Perth to Esperance Road Trip Itinerary

Perth to Esperance was one of my favourite road trips in Australia (with the East Coast road trip and Great Ocean Road in close competition). The drive through South-West Western Australia (WA) is a round trip of approximately 1800km and takes you past some incredible beaches, cute towns and Karri forests and also through the gourmet region of Margaret River. My Perth to Esperance Road Trip Itinerary will take at least 7 days but I would recommend giving yourself 10. All of the roads are fully sealed making it a super easy drive.

The South West of Western Australia can get quite cold so I would recommend doing the road trip over the warmer months of September to April (but avoid the Easter Holidays if you can). You might want to consider going from Perth to Broome before or after this road trip.

7 day road trip itinerary

Day 1 – Perth to Eagle Bay
Day 2 – Eagle Bay to Margaret River
Day 3 – Margaret River to Denmark
Day 4 – Denmark to Albany
Day 5 – Albany to Esperance
Day 6 – Esperance
Day 7 – Esperance to Perth

Perth

Kickstart your South West Road trip with a few days in Western Australia’s capital, Perth. The top things to do in Perth are:

• Explore the many beaches in Perth (make sure you check out Cottesloe and Scarborough Beach).
• Hang out in Fremantle, enjoy the markets and many restaurants as well as the instagrammable rainbow containers.
• Escape the city with a trip to Rottnest Island.
• Marvel at the various Art Gallery’s in Perth (Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, and Aboriginal Art and Craft Gallery).
• Wander around the new Elizabeth Quay.
• Snap a photo at the little blue boat shed.

Where to stay in Perth

If you are looking for a budget friendly centrally located hotel I would recommend checking out the Perth City YHA. They offer free parking, which was perfect for us as we already had our car ready for our road trip. They also organise various activities through out the week which is perfect if you aren’t sure how to explore Perth or are looking to meet people!

Day 1 – Perth to Eagle Bay

The first destination on your road trip is Eagle Bay, a small coastal town located around a 3 hour drive south of Perth. The drive will take up most of your day as there are a few stops you can make along the way such as:

• Bunbury Dolphin Centre: Experience dolphins in the wild in Koombana bay.
• Busselton Jetty: Check out the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere (you can even ride a train to the end!)
• Meelup Beach: Beautiful crystal blue water, making it the perfect swimming spot.
• Cape Naturaliste lighthouse.
• Sugarloaf Rock.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwWVy9dFJA9/

Where to stay

Dunsborough and Yullingup are the main towns in this area. I would recommend checking out Dunsborough Beachhouse YHA and Seashells Yallingup if you’re on a budget, and Bay Village Resort & Spa and Pullman Bunker Bay Resort if you’re looking for a more luxurious stay.

Day 2 – Eagle Bay to Margaret River

Start your day at the Injidup natural spa only a 30 minute drive from Eagle Bay, an incredible landform where the waves crash over into a little rock pool. It can get quite busy so it’s best to go in the morning, however I would also check the tide as the waves can be a bit aggressive at high tide.

Next stop is Hamelin Bay, a beach where you can find sting rays in the shallows! It is an amazing experience as the rays will actually approach you if you paddle in the water.

Head to Margaret River for lunch, before spending the afternoon exploring one of the many wineries. I went to the Voyager Estate which is a beautiful winery where you can enjoy wine tasting platters from $9.

Where to stay

Margaret River offers a number of accommodation for different budgets and is also where you will find plenty of restaurants. If you’re on a budget check out Margaret River Backpackers YHA, if you’re looking for a more luxurious stay check out Grand Mercure Basildene Manor.

Day 3 – Margaret River to Denmark

The drive from Margaret River to Denmark takes around 3 hours 40 minutes, but I would factor in more time to enjoy the following highlights:

• Climb the Gloucester Tree
• Visit the Tree Top Walk in the Valley of the Giants
• William Bay National Park – Check out the Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks.

Where to stay

Denmark offers a range of accommodation but you could also choose to spend this night in Albany so that you can stay in one place for 2 nights. I stayed at the Ace Accommodation Albany as it was the cheapest double room I could find, the room was a good size and just what we needed.

Day 4 – Denmark to Albany

The shortest drive of your road trip will be the 40 minutes from Denmark to Albany, so it’ll be a nice relaxing day! The main things to do in Albany are:

• Torndirrup National Park – go for a hike!
• Two Peoples Bay National Park – Climb up the two rocks at Little Beach
• Albany Wind Farm – perfect spot to watch the sunset

Where to stay in Albany

I stayed at the Ace Accommodation Albany as it was the cheapest double room I could find, the room was a good size and just what we needed.

Day 5 – Albany to Esperance

The next stop on your road trip is to one of the most incredible places on Earth! You can’t come to Western Australia without making a trip to Esperance.

The drive from Albany to Esperance will take around 5 hours. If you’re road trip is during January, February or March make sure you stop at Bremer Bay for the chance to see Orca, Sperm Whales, Pilot Whales and Sunfish.

Once you get to Esperance, depending on how much time you have before sunset I would recommend checking out the local beaches, such as West Beach (pictured) or Twilight Beach.

Where to stay in Esperance

If I’d have been able to I would have booked to stay at the Esperance Chalet Village, it looks super cute and instagrammable but was unfortunately sold out when I went. I ended up staying at the Acclaim Pine Grove Holiday Park which was a bit run down but very cheap.

Day 6 – Esperance

Cape Le Grand National Park is an hour drive from Esperance and is where you will find some of the best beaches in Australia, if not the world!

Head to Lucky Bay early in the morning for the chance to spot kangaroos on the beach! The sand here is incredibly white and the water is a shade of turquoise that will leave you speechless whilst you approach Lucky Bay.

Your next stop should be Hellfire Bay (pictured), a super instagrammable beach where you might be lucky enough to spot dolphins!

If you want to go a bit more off the usual tourist track head a bit further east to Wharton Beach, one of the best beaches in Esperance! 

Day 7 – Esperance to Wave Rock

The drive from Esperance to Perth via Wave Rock takes just under 8 hours. You can choose to do this in one day if your time is limited but I would recommend spending the morning in Esperance then driving to Wave Rock in the afternoon to spend the night there. This way you can shoot the wave rock at sunset when there aren’t many people around. You can then drive the remaining 3 hours and a half to Perth on the 8th day.

I hope you enjoyed this 7 day road trip itinerary from Perth to Esperance. I would spend at least 7 days doing this trip so that you get to enjoy the main highlights, however if you have more time I would recommend extending it to 10 days. If you want to explore more of Western Australia make sure you road trip from Perth to Broome too.

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