Perth to Broome trip

Crowds in Broome............in DECEMBER??

Just be sure that the vehicle's air conditioner is working well!

OK Allan - i missed that bit!

Thanks so much for your input Motherhen...we are also looking at driving up one way from Perth to Broome along the coastal route and flying back....
You have certainly given us heaps to think about which is not on the 'standard itineraries' !

Comfortable accommodation will be the order of the day as I'm traveling with the olds :o)
Thanks
mcboom

And check the road conditions and weather forecast. It is the cyclone season
Cheers

I beg to differ Gerry - the inland route is scenic and interesting. The coastal route has the few places i mentioned, but lots of flat stuff in between - not nearly as scenic or interesting.

You are right on the time frames, and travelling at night is crazy.

Mh

Hi MH,
All subjective! Perhaps I've done the inland route too many times! I guess it's the section between Meeka and Newman which needs the cruise control on and the music turned up! There are a couple of nice camping spots on that section, tho but there are a lot of kms of nothingness too.
Glad you enjoyed it!
cheers
Gerry

The plan is to take coastal route taking 9 days to drive from Perth to Broome one way. Spending 2 days at Coral Bay / Exmouth and 2 days at Tom's Price / Karijini National Park.
What are people's opinion on these two places as 'must sees' compared with other points of interest along the way ?

Well discounting the month in Geraldton it has taken us 11weeks to get down the coast from Broome to Perth.

We went from Broome (forgettable for more than one reason) to 80 mile beach, Pt Hedland, Auski, Newman, Tom Price, Karajini,
Exmouth, Coral Bay, Carnarvon, Denham, ( Shark Bay The highlight of the coast)
Kalbarri, Then the month in Geraldton (not counted), Dongara then Jurien Bay and down to Perth. We didnt hurry but didnt see everything either.

Cant imagine doing it in the time you state and I wouldnt even bother going to Broome. Apart from Cable beach there is nothing.

There are equally good if not better beaches further south.

You make me tired thinking about driving that.


Cheers

On reading your follow up I would say Forget Coral Bay Apart from snorkelling not much to do.

From Port Hedland to Tom Price and do a day trip with the tour company through Karajini.
Not cheap but very very good and you will see more and learn more than on your own. Also cheaper than blowing a tyre on the corrugations in the Park.

The ECO lodge unless you are prepared to sleep in a tent at $240 a night is not for me. or camp in the scrub

Tom Price has a nice camping ground and you can get an excellent meal at Windawarri Lodge (The miners eatery)

All you can eat for $19 dinner $9 lunch and $6 breakfast.

Not a flash place but very clean and lovely food and a great selection including steaks and fish (included in price) if you want it.

Newman is Ok but is a long way return (nearly 300k) from Auski when you are pushed for time to take a look at the mine.

You can see a smaller one at Tom Price

Have you considered flying into Port Hedland and starting from there.
Its 600k south of Broome and its 600k of nearly nothing.

If you go to Exmouth go up the road at Charles Knife Canyon just as far as the end of the Armco

Is a really nice view. ( Opposite Kailis fisheries 32 k south of Exmouth)

Also the view from the lighthouse is nice.

On the way to Denham go into the Hamelin Pools to ssee the Stromatilites

One of only two places in the world to see them ( excellent)

While we were at Denham we scored a day trip to Steep Point in a fishing boat

Ask at the Visitor Centre as they dont go often.

Was the highlight of South of Broome as was a trip to Cape Peron. 4wd only though.

Karajini was great as was Kalbarri .

Go to all theKalbarri gorges they are 2wd accessible and you dont have to walk far to the lookouts...

Carnarvon for a stop off and then Jurien Bay to go and see the Pinnacles at Cervantes.

You can drive right through them in an hour so can be done on last day on way to Perth.

We are going to New Norcia tomorrow from Perth

Hi Graham,
Yeh, know where you're coming from re Broome. Basically, don't believe the tourist brochures, but I still like it, and usually allocate a week when travelling through. Most of the time, I spend on Cable Beach, but in the wet season, this is not a good plan coz of the deadly stingers.
But great spots are Cape Leveque, Barn Hill, Port Smith and 80 Mile Beach, all in the vicinity. Barn Hill had a good swimmable beach and was friendly. Good mud crabs at Port Smith, tho not good swimming.
cheers, Gerry

Do you take your binoculars and haunt the north end of the beach LOL

The way they are ripping through I would discount Cape Leveque.

Too far too slow.

A beach is a beach is a beach in my book and so we only stayed at 80 mile as had to stop somewhere.

Friends stayed at both the others and got no crabs and eaten alive by sandflies.

As I said I would fly to Pt Hedland and come south from there.

Saves 3 days at least to look at the nice places further south,

any of which are better than Broome.

With the weather in Perth and environs we are thinking of going back up

North till it gets better LOL

My must-see would be Karajini. Forget Coral Bay (as someone recently said "loved to death"). The Ningaloo Coast from Ningaloo Station to the tip near Exmouth is also something special - especially if you like snorkelling. I still find the inland route a very scenic drive, which can be done in a few days without really stopping to do touring. I love the drive through Chichester and the palms and pools of fresh water at Millstream.

MH

Agree with most the comments here. Didn't think much of cable beach though except the camel ride was good. Seen way better beaches else where. That's a really long way in that amount of time to actually see anything properly. Sure you can say been there done that but have you really seen it. Snorkelling at quobba station was fantastic and close to the shore without the commercial side of it. Great fishing at coral bay if you are into that sort of thing, I got a 50 kg Black Marlin there. 80 mile beach worth a stop definitely. I struggle to get my head around driving that far in the short a time frame and actually seeing anything.

Josh

I've done a similar trip/distance on the Gib River Road and managed to see a lot. Not a lot of time for relaxing but then again it's better to get out there and see some of this great big brown land than nothing at all....will leave the 'month long' trips for retirement.....at least I will know where I want to head back to !

December, you'll be fine. Anything after mid January then it could be touch and go with the weather. I do Broome to Meeka in one day, camp the night and then get to Perth around 1pm next day. Wish i could take that long to do the trip. You'll be fine with the roads unless we encounter an early wet or a good size cyclone. Which i doubt.

I think there has been a NW cyclone in December to mid Jan in each of the last 3 years excepting maybe 08/09 (wasnt there so not sure)