Perth to Darwin Overland

Welcome to Perth! Or Boorloo in the language of the local Whadjuk Nyoongar people, who are the Traditional Owners of the land on which Perth is now located. This morning, head to the fascinating Nambung National Park to check out the famous Pinnacle Desert – a unique landscape unlike any other in the country. After, journey to the massive sand dunes of Jurien Bay, where you’ll have the opportunity to go sandboarding down the slopes and perfect your surfing-on-land technique. From here, continue through Geraldton to Kalbarri, where you’ll spend the first night of your 4WD adventure after a group dinner.

Today, you’ll take the short drive to Kalbarri National Park, where you can explore some of the park’s diverse scenery, like Murchison Gorge, Natures Window, The Loop and Z-Bend Gorge (this gorge has a steep descent, but it’s worth the effort for a refreshing swim!). Maybe you’d like to abseil here – an optional activity for those looking for a bit more adventure. After lunch with your group, visit the beautiful Shell Beach – one of only two beaches in the world made entirely from seashells. Tonight, you’ll get back on the road and head towards Denham and Shark Bay.

After breakfast this morning, take the short drive across the Peron Peninsula down to the beach. Here, you’ll visit the world-famous Monkey Mia dolphins – sure to become your new friends. The dolphins here are used to people and super friendly, so this is a must-do experience for anyone in the area. Continue along the highway to Coral Bay – the Jewel of the Northwest – via the fascinating stromatolites at Hamelin Pool. These are the oldest living organisms in the world! When you arrive in Coral Bay, sit down for a group dinner and enjoy a night to relax.

Take a day to explore Coral Bay today. This place is just as relaxing as the name suggests! Maybe kick back on the warm sand or go for a swim before visiting Ningaloo Reef and the amazing marine life that lives below the waterline. Here, maybe go snorkelling or take a cruise on a glass-bottom boat to see the wildlife up close (while you stay dry). In the late afternoon, drive into Exmouth. Tonight, kick back at your excellent campsite – Yardi Creek Station – and watch the sunset as kangaroos hop about the grounds. You’ll spend two nights here, to enjoy some free time in this gorgeous area and take on some active optional activities. In the morning, maybe go snorkelling (equipment provided) or diving, search for whale sharks if the season’s right or view Vlamingh Head Lighthouse. In the afternoon, maybe laze on the pristine beach at Turquoise Bay and soak up the sunshine.

This morning, head inland past the many Aussie cattle stations to reach the outback oasis of Karijini National Park. Along the way, you’ll pass through Tom Price – a little town known for its iron ore mining – before reaching your camp that overlooks the magnificent Hamersley Range. Enjoy a full day of adventuring and exploration in Karijini National Park and discover its amazing gorges and swimming holes. Formed over 2500 million years ago, the Hamersley Ranges are some of the most unusual landforms on Earth! You’ll be able to take some great photos while you’re here – if you need a new Instagram post, this place is perfect. Deep in the gorges, you’ll come across cascading waterfalls and fresh, still waterholes that are ideal for swimming. Dales Gorge, Fortesque Falls, Fern Pool, Circular Pool, Weano Gorge and Hancock Gorge are just some that you can visit.

Say your sad farewells to Karijini this morning and travel towards the coast and the iron ore town of Port Hedland. Take some time for a quick tour of the town and marvel at the incredible size of the iron ore industry. After lunch, you’ll continue to the Pilbara region, where you’ll spend the night. Enjoy a group dinner together in Sandfire and take the opportunity to do a spot of stargazing in the blanket of night sky, which boasts very little light pollution.

This morning, you’ll have some leisure time on the stretching sands of the picturesque Eighty Mile Beach – one of Australia’s most remarkable hidden gems! Stroll along the white sandy beach and get some fantastic photos of the azure water before continuing north to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm on the Dampier Peninsula. When you arrive, maybe take a swim in the infinity pool that looks over Cygnet Bay.

