perth to esperance trip

Time to start your South West Loop / Perth to Esperance Road trip! You will meet in the morning to load up the Share Bus, meet your trip mates and do a big food shop for the next few days.

Then, spend your day on beautiful beaches. Start by heading to Busselton to see the longest wooden jetty in the world. Afterwards, drive to Dunsborough and Eagle Bay regions, stopping to see all the amazing beaches in the region on the way. They must be among the best in the world. Also, make sure you grab an ice cream at Simmos in Dunsborough as well.

See any of the beaches you didn’t manage to the day before, then check out the Margaret River region known for its food, wine and surfing.

Once there, go to a few cheeky wine/cheese/chocolate tastings, and check out Surfer’s Point. Afterwards, make sure you go on a trip to Hamelin Bay. At this spot, stingrays swim right up to the beach, close enough for you to even pat them.

Pemberton has an incredibly beautiful forest and is filled with GIANT trees. You can climb to the top of several giant trees such as the Gloucester tree which is 58m high. It’s a little bit scary, but amazing.

While in Pemberton you should also choose a walk or hike in this region so you can enjoy the forest (or dams/cascades). A part of the Bibbulmun track could be a good choice for this.

Check out the beautiful forests and tall trees of Walpole before heading into the hippy town of Denmark. Walpole is famous for the Giant tree top walk, however, there are also other free walks you could do to enjoy the region.

Once in Denmark, visit the inlet near Ocean Beach to surf, or Greens Pool to chill. You should definitely check out the Elephant Rocks as well. The bakery here is also popular with Aussies.

Spend a day in the town of Albany. Remember to stock up on your food! Visit the natural parks (i.e. The Gap) nearby and perhaps make a trip to hike up Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges, which is the only place in Western Australia that sometimes receives snow (not that there will be snow in November!).

However, there are two much closer national parks worth exploring if you don’t want to trek up to the Stirling Ranges.

Fitzgerald River is a large National Park located between Albany and Esperance. It has swimming beaches, fishing beaches, rocky sea cliffs, calm inlets, both steep and easy hikes, unique vegetation, and diverse landscapes.

Esperance is the place where all the beautiful photos of incredibly white beaches and kangaroos are taken. Make sure you go to Lucky Bay for this experience, and maybe later hike up Frenchman’s peak.

For many people this is the highlight of their Perth to Esperance and back road trip. After the fun, in the afternoon of Day 9, start driving towards Wave Rock.

Check out ‘Wave Rock’ in Hyden as well as nearby Hippos Yawn Loop, Hyden Rock and the breakers. Then it’s the return part of this Perth to Esperance ‘return’ trip. So, start your drive back to Perth.

If you find you’re ahead of schedule, stop by Black Diamond Lake, a few hours southeast of Perth. It is a beautiful blue lake and a local treasure.

Finally, finish your day in Perth, clean/tidy the bus and trailer and enjoy your night at a hostel.