This post will show you the journey you could experience and some trips I recommend while you are driving from Perth to Adelaide. Australia is a huge country (massive land), it could take several days, consisting of thousands of kilometers driving from one city to another. While many travelers do this long distance drive from Western Australia to South Australia by caravans, a car is just as good, or better (lower fuel consumption, less hassle, better access to national parks roads), depending on your traveling style.
Refueling - Driving From Western Australia To South Australia
Now, it is important to note that the highway between Western Australia to South Australia is very rural. For a great amount of distance, there are no towns but rural settlements for basic supplies. However, you don’t need to worry about refueling, as there are petrol stations all along the way, close enough to refuel between stations before you could use half of your tank. There are some petrol stations, known as roadhouses, which are the upgraded version of service stations that come with a cafe/restaurant and motel where you can stay for the night.
As expected, the fuel prices in these rural areas are usually higher compared to those in major towns and cities. So, fuel up at the last town before you venture into the long, remote roads. You can easily find petrol stations on the map, with constantly updated prices, by using the free PetrolSpy app. With this app, you could easily plan your drive and save money by finding the cheapest fuel along your way. In general, petrol stations closer to the Western/South Australia border would be more expensive, since they are the furthest away from towns.
Where To Sleep - Driving From Western Australia To South Australia
As mentioned above, there are roadhouses along the highway that provide motels where you could stay and rest for the night. Some accept booking in advance, while many are on a first-come, first-service basis.
Apart from roadhouses, there are a lot of free rest stops along the side of the highway, where you can stop and rest overnight. These rest stops offer very basic, but well-taken care amenities, most with just an open space (natural dirt ground) with a longdrop toilet and some trash bins. Some have a rainwater collection tank for water supply, but expect no water source and always bring enough water with you.
Most caravan travelers stop at these rest stops, but a normal car worked just as well for me during my travel from WA to SA. Instead of sleeping in the car, I pitched my tent and slept comfortably on a foam pad and in a warm quilt. While some rest stops can be noisy due to big trucks passing by the highway at night, all the nights I spent at the rest stops were nice and peaceful. This is thanks to my prior planning and researching on the best rest stops to sleep throughout my journey. I planned this easily by using the free CamperMate app. This app shows so many helpful and vital things on the map, such as public toilets, camping spots (free & paid), potable water taps, hot showers, and much more. You can also read users’ reviews about these spots. With this app, I managed to take a hot shower every day despite camping in my tent at the rest stops most nights.
Perth To Adelaide Road Trip Itinerary
While you could reasonably complete the drive from Perth to Adelaide in 3-4 days using the direct route, and without straining yourself, this leisurely itinerary aims to benefit from the many amazing things you could do while traveling from Western Australia to South Australia. Of course, you could play around with your itinerary, skipping/adding trips, or add a day or two relaxing at the same place along your journey.
Driving From Perth To Adelaide - Day 1: Perth To Margaret River Region (330km / 4-5 hours drive) [or skip to day 4]
Most travel bloggers’ itinerary suggest driving from Perth to Kargoorlie to see the Super Pit – one of Australia’s largest, operating, open pit gold mines. However, I am not interested in this manmade giant hole and personally think it’s overrated. Also, there isn’t much to see along the long drive to Kargoorlie.
For me, I prefer the scenic drives along the lush coastal roads south of Western Australia. While it adds more kilometers doing the coastal drive, it suits travelers who like to see more things and not in a rush to reach their final destination. If you feel like the first few days of this itinerary are taking away too much time, you could skip to day 4 and make Esperance your day 1 destination (~8 hours drive). The first 3 days of this itinerary is more of a side tour.
The first stop is the glorious nature’s creation of Injidup Natural Spa. The pool is formed and protected by the surrounding rock formation. When waves crash onto the rocks, huge splashes with bubbling water get over the rocks and flow into the pool, creating a natural jacuzzi.
Driving through the Margaret River region, Bonarup Campground is a nice and foresty drive-in campsite to spend your first night in.
Driving From Perth To Adelaide - Day 2 (+1): Margaret River Region To Mount Barker (300km / 3-4 hours drive)
Before leaving Margaret River region, make a stop and take a morning beach walk at Hamelin Bay. High chances that you would be greeted by a few giant stingrays in the water!
Mt Barker Holiday Park is a nice place to stay at Mount Barker (Western Australia). I stayed here for two nights to fit in a full day trip to Stirling Range National Park.
A walk to the town center led me to the awards-winning pies of Mount Barker Country Bakery.
A unique road sign of an Eastern long-necked turtle in Mount Barker.
Day 3: Stirling Range National Park
Still based in Mount Barker for an additional night, Stirling Range National Park is a great full-day side trip to explore. Take a hike to the famous Bluff Knoll, in addition to the other amazing peaks in the park.
Driving From Perth To Adelaide - Day 4: Mount Barker To Esperance / Cape Le Grant (480km / 5 hours drive)
Esperance of Western Australia is a coastal town known best for its visually captivating beaches. In particular, the nearby Cape Le Grant National Park hosts Lucky Bay, Australia’s whitest beach, along with many fantasy-like beaches with crystal clear waters and soft sands.
Situated just outside of Cape Le Grant National Park, Dunns Ecopark offers a tranquil shaded forest of blue gum trees. It has great facilities while keeping things eco-friendly, such as clean compost toilets, solar-powered hot showers, potable water taps, BBQ, firepit, and a communal camp kitchen well furnished with refrigerators and microwave ovens. It is just a 20-minute drive from Dunns Ecopark into Cape Le Grand National Park. I stayed here for a night before exploring Cape Le Grant the next day.
