This trip is best explored through winter. The Perth to Karijini Itinerary is a 3200km round trip, so there will be some big travel days. However if you can afford the time off work, a nice easy pace would be a 3 week trip away. This time we did some different stops along the way, we stayed at station camps and free and low cost camps. Unfortunately, the current van we have can’t allow us to be off grid for too long but the stops we did do were epic.
Port Denison
Our first stop for a couple of days was Port Denison. Around a 4 hour drive from Perth. A sleepy little fishing town with a thriving fresh lobster industry. The beautiful clear waters are abundant with sea life and if you’re a fisherman, you can drop a line and catch whiting, Bream and Mulloway.
There is also the remains of a beautiful old jetty in Port Denison Harbour. The timber of the jetty is still standing but years of battering off those winter fronts which pass through have left just the piles of the structure standing firm.
The waterfront itself is beautiful, with a long esplanade to walk along with a tavern at the far end. The food was extremely good here.
We stayed at dongaratouristpark.com.au located at the southern end of town. The sites here in the main are great, large level sites , which is great. The day we turned up it was wet and windy and there’s nothing worse trying to level the caravan when it’s pouring with rain.
Oakabella
Our next stop from here was Oakabella homestead. Now, since visiting here we think the homestead has been closed down and sold. However there is listed buildings on the site, which have to remain on site so hopefully it does reopen to camping so others can enjoy the experience we had.
Upon arrival, we were told that some freshly baked scones had just come out of the oven….. yum. So we went over to the tearooms and had some scones with a cup of tea. Luck was definitely with us on this day as well, as the lady who managed the homestead suddenly announced she was doing a walk about of the listed buildings. She took us around all the buildings explaining their previous uses.
Only a couple of months prior to us visiting, cyclone seroja had gone through. Where Oakabella is located, just inland from Geraldton, you wouldn’t normally be on a the path of a cyclone in Western Australia but this was a once in a life time event. Unfortunately, some of the buildings had copped major damage, and given the age of the buildings you needed a good stonemason to do the work, and there isn’t too many of them available so any work will take time to complete.
The history of Oakabella
Anyone who has been lucky enough to stay at Oakabella, will know the history of the place. It’s Western Australia’s most haunted site. The history of property goes back to 1851, when the land and homestead were first established by James Drummond. There were said to be confrontations between the Drummond family and local indigenous tribes of the area. Resulting in deaths of local tribes people.
In 1910, the homestead was purchased by the Jackson family. They used the land for farming and even bred horses for the British army.
Like many young childhood deaths of the time, it wasn’t uncommon to loose a child to disease, unfortunately at this house there was a lot of incidents that shouldn’t have happened. One young child fell out of an open window, broke their neck and died.
The ghosts
There are said to be many ghostly souls that make their presence known. The most noisy of the ghosts been George Jackson. It’s believed he was cleaning his gun and the gun went off… resulting in him instantly dying. He is said to bang on doors, stomp down hallways and things have been seen being lifted off surfaces. The room the accident happened in is said to have a very dark feeling to it. The land has said to be a meeting place of the spirits which have died on this land. Whether it be old mate George, the children who have passed, the local Yamaji tribe, or others who have died on the property.
With all this spooky goings on you can imagine how I felt walking down the laneways, on a pitch black night. There was no moon, and the only visible light was from the couple of camper vans parked up. Under normal circumstances I would’ve wondered to find the darkest spot to photograph the milky way but I just couldn’t with the knowledge of all this paranormal activity.
The Pink Lake
Not too far from Oakabella is the pink lake. It was a 30 minute drive from Oakabella but can be reached from Geraldton and Kalbarri.
The lake is pink because of the large presence of carotenoid producing algae dunaliella salina. They use this as a colouring product to add colour to cosmetics and food.
Kalbarri
Our next stop after Oakabella was Kalbarri. A small coastal town where the Murchison river meets the Indian Ocean. Kalbarri is best known for its National Park. With inland gorges where the Murchison river flows through the base of the gorge, to the rugged cliffs on the ocean. We stayed at http://Kalbarritudor.com.au a lovely site located in the centre of town. You are within easy reach of the towns facilities and bars and cafes.
