24 Day Perth to Darwin Camping Tour

Welcome to sunny Perth, where your overland journey begins. Meet your group early this morning and leave the city as we enter Nambung National Park to explore the Pinnacles Desert – a unique landscape unlike any other in the country. From here, depending on the weather and timings, we have the opportunity to stop off at some of the West Coast’s amazing sites such as Jurien Bay Sand Dunes and/or Western Australia’s very own Pink Lake at Port Gregory as we continue on through Geraldton to the quiet beach town of Kalbarri where we stay overnight.

Accommodation

Hostel – Kalbarri

Included Activities

Nambung National Park (Pinnacles) Entrance

Meals Included

Lunch, Dinner

Today take a short drive to Kalbarri National Park. Hike around some of the park’s diverse scenery, including Murchison Gorge and Nature’s Window, the Loop and Z-Bend Gorge (a steep descent but worth the effort for a refreshing swim). After lunch visit the beautiful Shell Beach, which is one of only two beaches in the world composed entirely of shells. Get back on the road and continue towards Denham and Shark Bay.

Accommodation

Hostel – Monkey Mia

Included Activities

Kalbarri National Park Entrance

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning after a short drive across the Peron Peninsula we head down to the beach for the Monkey Mia dolphins experience. For more than 50 years, large groups of wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins have visited the shallows at Monkey Mia. Today dolphins are only fed according to strict guidelines and under supervision of Parks and Wildlife Service officers to ensure the dolphins continue to hunt and behave naturally. The idyllic shores around the Francoise Peron National Park are perfect to stretch the legs and admire another slice of Western Australian coastline. The next stop is Hamelin Pool where you’ll see the fascinating stromatolites, these marine rock formations are some of the world’s oldest and largest living fossils. After a short break, continue along the highway through Carnarvon to Coral Bay – known as the ‘Jewel of the Northwest’.

Accommodation

Hostel – Coral Bay

Included Activities

Monkey Mia Dolphin Experience

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today explore the picturesque Coral Bay, gateway to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef, home to 250 species of coral and over 500 species of fish. This morning you have the opportunity to take part in one of a number of optional activities or take some time to relax by the beach or in the town. Hire some snorkel equipment, cruise the reef in a glass-bottom boat to observe the tropical life teeming below the surface or, book onto an unmissable Swim with the Manta Rays experience. When late afternoon comes around it’s time for the short drive into Exmouth to prepare for another day. (All optional activities are at the guests own expense)

Accommodation

Hostel – Exmouth

Included Activities

Ningaloo Reef Marine Park
Optional Activities

Beach Snorkelling (own expense)
Swim with Manta Rays (Pre Book with Gap360 via Real Aussie)
Whale Watching – 3 hours (seasonal) (Pre Book with Gap360 via Real Aussie)
Glass Bottom Boat Cruises (Pre Book with Gap360 via Real Aussie)
Swim with Humpback Whale Safari (Pre Book with Gap360 via Real Aussie)
Swim with Turtles Eco Tour (Pre Book with Gap360 via Real Aussie)

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Spend the morning snorkelling right off the beach in the stunning Cape Range National Park. Depending on the time of year, you have the option to jump onboard a Swim with Whale Sharks tour or a Humpback Whale Safari! Pre booking is strongly recommended as spaces do fill up on these optional tours. If you don’t fancy another day on the reef, why not take a visit to Vlamingh Head Lighthouse, one of the few places in Australia where you can see the sun both rise and set and spend the day lazing on the pristine beach at Turquoise Bay and soak up the sunshine.

Accommodation

Hostel – Exmouth

Optional Activities

Swim with the Whalesharks (Pre Book with Gap360 via Real Aussie)
Swim with Humpback Whale Safari (Pre Book with Gap360 via Real Aussie)
Snorkel at Turquoise Bay (own expense)

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Head inland today through the vast cattle stations of the Pilbara region. The sparsely populated Pilbara desert is known for its red earth and rich mineral deposits. In the afternoon pass through the little town of Tom Price, which is renowned for its iron ore mining. Continue on to your campsite overlooking the magnificent Hamersley Range in Karijini. Before you go to sleep, take a minute to gaze up at one the most magnificent night skies you’re ever likely to see.