Alternatively, the two campgrounds (Le Grand Beach Campground – 14 campsites; Lucky Bay Campground – 56 campsites | both $20 per night) in the national park are usually packed and need to be booked far in advance.
Driving From Perth To Adelaide - Day 5: Esperance / Cape Le Grant To Bromus Dam Campground (230km / 2.5 hours drive)
Day 5 starts with a morning walk at Australia’s whitest beach (Lucky Bay), a hike to Frenchman Peak, and finally a refreshing swim at Hellfire Bay – All within Cape Le Grant National Park.
Read more about Cape Le Grant National Park
I left Cape Le Grant at noon and started driving towards Norseman. On the way, I stopped at Salmon Gums public toilet for a free hot shower.
Just before reaching Norseman, I stopped at the free Bromus Dam Campground to camp and rest for the night.
It is a basic rest stop with a longdrop toilet and some rubbish bins. This campground is not too close to the highway, so it was pretty quiet. There is a small water reservoir next to the campground.
Driving From Perth To Adelaide - Day 6: Norseman To Madura (560km / 6 hours drive)
On this day, you will drive through Norseman and into the remote Eyre Highway. Norseman is the last town as you drive towards South Australia. There will be no more towns but small settlements for the next 1000+km. Refuel here as the fuel price will increase as you go further into the remote highway. Grab a meal or some supplies here if you need. I got my last minute tyre replacement here (shout out to Wilson’s Diesel & Auto Repairs for the quick and excellent services!)
As you drive on Eyre Highway you will find yourself at the section which is the 2nd longest straight road in the world. Also known as the ‘90-Mile Straight’, this 146.6km of road stretches across the Nullabor Plain without a bend. It is located between Balladonia and Caiguna in Western Australia. Experience the monotony as you drive a straight line for 1½ hours.
A quick stop at Madura Pass Lookout (rest stop) just before reaching Madura settlement. Here you can view the boundless flatland of the Nullabor Plain. The Nullarbor Plain is a vast, arid, and largely treeless limestone plateau spanning over 1,200 km between Norseman (WA) and Ceduna (SA).
Delicious hot meals at Madura Roadhouse (yes I ate two portions). I also had a good hot shower for $4 at the motel managed by the roadhouse.
While there is a motel in Madura, I stayed at Moodini Bluff rest area about 20 minutes drive further on the highway. This spacious rest area / campground has long drop toilets and picnic tables. It is also quiet as it is further away from the highway.
Driving From Perth To Adelaide - Day 7: Madura To Ceduna (673km / 7 hours drive)
Today is the day you will finally cross the border into South Australia!
Attention!
South Australia enforces strict biosecurity quarantine border checkpoints to prevent produce-related diseases and pests, especially fruit flies. Before entering South Australia, you must eat or dispose of your honey, fresh fruit and vegetables. Processed / dried / canned fruits and vegetables are alright to cross the border. You may get a fine if you are found to possess restricted items at the border checkpoint. Find out more about the restricted items at https://pir.sa.gov.au/regions-and-support/sa-travel-rules-and-quarantine/travelling-to-south-australia
The Great Australian Bight is a massive oceanic bay spanning over 1,000 km along the southern coast of Australia. It is known for its rugged, high cliff coastline, with rich marine biodiversity with more than 85% of species found nowhere else.
During winter months, Southern Right Whales migrate to the Great Australian Bight to breed and raise calves, where up to 100 whales can be spotted at once. There are multiple scenic lookout points along the Eyre Highway where you could spot the whales. But even when it’s not whale season, the Great Australian Bight cliffs alone are not to be missed when traveling through these parts of land.
The above photo is taken at Great Australian Bight Scenic Lookout No 2.
Another stop at Great Australian Bight Scenic Lookout No. 1 as I drove eastwards.
After crossing the border checkpoint at Ceduna (the biosecurity checkpoint is not at the actual WA/SA border but just before entering Ceduna), I had a scrumptious lunch at Ceduna Oyster Barn. Being the Oyster Capital of Australia, it’s a blasphemy for oyster lovers if they don’t try their fresh local oysters when in Ceduna!
Today, instead of camping at a free rest area, I have booked a room at East West Motel in Ceduna.
Driving From Perth To Adelaide - Day 8: Ceduna To White Cliffs Camp Site (620km / 7 hours drive)
From Ceduna, you could drive all the way to Adelaide in 8-ish hours to finish the journey from Perth to Adelaide.
However, since Adelaide wasn’t my final destination of this long road trip, I decided to stop and rest at White Cliffs Camp Site, two hours away from Adelaide.
Next to a river away from major roads, it was quiet and serene on the night I camped there, and there was no one else. The toilet, however, was extra stinky in this campground.
Driving From Perth To Adelaide - Day 9: White Cliffs Camp Site To Adelaide To Victor Harbor (250km / 3 hours drive)
Passing through Adelaide, I dined in at the Sri Lankan Thiruna Restaurant for a delicious meal of briyani. After that, I drove to Victor Harbor and stayed at the Anchorage Seafront Hotel.
Extra - Day 10: Victor Harbor To Cape Jervis To Kangaroo Island (62km drive + ferry ride)
On my final drive, I took the ferry (with my car) and landed on Kangaroo Island for the epic 5-Day Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail hiking and camping trip.
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