Driving from Perth to Esperance is one of the most beautiful trips you can do on Australia’s West Coast
This trip was my favourite out of all of the travels I have done throughout Australia. Every day we stumbled upon more and more perfect beaches and natural wonders. Our 10 day road trip from Perth to Esperance, along the The West Coast of Australia passed through some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and places that everyone should see once in their lives. We did this trip on quite a low budget which meant camping most nights from Perth to Esperance and back. Therefore I have only added our camping locations to this post!
Here’s what this Perth to Esperance travel guide includes:
- 1: Perth to Dunsborough
- 2: Exploring Dunsborough
- 3: Wine tasting in the Margret River
- 4: Driving Margaret River to Denmark
- 5: Denmark to Albany
- 6: Albany to Esperance
- 7: Esperance
- 8 – 10: Esperance to Perth
Road Trip Day 1: Driving from Perth to Dunsborough
I find that it is always best to book flight that arrives in the morning for the start of a trip so you can get straight into travelling and make your way down the coast the same day. We knew the drive from Perth to Esperance was long so wanted to split in up into a few days of shorter driving with lots of stops along the way. This was basically the only day with lots of driving and few stops.
Our first stop of the trip was at Busselton Jetty – the longest jetty in the Southern Hemisphere at over 1800m long! You have to pay for entry here unless you arrive before 8am of after 6pm.
Where to stay in Dunsborough: Camp Grace
We ended up staying here 2 nights. One because the weather was terrible and we needed more time to explore but also because it was a really nice place with a camp kitchen, hot showers and a laundry block! The staff were all so friendly and at $10 a night per person it was really good value!
Day 2: Exploring The Dunsborough Area
Castle Rock
Unfortunately we actually went to castle rock on our first day where the weather wasn’t quite so good. It is one of the most beautiful beaches along this part of the coastline, with little inlets between the rocks to swim in. We ended up driving back here on our way back up to Perth from Esperance because it was one of our favourite stops on the trip. The water was such a strong blue colour and looked amazing on the drone! We spent probably 2 hours here just exploring and swimming.
Bunker Bay
This is a really nice beach for a morning stroll. It has a big area full of rocks at one end of the beach, all filled with rock pools and crabs so it is a really good place to take kids!
Shelley Cove
Shelley Cove is just a 20 minute walk (or 5 minute drive) around the corner from Bunker Bay. It’s a smaller beach, with amazing snorkelling and a lot of nice rocks to explore! The sand was quite pebbly and uncomfortable but there were a lot of rocks to lie on as well as picnic tables in the park just up the hill.
Sugarloaf Rock
This is an amazing view point out from the mainland looking on to Sugarloaf Rock. You can either park at the lookout and look from there, or take the path out on to the rocks and take a walk down the hill towards the waters edge.
Ali’s View Lookout
We stopped here randomly on our way down and were so happy to see dolphins in the water! They were so close to the shore that some people had swum out and were playing with them in the water – it was amazing!
The Aquarium
The aquarium is about a 15 minute walk each way down a bush track, starting at Kathleen’s Seat Lookout. The walk itself passes such a pretty view of the coastline but you won’t be disappointed when you reach the crystal clear waters of the Aquarium. The colour is the definition of aquamarine and it’s filled with so many different fish it’s incredible!! We probably spent around half an hour here but you could easily spend all day if you had time! This was definitely the best snorkelling spot on our trip from Perth to Esperance!
Canal Rocks
This is another great place to swim if you walk off of the board walk and down onto the rocks. The tide is a little crazy but if you move to the shallower water it’s manageable.
Cape Naturalist Lighthouse
This was unfortunately closed when we were here. Would love to go back and climb it though!
Injidup Natural Spa
A really cool (unfortunately also busy) spot in the Margaret River Region. It’s about a 5 minute walk down from the car park and is essentially just a pool you can swim in by a crack in the rocks that acts like a ‘spa’ when a waves comes through on the other side.
Day 2: Wine Tasting In The Margaret River
The day we spent in the Margaret River was really rainy, so we had no choice but to do a little wine and cheese tasting! It ended up being one of our favourite days though.
Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos really on this day but heres some recommendations of places to stop:
Vasa Felix Vinyard
Prior research told us this was the best place to taste wine in the Margaret River. They had a big selection and we ended up buying some dessert wine for a picnic later in the week. The cellar door is itself is in this wonderful house on a big estate. We spent the whole time talking about how we would convert it into a house if we owned it.
