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Perth to Darwin Overland

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Perth to Darwin Overland

Was From $ 6,795 AUD
Now From $ 6,116 AUD
Sale!

Description

On this 4WD Perth to Darwin safari adventure, you’ll explore the natural wonders of Australia’s Northwest. Spend your nights under a blanket of desert stars and your days in search of secret swimming holes among waterfalls. Snorkel with turtles, relax on Eighty Mile Beach, explore national parks like Karijini, Nambung and Kalbarri, watch spectacular sunsets, journey along the Gibb River Road, explore El Questro, check out the famous Bungle Bungles and take on some fun, active options in your free time to ramp up the adventure.  

Trip Name
Perth to Darwin Overland
Last Updated
1970-01-01
Days
24
Capacity
20
Highlights
  • Take a 4WD safari through Western Australia and camp under a dazzling blanket of stars most nights – this is a great opportunity to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. 
  • Explore the World Heritage area of Shark Bay, home to the oldest living organisms in the world – stromatolites.  
  • Spend some time in the red-hued Pilbara, camping under a blanket of stars in Karijini National Park and spending your days exploring ancient gorges and refreshing swimming holes and waterfalls. 
  • Explore the unique geology of Dimalurru (Tunnel Creek) – a limestone cave system home to bats, stalactites and fascinating First Nations history.   
  • Spend two full days exploring the Bungle Bungles – including magnificent gorges, unique rock formations, hidden waterholes, sandstone towers and Echidna Chasm and Cathedral Gorge.  

Itinerary

ITINERARY CHANGES Our itineraries are updated regularly throughout the year based on customer feedback and to reflect the current situation in each destination. The information included in this Essential Trip Information may therefore differ from when you first booked your trip. It's important that you review this information prior to travel so that you have the latest updates. Due to weather, local conditions, transport schedules, public holidays, political unrest or other factors, further changes may be necessary to your itinerary once in-country. Your group leader or local representative will keep you up to date with any such changes once your trip is underway. OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES A selection of optional activities that have been popular with past travellers are listed in the day-to-day itinerary. This isn't an exhaustive list and should be used as a guide only for some of what might be available. Prices are approximate, are for entrance fees only, and don’t include transport to and from the sites or local guides unless indicated. All activities are subject to availability, and maybe on a join-in basis. It may not be possible to do all the activities listed in the time available at each destination, so some pre-planning for what you are most interested in is advised. When it's recommended that travellers pre-book these activities, look for a note in the Special Information section of the day-to-day itinerary. For most, they can either be organised independently on the day, or let your group leader or local representative know you are interested at the Welcome Meeting and they can assist. Where activities are considered medium or high risk, we work with operators whose safety and credentials we have sighted and assessed. Although it is possible that you may find the same activity cheaper with another operator on the ground, we cannot vouch for the safety or quality of that operator. Medium and high-risk activities not listed above have not been assessed by us and as such our staff and group leader or local representative are unable to assist you with organising these activities. Activities that contravene our Responsible Travel policies are also not listed. Please remember that the decision to partake in any activity not listed is at your own discretion and risk. SNORKELLING WITH WHALE SHARKS Whale shark season in Western Australia runs from April through to July. Travellers on this trip have the option to swim with whale sharks – please check the itinerary for the exact day this is available. In August you can also swim with humpback whales. To book these optional activities you can speak to your guide on Day 1 of your trip. However, during busy periods, like school holidays, we recommend you book in advance to avoid disappointment. You can do this by contacting your booking agent or our activity supplier – Kings Ningaloo Reef. Please find a link to their website and their phone number below. http://kingsningalooreeftours.com.au/ 08 9949 1764 By pre-booking this activity you will be paying a slightly higher price to secure your spot, but given the popularity of this activity if it’s a must do for you then we do recommend booking in advance.

Day 1 - Perth / Pinnacles / Jurien Bay / Kalbarri
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 to Kalbarri, where you’ll spend the first night of your 4WD adventure after a group dinner.
Day 2 - Kalbarri National Park / Shell Beach / Shark Bay
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.
Day 3 - Shark Bay / Coral Bay
After breakfast this morning, take the short drive across the Peron Peninsula down to the beach at Shark Bay. 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.
Day 4-5 - Coral Bay / Ningaloo Reef
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 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.
Day 6-7 - Karijini National Park
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. 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.
Day 8 - Port Headland / The Pilbara
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 driving 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 and take the opportunity to do a spot of stargazing in the blanket of night sky, which boasts very little light pollution.
Day 9 - Eighty Mile Beach / Dampier Peninsula / Cygnet Bay
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.
Day 10 - Dampier Peninsula / Broome
A morning tour of the Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm provides insight into this remote pearling industry, concluding with an in-depth pearl grading and appreciation session that will leave you feeling like a pearl expert. 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, which is where some of your group members may leave the trip.
Day 11-14 - Broome
Over the next four days sit back, relax and enjoy your 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. 
Day 15 - Broome / West Kimberley Gorges
In the morning of day 15, you’ll meet your leader and new group members to start the second half of your adventure. Set off into the Australian Outback. After a bit of highway driving, you’ll reach the Fitzroy River, then it’s all off-road to the Napier Range. The main attraction here is Dimalurru (Tunnel Creek) – a vast cave system that extends 750 m underground. It’s from here that the Indigenous warrior Jandamarra waged his rebellion against the colonial authorities – a legacy you’ll learn more about on a walk through the tunnel with your guide. Spend the night camping at Windjana Gorge – once an underwater reef! During the wet season, a river flows through it, but during the dry season, it’s a series of ponds and billabongs. Enjoy a camp dinner with your group and then maybe do a spot of stargazing – the sky in the Outback is something to behold!
Day 16 - West Kimberley Gorges
Spend the morning exploring Bandilngan (Windjana Gorge). 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.
Day 17 - West Kimberley Gorges
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.
Day 18 - Gibb River Road / El Questro Station
Ford 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 before arriving at El Questro and your campground for the next 2 nights.
Day 19 - El Questro Station
Originally established as an enormous cattle station, El Questro is now a vast wilderness reserve sprawled over more than one million acres. Camping out here, you’ll really feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere – albeit an extremely beautiful middle of nowhere. The ochre-coloured massifs of the Cockburn Ranges frame the landscape whichever 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 (where there’s a very pretty waterfall). Then it’s another night camped out in El Questro.
Day 20-21 - Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles)
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.
Day 22 - Kununurra / Lake Argyle
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!
Day 23 - Lake Argyle / Victoria River Region
Lake Argyle is a man-made lake, though you’d never have guessed it by looking! For a body of water situated in the centre of the world’s second driest continent, it looks pretty at home. Barramundi, birds and freshwater crocodiles 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.
Day 24 - Katherine / Darwin
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.

Trip Dates

StartEndPrice FromRoom Type
14-04-202507-05-2025AUD $ 6,116-
12-05-202504-06-2025AUD $ 6,116-
09-06-202502-07-2025AUD $ 6,116-
07-07-202530-07-2025AUD $ 6,116-
04-08-202527-08-2025AUD $ 6,116-
01-09-202524-09-2025AUD $ 6,116-

Accommodation

Mixed Backpacker Dorm Multi-Share Accommodation with Shared Facilities (8 nights),Camping with Shared Facilities (15 nights)

Transport

Private 4WD vehicle

Map