Jaw-Dropping Places to See in Western Australia
If you’re heading to Western Australia, then you’re in for a treat. Western Australia is the lesser-visited part of Australia, but it has some unique and amazing things to see.
Having lived in Western Australia for a full year, I have some tips to share with you on the best places to visit on Australia’s west coast, and itinerary suggestions on how to fit it in.
Best Places to Visit in Western Australia
Western Australia is huge (its Australia’s largest state), and seeing all of it in a single trip isn’t possible unless you’re spreading yourself really thin.
However, these are the top places to prioritize to really be blown away by beauty, wildlife and geological wonders of Western Australia.
6 MUST-See Places to Visit in Western Australia
1. Perth
Population: 2.2 million
Highlights: the walk along the seawall, taking the ferry to South Perth (for a view of the skyline) or to Rottnest Island, Kings Park and Botanic Garden
I visited almost all of Australia’s major cities, but Perth was my favourite. Its considered to be the most isolated city on Earth.
Since you’ll likely fly into Perth for your flight to Western Australia, I recommend spending a few days there before exploring the rest of the state!
Things to Do in Perth
- Walk along the harbour/marina – they’ve done their waterfront so well, great views of the Indian ocean and the skyline too if you walk far enough. I used to do this walk often
- Walk along the pedestrian-only Hay street
- Spend an afternoon in Kings Park, for a view of the city
- Party in Northbridge, if you’re looking for nightlife
- Spend a day at Sorrento Beach, and visit the AQWA – The Aquarium of Western Australia.
- Lots of day trip options – Rottnest Island, Margaret River (wine region), Wave Rock, and Pinnacles especially. All of these are separate ‘places to visit’ recommended in this article
How long to stay in Perth: 2-3 days at most (more, if you’re going to fit Rottnest Island
Best for: Anyone- solo travellers, families, etc
2. Fremantle
Population: 35,000
Highlights: foodie scene, old town, harbour, markets, museums, ferry to Rottnest Island, wildlife tours
Fremantle is a suburb of wider Perth metropolitan area, but it has a completely different vibe and atmosphere than the rest of Perth.
Fremantle has pedestrian-only streets, the best food (restaurants and markets) culture, history and shopping.
You can get to Fremantle by either boat or a 30-minute train ride from downtown Perth. I used to take the train often, and it leaves frequently from the Perth Station.
Things to Do in Fremantle
- Great museums – The Shipwreck Museum, the old Fremantle prison especially
- Eat – there are so many great breakfast places, markets, cafรฉs, restaurants and bars.
- Walk around, and shop for authentic Australian souvenirs, I found here to be the best place in all of Western Australia to buy them
- Take the ferry to Rottnest Island (its quicker to take the ferry from Fremantle than it is from downtown Perth – more on that below)
How long to stay in Fremantle: Spend at least a day in Fremantle, or you could stay here instead of downtown Perth
Best for: People looking for a more small-town experience rather than the city
3. Rottnest Island (Wadjemup)
Population: 500 people that live here year-round
Highlights: amazing beaches and snorkelling, quokkas (an animal native to southwestern Australia)
Rottnest Island is a car-free island that you can take a ferry to from Perth. It’s a place where you can really slow down and experience beautiful nature.
The closest place in Perth to get a ferry to Rottnest Island is actually Fremantle (30minutes) otherwise it takes 45-90 minutes from the Perth city locations.
Rottnest Island can be a day trip from Perth, but you can also stay overnight.
How long to stay on Rottnest Island: 1 full day, or 2-3 nights
Best for: beach lovers, snorkellers, people who want the car-free, slow-paced lifestyle
4. The Pinnacles Desert (a part of Nambung National Park)
Population: N/A
Highlights: the sight of these rare geological formations
The Pinnacles Desert is definitely something you should see in Western Australia. They’re located 200 km (124 miles), about a 2-hour drive from Perth.
You can drive yourself, but there are many, many day tours that will take you from Perth to see them.
The pinnacles are basically a part of a sandy desert, and there’s also a visitor centre you can check out.
I stopped at the Pinnacles as apart of my own Western Australia roadtrip itinerary. But, there are some special tours from Perth that involve stargazing in the Pinnacles desert – I’d go for that if I was doing a day trip from Perth!
I’m not sure if I would recommend driving 2 hours just to see the Pinnacles; try to fit some other things into the day trip too; such a stop in Jurien Bay or the Lancelin Sand Dunes (1 hour south of the Pinnacles.)
How long to stay at the Pinnacles: 1-2 hours
Best for: Nature lovers
Pro Tip: Most tourist head straight for the pinnacles but miss the Lancelin Sand Dunes. If you’re driving, be sure to take a walk on the sand dunes (or explore via sandboarding) but you may need a full day in the area to experience both.
5. Kalbarri National Park
Population: N/A
Highlights: Nature’s Window, the Z-bend lookout, the new Skywalk attraction,
Kalbarri National Park is full of rock formations and cliffs that look out onto the ocean.
Unfortunately, I didn’t give Kalbarri the time it deserved. I only drove through on my Western Australia roadtrip and didn’t stay overnight.
But, if you do want to see some of the best things in the park, then giving it at least a day (or two) is worth it. There are a whole bunch of places to stay nearby (hostels, resorts, campgrounds, etc) to have a home base while exploring the park.
How long to stay at Kalbarri National Park: a few days, if you want to see most of the highlights
Best for: Nature enthusiasts, campers, roadtrippers
6. Wave Rock
Population: N/A
Highlights: the wave rock itself -such a unique and rare-looking geological wonder
Wave Rock is a colourful cliff that looks like a waterfall – and its located inland, about a 4-hour drive from Perth.
