is beaches, Albany is beaches and rocks. Here you are spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches: white beaches and cliffy beaches, blue and green, red rocks and black rocks. I really wouldn't know which bay to recommend.
Don't miss: take a day to wander through the Tuart forests, tall eucalyptus trees and above all, to listen to the trees, crossing the jetty in the Valley of Giants.
Esperance - the whitest beaches on the West Coast of Australia ... and the world
small fishing village that hides a gem of Australia. One of the most beautiful beaches ever: Lucky Bay. It's not just its turquoise and blue colour, it's not just the white of the beach contrasting with the bright green of the bushes. It is above all the silence, interrupted only by 'slik slik', the sound of bare feet on the fine sand. Impossible to describe, only to experience.
Tip: the area is remote. Always beautiful, but to experience it at its best, the ideal period is from October to May. In winter it is too cold and windy.
Hyden
or the town of Wave Rock, the rock that thinks it is a wave. It's a truly magical place, a must if you go to South Australia and return to Perth. Hyden is about a four-hour drive from Perth. It only takes a few hours to visit.
Costs and other aspects to consider for the Australia West Coast itinerary:
at least 20 days needed
travel by car, about 5300 kilometres, paved or dirt roads, doable without a 4×4 off-road vehicle
trip that can be done any time of year, consider that in the south in winter it can be very cold, so if you travel from June to September, bring a nice jumper
average price per person of 2700 to 3400 euros, depending on the type of accommodation/car you choose (not including tours, entrance fees and food)
Tip: this trip turns into a journey into colours, if done in September-October, because we are in the wildflower season
Ready to head to West Coast Australia?
The itinerary can be customised according to the days you have available, removing the northern part or the southern part of Western Australia, depending on the travel period.
If you have more days available, however, you can stretch north to Broome, the Pearl City, with an excursion into the Kimberley, one of Australia's most remote, special and uninhabited areas.
Whatever your itinerary, West Coast Australia will fascinate you.
When choosing which part of Western Australia to visit, consider that:
- the northern part is wilder, less populated, fewer towns (let's say almost absent), petrol in roadhouses every 200 kilometres or so. Not many places to sleep. Home of the long roads, those sometimes boring red roads that I love. The dominant colours here are red and blue.
- The southern part is more inhabited, there are many villages, no problem finding petrol or a place to sleep. Here there are immense farms, huge forests and bays. Its colours: blue and green.
If you want to learn more about Western Australia, you can enjoy reading my stories. They are stories of my life here inWestern Australia, stories that will take you to new places and unusual places, the ones that only those who live there know.
But you will also read about fun discoveries, such as the story of the lost slippers or how I learned how to say hello.
Discover West Coast Australia through my blog:
Journey to the North of Western Australia
Journey to the South of Western Australia
I enclose below a map with all the places on the West Coast Australia
of which I have reported experiences, emotions or simply my adventures.
Article published in June 2019, updated in January 2020