How long do you need in Western Australia?
A week is the honest minimum if you want to leave Perth. A day gets you the Pinnacles. Six days reaches Ningaloo Reef, which is the thing worth coming for. Ten days reaches Broome, and the full run to Darwin is twenty-four. Western Australia is a third of the country and the distances are the trip.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Western Australia covers a third of the continent and holds about a tenth of its people. That ratio is the whole planning problem: the things worth seeing are extraordinary and they are a very long way apart. Here is what each amount of time actually reaches.
How far each length gets you
| If you have | You reach | Trip | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| **A day** | The Pinnacles Desert, sunset and stargazing | 1 Day Pinnacles & Star Gazing Tour | $169 |
| **Four days** | Monkey Mia and Shark Bay, and back to Perth | 4 Day Perth to Monkey Mia | $1299 |
| **Six days** | **Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth** — the swimming is the point | 6 Day Perth to Exmouth | $1449 |
| **A week** | Exmouth and back to Perth, no flight needed | 7 Day Perth to Exmouth & Return | $1699 |
| **Ten days** | All the way to **Broome**, across the Pilbara | 10 Day Perth to Broome | $2905 |
| **Twenty-four days** | Perth to **Darwin** — the whole west and the Kimberley | 24 Day Perth to Darwin Tour | $5899 |
Prices are per person and update on their own.
What each one is really like
A day from Perth
- The Pinnacles — thousands of limestone spires in the desert, two hours north.
- Sandboarding at Lancelin on some versions, and stargazing on the way home.
- Margaret River is the other direction and the gentler day — food, wine and coast.
Four to seven days — up the coast
- Kalbarri at about 575km from Perth, river gorges and sea cliffs.
- Monkey Mia and Shark Bay, where the dolphins come into the shallows.
- Ningaloo Reef at Exmouth — a fringing reef you swim to from the beach, which the Great Barrier Reef cannot offer.
- Driving days run 450 to 600km on the operators' own sheets. That is the nature of it, and the emptiness is half the appeal.
Ten days and beyond
- Broome and Cable Beach, after crossing the Pilbara — red earth, gorges and almost nobody.
- Karijini National Park on the Broome runs, which is as good as any gorge country in Australia.
- The Kimberley and on to Darwin on the twenty-four day run, which is the biggest trip we sell anywhere.
If you only have a few days
Spend them around Perth rather than trying to go north. The Pinnacles and Margaret River are both a day each and both excellent, and you will not spend the whole time in a vehicle.
The trips
People also ask
- How do I get from Perth to Exmouth or Broome?
- What are the best day trips from Perth?
- Where should I go in Australia?
- What are the best backpacker tours in Australia?
Where this comes from. Each trip's own route, duration and driving distances, as held on its page here. Prices are the current from price and update on their own.