You could do only a quick visit just to see the Wave Rock (which would be 15-20 minutes or less) or you could spend a few hours here and see some other interesting things as well – such as Hippo’s Yawn.
Since it isn’t feasible to rent a car and drive out here just to quickly see the rock, your best bet is probably a day tour from Perth (usually 11-12 hours in total).
Book this Wave Rock Day Tour from Perth (12 hour day, $200 per person, includes other attractions like Hippo’s Yawn, and learning about indienous culture, and an Aussie-style lunch!
How long to stay: 20 minutes to a full day. There are many overnight accomodations near Wave Rock to make this a little getaway from Perth
Best for: nature, camping, outdoor photography, etc
Additional Places to Add to A Western Australia Itinerary
These places would be really nice to have on a Western Australia itinerary, but are harder to reach and more off the beaten path from the places above. They may me ideal for locals or second-time visitors to WA rather than for a firt time visit. But, it depends how much time you have – you can even swap something from above out for one of these places.
7. Margaret River
Population: around 2,000 people
Highlights: wine region, white sand beaches
Margaret River is a gorgeous and often overlooked area by tourists in Western Australia. It produces some of the best wine (Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay primarily) and is right on the coast.
The beaches are also fantastic – so white, so turquoise. Margaret River is just under 3 hours from Perth, so there are day tours that take you to wineries, but a few days spent here would be easily worth it for the special things to do.
Things to Do in the Margaret River Area
- Tour Jewel Cave
- Visit the beach
- Do a whale-watching tour from Augusta, a small town about 30 minutes away
How long to stay in Margaret River:
Best for:
8. Exmouth (Turquoise Bay)
Population: 3,000 people
Highlights: Snorkelling, diving, kayaking and beaches, whale watching or swimming with whales
Exmouth is a coastal resort town in the northern part of Western Australia, in the Turqise Bay area.
Exmouth is definitely a good idea i you want to dive, snorkel, swim or just see whale off the coast.
Exmouth is a 10-hour train ride from Perth, but also has its own airport – Learmonth Airport.
I lived 5 hours north Exmouth, in Karratha for a few months and saw humbacks just by chance. The northern tip of Western Australia is an amazing place to see them!
9. Monkey Mia (Shark Bay area)
Population: Less than 1,000 people
Highlights: wild bottlenose dolphins that visit the shores (almost) every day
Monkey Mia is a place that I’m truly surprised isn’t more popular. It’s located in the Shark Bay area, which is a World Heritage Site in Western Australia.
Monkey Mia is quite far from Perth (850 km or 525 miles) – a total of 9 hours of driving time.
Monkey Mia was the main destination on my Western Australian roadtrip. We drove all the way from Perth (making stops along the way) and spend a couple nights here, in order to get a chance to see the dolphins.
I don’t recommend doing the drive to Shark Bay/Monkey Mia straight, because there is so much to see along the way. Plus, there are some sections of the trip that are scarcely populated, and we almost ran out of gas once.
How long to stay: 2 days (to increase your chances of seeing the dolphins, as sometimes they don’t come)
Best for: beach, campground, nature, kayaking and other watersports, scuba diving and snorkelling, etc
10. Jurien Bay
Population: around 2,000 people
Highlights: skydiving
Jurien Bay is a laid-back coastal town about an hour north of Perth. If you’re interested in skydiving, this is an amazing place to do it.
I’ve never skydived anywhere else, and will probably not do it again – but I’m so glad that my first and only time was in Jurien Bay.
The view of falling from the sky in Jurien Bay is amazing; with the turquoise water against the white coastline. The views were much better than in eastern Australia (as me and my friends saw when we compared skydiving videos.)
There’s not a lot to the town besides the skydiving, but it makes a good stop on a road trip (on the way to the Pinnacles for example!)
How long to stay in Jurien Bay: a day, but if you want to skydive, you may book an overnight stay, depending on your itinerary
Best for: Skydiving, small town feel
11. Esperance
Population: around 14,000 people
Highlights: white, white sand, stunning beaches
Esperance is a bit out of the way for a first trip to Western Australia, but its quite a gem if you make it out here!
Driving north from Perth to the Coral Bay area is a popular road trip, but another Western Australia roadtrip is to instead drive south/southeast from Perth towards Esperance – this is called Australia’s southwestern edge.
It’s definitely the lesser visited, but there are a lot of things to do as well.
Things to do in Esperance, Australia
- See wild kangaroos on the beach at Lucky Bay
- See the Esperance Stonehenge
- Visit the stunning white sand beaches, swimming and snorkelling in the winter months
- Do the Great Ocean Drive to see more stunning coastline and beaches
- See the rainbow lakes, which is a series of pink lakes that can also be other colours too. You can take flights that take you overtop of the pink lakes
11. A Pink Lake
I say “a” pink lake, because there are several of them in Australia! Australia has more pink lakes than any other country in the world.
We were startled to suddenly stumble upon one on a roadtrip. Since then, I looked up where you can find all the pink lakes in Western Australia.
Here are the pink lakes you can find in Western Australia:
- Hutt Lagoon just south of Kalbarri National Park
- A series of pink lakes near Esperance (its common to take a flight to see all of them at the same time from above)
Western Australia Itinerary Ideas
For a first time visit to WA, choose between going north from Perth or taking the southeast edge from Perth.
To do both, you would need several weeks in Western Australia to see it all. But choosing just one allows you to spend a couple days in the Perth area, (plus Perth’s many daytrip options) plus explore one of the majestic coastlines of Western Australia.
Whichever you decide, I hope that this article on places to visit in Western Australia has filled you with ideas, as well as a general trip itinerary for Western Australia!