Kalbarri National park
We did some great walks through the National Park. The inland section of the National park is payable. At the entrance to the park, there is an honesty box set up. So you pay the fee to enter the park and give your rego details over. You could run the risk of avoiding to pay the fee, but these fees keep the standard of the National Park up.
Within the National Park there is plenty to see. The skywalk is definitely worth a look. A platform which goes high out 100 metres over the gorge. You can look down to the river below and across to gorge and fauna on the other side.
The most famous site that people visit Kalbarri National Park is Natures Window. It was created by wind erosion over the Millenia, forming a perfect window to view the river below. To get out to natures window, its a 1km hike. With a class 3 difficulty rating, a moderate hike. On a dry day you could easily reach it in around 20-25 mins. On a wet day it will take longer, as we found out. The rocks aren’t flat, and with a decline away underfoot, it can be slippy.
The cliff top walks are also amazing. All along the coastline there are various walks. Ranging from a few hundred meters to 17km to explore this beautiful scenery. With the pounding waves below, the cliffs are slowly eroding, the red and white tumblagooda sandstone is slowly disappearing. Again creating more natural scenery like natural bridge. An archway created with wave erosion.
Denham
Our next port of call was Denham on the Peron Peninsula, in Shark Bay. Denham is a great spot to base yourself to explore this area. With Monkey Mia close by to visit the dolphins and Francois Peron National Park. Plus the town itself, you could spend some extended time here. We stayed at Denham seaside caravan park. https://tasmanholidayparks.com/au/caravan-parks/denham-seaside/ located right in the centre of town. This was a great spot as it was within easy reach of the local stores and bars and restaurants.
Francois Peron National park
Whilst in Denham, we headed out to Francois Peron National Park. Again, like other national parks mentioned there is a fee to enter. So make sure you pay upon entering the park. Once past the pay station it’s an unsealed road. 2WD can still enter at this point and go as far as Peron Heritage station. This area is great to explore the bygone sheep station, with shearing sheds, shearing quarters and stock yards. There is also an artesian hot tub to relax in. The water is hot so makes a perfect end to the day after exploring the park.
If you have a 4WD you can head a bit further into the park. There is a deflate station, so you don’t need your compressor to deflate and inflate your tires. So, after a quick deflate we were on our way. The track is super sandy and narrow in places, so definitely do not risk this in 2WD.
We made our way out to skip jack point and cape peron. The rich red earth meets the beach and ocean below. The colours up here are spectacular. This is great place to see passing sea life like manta rays, lemon sharks, dolphins and tuna.
At cape peron it’s a very unsafe place to swim because of 2 strong currents meeting at this point. So look other swimming spots further down the peninsula.
Also, keep a look out for Herald Bight. You can drive your vehicles up and down this part of the coastline.
Shell Beach
One absolute highlight not to be missed is shell beach. Given its beauty it’s still comes under Francois Peron National Park. It’s around 45km south of Denham but you’ll see signs for it. It’s literally as it says, shell beach….. millions of washed up shells on the beach.
Carnarvon
After leaving Denham we headed to Caranvon for a night. It was mainly to just stock up on supplies as there is a Woolworths supermarket in town. We were lucky enough to turn up at the caravan park in town and get a site for the night. Whilst in Carnarvon we stayed at https://www.coralcoasttouristpark.com.au/ a lovely little park in town. We also walked out to the Carnarvon Hotel for dinner that night for a chicken schnity. It’s a super chilled out venue and the food was amazing. Once all stocked up we headed out to Quobba Station.
Quobba Station
Located 77km north of Carnarvon it’s not too far a drive. It’s a great base for exploring that area, up to Gnaraloo and down to point Quobba. The campsite is only suited for those who can totally self sufficient. There are no powered sites or water hookups. However, there are ablution blocks so you can have access to showers and toilets. For more information and booking enquires https://www.quobba.com.au/
Quobba has got to be one of our favourite campsites. Its position on the beach is an absolute winner. Given this, you also need to make sure you have plenty of levelling equipment as some sites aren’t flat.