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) – Karijini

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we explore the almighty gorges of Karijini National Park. Formed over 2,500 million years ago, the Hamersley Ranges feature some of the most unusual landforms on Earth. You’ll be able to take some great photographs while you’re here. Hike deep into the gorges, where you’ll come across cascading waterfalls and fresh waterholes ideal for swimming in. Dales Gorge and Oxlers Lookout, Fortescue Falls, Fern Pool, Weano and Hancock Gorge’s are just some of the places you can visit. This part of the journey is a real highlight.

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) – Karijini

Included Activities

Karijini National Park Entrance & Gorge Walks

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

For the next 3 days we have one last glimpse of Karijini National Park and make our way to Broome via Port Hedland, the Pilbara region and If time allows the Dampier Peninsula. We spend our days experiencing the mass scale of the mining industry in the region as well as the hidden gems such as 80-Mile Beach before arriving in Broome on Day 10 in time for a perfect West Coast sunset.

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities)

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner on all days

Enjoy a fabulous 4 day break in beautiful Broome: relax on one of the best beaches in the world – 16 kilometre Cable Beach, enjoy a brew at Matsos Broome Brewery, search for dinosaur footprints on the rugged coastline, checkout the local art galleries and jump on a local Broome tour or two.

This break is free time for independent adventures – on your own, or with your new travel mates.

Accommodation

Broome Hostel (dorm-share) (5 nights)

Meals Included

Daily Breakfast

This morning we start the second half of our Journey to Darwin!

After a bit of highway driving we reach the Fitzroy River, then it’s all off-road to the Napier Range. The main attraction here is a guided walk-through Dimalurru (Tunnel Creek), a vast cave system that extends 750 metres 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 walk through the tunnel with your guide. After an awesome day exploring, it’s time to kick back at camp in the Western Kimberley around the campfire.

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities)

Included Activities

Tunnel Creek Exploration Walk

Meals Included

Lunch, Dinner

Today we head to Windjana Gorge, once an underwater reef just 350 million years ago. During the wet season a river flows all the way through it, but during the dry it’s really more a series of ponds and billabongs. Set out on a bit of an explore, hopefully spotting a freshwater crocodile or two. The Western Kimberley region is full of endless stunning gorges that have to be explored and this afternoon is no exception. Bell Gorge (if open) is home to a stunning cascade of water flowing from the previous wet season rains that fall in the King Leopold Ranges. We enjoy an afternoon swim in the large plunge pool before making our way to camp along the Gibb River Road.

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities)

Included Activities

Bell Gorge
Windjana Gorge

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We spend the morning exploring Manning Gorge and enjoy a swim in the pools under Manning Falls. After stretching your legs on the hike in you will be rewarded with a swim in a large rock pool at the base of Manning Falls. Spend the afternoon exploring Galvins Gorge before heading back to camp to relax around the campfire.

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities)

Included Activities

Galvans Gorge
Manning Gorge

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Fording rivers and weaving through gorges, travel by 4WD along the wild Gibb River Road – a 600-kilometre stretch that winds right through the heart of the Kimberley. Pass through remote and extraordinary country as you travel through this historic part of Australia.

For the next 6 days we will be experiencing the incredible sites in this remote region, including:

Crossing the Pentecost River
The scenic town of Kununurra, ‘Capital’ of the East Kimberley’s
Purnululu National Park, home of the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Bunge Bungles
El Questro Station – a 1 million acre former working cattle station turned wilderness reserve
Lake Argyle, an enormous inland water system 18 times bigger than Sydney Harbour! Here we’ll have time for an optional cruise or scenic flight!

All this, with days packed full of incredible gorges, waterfalls, amazing hikes and pristine swimming spots.

Due to operational reasons, the order of our day to day itinerary can alter depending on your chosen departure.

Accommodation

Camping (with basic facilities)

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner all days

Today we say goodbye to WA as from here we cross the state border into the Northern Territory. The day is spent enjoying the last views of the Boabs you have fallen in love with as we make our way towards Katherine and it’s relaxing hot springs, before our last camp for the night just outside of Nitmiluk National Park in the Katherine Region.

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities)

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

On the final day of the trip, stop at either the secluded gorge of Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) or take one last plunge for the trip into the cool waters of Edith Falls. In the afternoon, we make our way to Darwin, where your adventure comes to an end.

Please book any onward travel the following day as our arrival time can vary.

Included Activities

Katherine Gorge or Edith Falls

Meals Included

Breakfast, Lunch