Bettenay’s Nougat House
Not so much known for wine (although the dessert selection of liqueurs they sold were AMAZING) – the nougat here was sooo good. We tasted three and then ended up buying two sticks to take home with us. My personal favourite was the apple and pecan.
Margaret River Chocolate
An obvious choice. They had a few tastings and a big selection to buy. There is a cafe here that had really good cake so its a good place to stop for some afternoon tea on your way back to accomodation.
Margaret River Nuts and Cereals
My personal favourite stop! I’m a sucker for some good honey roasted cashews so found this shop amazing! They not only has items for sale but also so many tasters available! I mean almost every kind of nut mix, cereal mix, cookies, gluten free range and chocolate out on show!
Margaret River Dairy
A good place for a spot of cheese – we bought some spicy cheddar for a picnic later in the week!
Olio Bello
An amazing place for olive oils, pestos, jams and that sort of thing. We were in there for ages tasting different foods! After that, we ended up staying in the cafe for a coffee and some delicious chips and potato skins.
Where to stay in Margret River: Boogaloo Yoga Retreat, Augusta
We stayed at Boogaloo yoga retreat which also does glamping if you didn’t want to bring your own tent. It was just outside the town of Augusta which is a nice little spot down south close to some nice beaches. The amenities were great and it has solar powered hot showers. For an unpowered site for 3 people it was $37.50.
Day 4: Driving Margaret River to Denmark
We drove down to Denmark on a bit of a rainy day and unfortunately didn’t get the best weather so we ended up visiting a few spots and then going back to our favourites (being Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks) the next morning!
Greens Pool
Greens Pool is a really big, open area of beach that is enclosed by massive rocks on the shore. There was very little surf when we were there so it was nice to just be able to float around in the clear blue ocean.
Elephant Rocks
Just around the corner from Greens Pool, Elephant Rocks is a really amazing place where from a certain view it looks like there is a herd of elephants going out to sea. It was definitely worth a visit!
Conspicuous Cliff
I imagine this would be a beautiful beach and lookout if you went on a sunny day. It is a prime spot for fishing and water sports.
Where to stay in Denmark: Big 4 Camping Ground
As we arrived on a rainy day we didn’t really have much to do so we paid a little extra ($50 a night for unpowered site) and stayed at a Big 4 campground. It was really good because there was a massive camp kitchen with a lot of chairs, tables and games to play so we ended up spending all afternoon/ evening in here!
Day 5: Denmark to Albany
Albany
We sort of only stopped off in Albany on our way down the coast and ended up spending the day here and then driving down to a free campsite for the night.
Little Beach
My favourite beach of the whole trip! The water was so amazing clear and blue, the sand was super white and there was hardly anyone there! We spent the whole morning here. If you walk to the end and around the rocks there is a smaller beach that is popular for spear fishing. Here we saw a sting ray!
Where to camp in Albany: East Bay Camping Ground
Just a free campsite at one end of Two People’s Bay in Albany. You have to get there quite early to get a spot but its a really beautiful location! They have drop toilets but no other facilities.
Day 6: Albany to Esperance
This was the day we were most looking forward to – our road trip revolved around driving from Perth to Esperance, and all stops in between were added bonuses. We left Albany in the morning and got to Esperance around 12. Unfortunately our days in Esperance were met with incredibly strong tides and none of the bays were as peaceful or swimmer friendly as we had hoped. Luckily we still got in a bit of hiking and sunbathing to make up for it!
Here’s the best places to visit when you visit Esperance:
Pink Lake
Although it is no longer as pink as it was, this is still a pretty spot to stop at if you’re driving past. It is located just outside of the town of Esperance and very easy to get to.
Salmon Beach
Salmon beach is one of the beaches in Esperance town. The sunset is really beautiful here as it sets right to one end of the beach so this is a great time to visit! The surrounding area is covered in wildflowers and it really beautiful in the autumn. The day we visited the wind was so strong that the waves were as big as 4 meters!
Blue Haven Beach
Blue Haven is one of the prettiest beaches in the area. It is names this way as the water here is meant to be super blue. If you want to see this, it’s best to visit in the afternoon. Otherwise you get the reflection of the sun on the water and can’t see much colour. We ate our breakfast here and watched the sun make its way over the horizon and it was so peaceful to be the only people around.