We scored an absolute banger of a site, again the best sites are where you need levelling equipment. Our site was high on a dune looking down towards the ocean. You’re not too close to neighbouring sites either, so it feels completely private.
Things to see from Quobba
From the station you’re a 15 minute drive down to Point Quobba and the lighthouse. At Point Quobba there is another campsite which is again a basic camping spot. The beach here is beautiful as it’s quite sheltered and shallow, so great for little ones. This area is where you’ll find the blow holes too. The power that comes through these underwater caves to create these marine geysers is insane.
Around this area is the famous king waves kill sign too, the one you’ll see on many Instagram pages. We too had a picture with the sign.
One final thing about this camp spot, which is a memory that we will treasure forever. On our first night there, we’d lit our campfire, and we were sitting there watching the ebb and flow of the ocean below. The moon was full which made the scene even more spectacular. Plus as we’re pretty remote the stars were glistening in the night sky. Sounds like a scene from a movie… Next minute we hear the call of a whale, the beautiful upcall to their nearby friends. It was a once in a lifetime experience.
Bullara station
Our next stop after leaving Quobba was Bullara station. Another epic station stay. This campsite was totally different to Quobba. Yes both are working cattle stations but completely different landscapes. Bullara is inland, a good hour from the Indian Ocean.
However, Bullara have made such an effort with this station. They offer both power and water, so you don’t have to be self sufficient here. There are also great amenities with the toilets and showers.
They also offer amazing dinner evenings, they don’t run every evening. So you need to keep an eye out on the run up to your stay. There is a small payment, but so worth it for the amazing food you receive.
Most evenings there are meet and greets around the campfire too. One evening we were there, one of the long term residents who works for the station made Damper Bread.
The hosts have also made a few different walks around the station to explore the sites. Plus they own land on the other side of the highway with 4WD tracks down to the Exmouth Gulf. For more info on the station please visit https://www.bullarastation.com.au/
From Bullara you are around an hours drive to Exmouth Town so if you need any supplies, it’s not far to go. We headed up to Cape Range National park. A beautiful range above the Exmouth gulf. Created by gradual lifting of the sea floor, alongside wind and water erosion, making for stunning deep gorges and the most beautiful beaches.
Cheela Plains
The distance between Bullara and Tom Price was still a fair distance away, so we had a quick overnighter at Cheela Plains. This a great little campsite again, offering power and water on sites. Again, like Bullara they offer dinner on some evenings which we took advantage of. They have some great places to visit on this campsite as well. There is a cave which is short drive to visit. Then in an evening you can walk up a small hill and watch a beautiful sunset across the plains. For more info on Cheela visit https://www.cheelaplains.com.au/
Another quirky thing about this site is the amount of mining vehicles parked up. We’re not sure why they were there, but the size of the vehicles is insane. A great site to walk around.
They also hold star gazing events here too at certain times of year. The skies are so clear here and so dark. It would be amazing to see.
Tom Price
We thought Karijini was going to be the jewel in the crown, don’t get us wrong it is, but the trip so far had been magical.
As we’d left it too late to book, Dales Campground in Karijini national park was full. However the campsite in Tom Price was amazing. With Mount Nameless as its backdrop, the scenery was stunning. The campsite offers great sized sites, so you’re not on top of your neighbours. Great amenities and ablutions. Plus the staff are super friendly. For more information please visit https://summerstar.com.au/caravan-parks/tom-price/accommodation/powered-camping-site#
Karijini
When we heard this fact our minds were blown…. Karijini is 2.5 Billion years old. Making it some of the oldest land on the planet. Scientists have since determined that the Pilbra region has the worlds most ancient crust. Finding that the vast iron rich rock, formed before the existence of oxygen and life itself. For those who wish to know have a read of an article written by the BBC https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220126-is-the-pilbara-the-oldest-place-on-earth
The vast scenery within Karijini is beyond beautiful, with the deep canyons, flowing rivers, secret swimming holes, cascading waterfalls, deep reds and earthly tones, created by the iron rich lands. It’s the scene you’d think of when imagining Australia’s outback.