This morning after breakfast, you’ll take a tour of Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, which provides insight into the remote pearling industry. Then, journey north to the One Arm Point Aboriginal Community to tour a local aquaculture hatchery that’s perched right on the tip of One Arm Point, overlooking the impressive Buccaneer Archipelago. After lunch, head to Broome, arriving just in time for one of the famous sunsets on Cable Beach. This is where some of your group members may leave you and your independent time in Broome will begin.

Over the next three days, you can sit back, relax and enjoy a beach break at the Kimberley Travellers Lodge. Kick back on one of the best beaches in the world – Cable Beach – and have a couple of cold ones at Matsos Broome Brewery. Maybe search for dinosaur footprints on the rugged coastline or check out the local art galleries and spend every night watching the sunset over the ocean.  

Spend the morning exploring Bandilngan (Windjana Gorge) – this gorge in The Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges attracts many species of birds and bats and is a great spot to see wild freshwater crocodiles! In the afternoon, journey to Dalmanti (Bell Gorge) – a segment of a 375-million-year-old reef that was once underwater. Take a refreshing swim here, soak up the natural views and then travel further east to Mt Barnett Station. This is where you’ll camp for this evening. Enjoy dinner by the campfire and get to know your fellow travellers better as you swap stories.

After breakfast, stretch your legs on a morning hike and be rewarded at the end with a swim in a large rock pool at the base of Manning Falls. After lunch, discover Adcock or Galvins Gorge before returning to camp to relax around the campfire and tuck into some dinner.

Over the next two days, you’ll drive through rivers and weave through gorges as you travel by 4WD along the wild Gibb River Road – a 600 km stretch that winds right through the heart of the Kimberley. You’ve got a fair bit of ground to cover, so there’s a fair bit of drive time, but you’ll be breaking up the journey with lunch and a few stops to stretch your legs along the way. Cross the iconic Pentecost River crossing and explore El Questro – established initially as an enormous cattle station, it’s now a vast wilderness reserve sprawled over more than one million acres. Camping out here, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere (an extremely beautiful middle of nowhere). The ochre-coloured massifs of the Cockburn Ranges frame the landscape every way you turn, and numerous natural springs offer plenty of opportunities for a refreshing cool-off. Following a soak in Zebedee Springs, enjoy a short trek to either El Questro or Emma Gorge.

Say so long to El Questro and hello Bungle Bungles! Today, you’ll drive through the rugged landscape of Carr Boyd and the Durack Ranges into Purnululu National Park – home to the Bungle Bungles, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dominated by massive sandstone karsts that rear hundreds of metres above the surrounding grasslands. You’ll spend the next two days and nights exploring this region. Arrive at your bush camp in time to sit back and watch the sunset over the Osmond Ranges. If you’ve had enough tent camping, you might want to spend tonight sleeping out beneath the stars, snuggled up in a swag. Unbelievably, only the locals knew this place existed until the early 1980s when they were ‘discovered’ by a film team. You’ll go on a walk through Echidna Chasm – a long and narrow ravine banked on either side by 200 m-high rock walls – and enter the massive natural Amphitheatre of Cathedral Gorge.

Today, you’ll leave the Bungle Bungles behind and head for Kununurra – the largest town between Broome and Darwin. Tonight’s campsite is on the shores of Lake Argyle, which you have plenty of free time to explore. Maybe head out on a sunset cruise on the lake – this is highly recommended, as the best way to witness the immensity of this lake is on the water! Tonight, enjoy a group dinner together at camp.

Lake Argyle is a man-made lake, though you’d never have guessed it by looking! See barramundi, birds and freshwater crocodiles that thrive in these waters, and the islands that look like they’ve always been there (they used to be mountains). In the afternoon, push on across the state border into the Northern Territory, where you’ll have a group dinner and spend the night.

Today, you’ll head to Darwin, stopping at either Katherine Gorge or Edith Falls along the way for a quick swim and a last opportunity to soak in the natural wild views of rural Western Australia. Take in the gorgeous scenery and then arrive in Darwin, where your trip comes to an end.