Where to camp in Esperance: Pink Lake Tourist Park
We really liked it here, especially because they allowed us to arrive late and pick up the keys from a lock box if we pre-paid over the phone. It was really easy to get to and close to the town centre. This meant we could walk to a lot of the beaches and in to the town very easily. The kitchen was so well equiped for a camp ground it was perfect for us.
Day 7: Exploring the Esperance Area
Wharton Beach
This is an absolutely stunning place and one of my favourites to watch the sunset! The waves were light enough and warm enough for a paddle as we watched the sun set over the water.
Little Wharton Beach
This beach can be accessed by a 4WD track or you can walk around the cliff and do a bit of a hike through sand dunes. This area is stunning with 3 different beaches almost meeting in one area. We took some great drone footage here as the sun was starting to set. Little Wharton Beach itself has crazy waves and a swell you wouldn’t want to go anywhere near.
Cape Le Grand
Cape Le Grand is a national park just south of Esperance. It’s about a 40 minute drive into the town. It is a national park which means that you do need to pay for an entrance/ day ticket. Camping in here is meant to be incredible (you can camp at Lucky Bay and also Cape Le Grand Beach) but you have to make sure you book in advance otherwise there won’t be space when you arrive as the sites are quite small and it’s always very busy!
Rossier Bay
It is quite a rough drive down a gravel road that was not really worth it unless you had your heart set on visiting the bay. You can walk around from Lucky Bay which might be a better option if you wanted the coastal walk but I would say it would be better to walk the other direction as it is a much easier walk.
Lucky Bay
The infamous “Kangaroo Beach” has such crystal blue waters! We visited in the morning and the afternoon and I would overly recommend the afternoon because the angle of light is much better and the ocean looks 10 times as blue! This is also the time when the kangaroos come out for feeding and if you’re lucky you might see one or two walking across the sand!
Thistle Cove
Thistle cover itself is beautiful, with white sand and dark orange natural rock formations watching over it. There was a little space to swim in on the left side but we found the best option to walk all the way around the beach and over the small bushy area to a “secret” beach! Here there were rock pools and the waves were a lot calmer!
Hellfire Bay
This is a smaller beach and is not much compared with the surrounding beaches but it had a really good BBQ/ Picnic area just down from the car park which was a really good place for a lunch stop!
Where to stay: Duke of Orleans Caravan Park
This was one of the more expensive camp grounds we stayed at (around $50 a night for 3 people on a powered site) but it was a really nice spot. They had the best showers we used all trip, and the kitchen was clean and very well equipped. They had a children’s playground and it was a very short walk to the beach.
Day 8 – 10: Esperance to Perth
We spent our second last day driving back from Esperance to Perth, stopping to spend the night in Dunsborough and revisiting some of our favourite beaches. This is a long drive, however, there are some great towns and swimming holes to stop at along the way!
Black Diamond Lake
Black Diamond Lake is an old mine turned beautiful blue swimming hole just two hours south of Perth. The entry and parking in the park was free and there was hardly anyone there when we visited (although it was a Wednesday afternoon in the middle of March). The water is a bit merky when you are actually in it but it’s the perfect place to bring floaties and a picnic and spend the afternoon!
Rounding up our Perth to Esperance Trip
We made this itinerary based on the weather during the week of our trip! If the weather is better at the beginning of your trip then I would recommend starting with the direct drive from Perth to Esperance and then working your way back around the coastline via Margaret river.
In conclusion, this was one of the most incredible trips I have ever taken. I hope this blog post has encouraged you to do the same! I would love to hear from you in the comments!
This sounds like such a great adventure! And I absolutely love your photos and the way you edit Katie!!
Thank you so much Maria!
Wow! Now I’m totally adding Western Australia to my bucket list. All of the places you talk about in this post are so beautiful. It looks like such a great adventure. 🙂
Thanks Taylor!! You would love it there, everything is so beautiful!
Your blog makes me want to go to Australia so much! I have always dreamed of visiting Australia and your pictures are amazing. I really need to visit Lucky Bay, I would love to see the kangaroos 🙂
Lucky Bay was amazing!! I so want to camp there if I ever go back!
Oh wow this looks like such an epic road trip! I’m dying to do this 😍
It was such a dream, you’d love it!