Hamersley Gorge
Hamersley Gorge was our first stop. Now a hot tip to get the Instagram shot you want is to not leave it til middle of the day, either get up super early or head there late in the day. You see the dreamy picture perfect images of people swimming in the pool, like theres not another soul around. The harsh reality is that there’s a 100 hundred other tourists wanting the same image. Clambering across dangerous rock faces with no wiggle room makes for an interesting scene.
Before even getting to the pool within the gorge, it’s a steep decent down, lots of steps to descend. Once at the base you then have to navigate quite steep rocks and boulders and then up a ladder to get into the “queue” for the pool. Unfortunately for us after making it closer to the pool we didn’t have the time to wait. We waited a good 30 mins and barely any movement in the queue. So be forewarned.
Weano Gorge, Joffre Waterfalls and Fern Pool
We hit all these places up in one day as they are close to each other. All have such varied scenery to explore.
Weano Gorge is probably one of the most easiest to get to, and accessible for most people from the lookout above. For the more adventurous, you can descend into the gorge below down steep and irregular steps. Once at the bottom the class 3 turns into a class 5 walk as the path narrows and the gorge towers over head.
Joffre Falls is an impressive gorge too, especially because it has a cascading waterfall into the pool below. You can access the gorge by following the track down to the base of the gorge.
Fern pool is another absolutely spectacular gorge. The steep descent into this gorge takes a while given the amount of steps and pathways but is most definitely worth it. Even the walk to the bottom of the gorge is extremely beautiful. Once at the bottom, continue along the guided paths where you find Ferns Pool. A amazing swimming spot, and again has an its own waterfall.
Dales campground
If you manage to get a spot at Dales, definitely do it. We stuck our noses in to have a look and it looked amazing. Firstly the sites are big and private between neighbours. Plus the skies are super dark so mind blowing for stargazing. A local man also offers a nighttime talk about the sky above too, which would be extremely interesting.
The Great Northern Highway
So we did 3 overnight stops to get back to Perth. It’s a 1200km ride home, which we didn’t want to do in one hit. Plus some of these smaller country towns have a bit to offer.
Newman
Yes we know Newman may not be everyone’s cup of tea as it’s more of a mining town. However we had an errand to run and Newman has a police station. With all the coronated roads we’d lost our back number plate somewhere in Karijini. So first stop was the cop shop to get new plates. Once that job was done we had a little walk around the town and grabbed a coffee.
We parked the van up at yurlu caravan park just on the edge of town. With large drive through sites and clean amenities it’s perfect for the night. You have to pay and book online and then you are sent a code to let yourself in through the gate. So really secure.
That evening we decided to go out for dinner. We had heard that the Capricorn Bar and Grill was a good feed. So headed out that way for dinner. It did not disappoint, the car park was busy with cars and truckies and the bar was brimming. We were pretty much in the middle of nowhere and this place was pumping. We went with our fave chicken schnitzel with chips and salad….. Delicious. For more info check out https://www.capricornbarandgrill.com.au/
Cue
Our next stop was Cue. An old gold mining town, dating back to 1892. There are a lot of interesting buildings around the small town. Plus many a ghost story to add. The eerie looking Masonic lodge and the Queen of the Murchison are both said to have ghosts.
The street architecture is a beautiful site, so definitely worth a nights stay. We stayed at https://www.cue.wa.gov.au/cue-tourist-park There are also some great pubs in town too, yeah they’re very countrified pubs, but still a good meal and a cold beer.
Dalwallinu
Our final night before home was Dalwallinu. Again like cue a quiet country town with lots of charm. It’s the first stop travellers will find themselves, if exploring the wild flowers. We were passing through when the canola fields were in full bloom. With the bright yellow flowers against the skies…. Beautiful. We had our overnight stop at Dalwallinu caravan park. A lovely little park with great amenities. Finally we finished off our trip at the Dalwallinu Hotel with a cold beer and Chicken Schnitzel.
If you fancy exploring any other parts of the WA coastline check out our Exploring The Margaret River region page.