Travelling to WA - Suggestions on Sights or Activities?

LElegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 21:29
Last edited 24/06/2025 - 11:13 by 1 other user

Hi friends!

I'll be flying across to Perth for 6 days (5 nights) in the coming days for my first time in WA. I'll be renting a car & kinda travelling around the west coast in an anti-clockwise spiral. Current plans are catching up with a friend & stopping / spending time in Fremantle (people keep saying nice things about Freo), then perhaps Bunbury, Albany, etc, back to drop the car back for a return flight on Tuesday.

While I'm no stranger to solo travel (such as this is), aimless journeys, and hours in the car, I'd like to ask for any recommendations for "this is a must-do while in the area", or "Y has the best parmi in the state". Would you have any suggestions on what to do / see / partake in?

General interests:

  • Seeing nice sights
  • Chicken Parmigiana
  • Some touristy spots

Not interested in:

  • Alcohol (which is a shame, as I hear there's some good wineries / wine spots around)

Open to pretty much everything else - I've been told there's some good walking tracks in WA :)

Thanks in advance!

Travel Australia Western Australia

Comments

  • MS Paint on 23/06/2025 - 21:36

    Albany is a fair hike. Not sure what there is to see between Bunbury and Albany.

    I've always wanted to visit the wave rock.

    • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 21:42

      Doesn't seem that far: 300kms is a few hours direct, but seems that there's a coastal route through Karridale which I'll probably take instead

      Definitely using the car though - don't have enough time to walk there!

    • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 21:44

      Wave Rock looks pretty cool! Will aim to book it for the return part of the circle :)

      • MS Paint on 23/06/2025 - 21:51
        +3

        Do you intend on going to Rottenest? Quokka's are so friggin cuuuute.

        • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 21:59

          Yep! Just organising with my friend, aiming for Thursday at this point (or Friday, depending on availabilities)

          • markathome on 23/06/2025 - 22:20
            +1

            @Elegant Giant: Rotto is good. MS Paint is right about Albany being a fair trek. Google it and ensure you're okay with distances and, if so, have fun!

          • Webber000 on 24/06/2025 - 19:06
            +1

            @Elegant Giant: I did the Rottnest Express departing Perth CBD which goes slowly down the river to Freemantle - where we saw Dolphins both there and back. At Freemantle more people get on and it goes fast to the Island. On the way back you can get off and stay in Freo if you want and then get the train back to the CBD.
            You definately want to get the first boat over if you are just doing a day trip. After 4pm almost all shops and cafes were closed so its just exploring the island - just helping you with timings/planning.
            TIP. I saw most of the quokkas when I stopped for a rest, or did bits of walking like up the hill to the lighthouse. Everyone else was trying hard to bike up the hill they missed dozens of quokkas under the trees. Lots in the food areas too because they can't read the keep out signs!

            About an hour North of Perth was Hillarys Boat Shed area (name something like that) on the coast which was very nice if you are passing that way and want somewhere to stop, have a walk around and get some food etc.

      • carlJack on 24/06/2025 - 12:23
        +3

        Wave rock is not worth the time. Its too far and there is absolutely except for a rock which looks amazing in the photos but meh.

      • pscac001 on 24/06/2025 - 15:40

        Wave Rock is pretty average IMHO, but if you're in the area definitely check out Mulka's Cave.

  • markathome on 23/06/2025 - 21:38
    +1

    Long macchiato topped up

    • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 21:40
      -1

      Is the coffee good anywhere in particular? (Or are you suggesting Tommy Cash is in Perth this week?)

      • jv on 23/06/2025 - 21:59
        +3

        Is the coffee good anywhere in particular?

        Melbourne.

        • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 22:01

          See, I've been told that, but have also been told that we just let the Melbournians think they have good coffee.

          Have been to Melbourne twice (easier to drive there from Sydney than to Perth), but must have missed the good spots. Would accept any places to hit up next time I'm down there, if you have any recommendations

      • markathome on 23/06/2025 - 22:01
        +1

        To be honest, most of the places I liked closed. The above was mostly for joke value.

        Even though it's cold, it's worth seeing the beach at Cottesloe.

        You can catch some art around the city one day - the PICA gallery usually has something interesting and I feel is often missed. Kings Park will be nice to walk this time of year.

        Mojo's Bar usually has something good every now and then. Little Creatures is always a good visit in the early afternoon - when other people have to work.

        Sunday has free train rides and ferry rides with a SmartRider and they're real dicks about requiring the SmartRider and tapping on.

        UWA can be an enjoyable walk. If you like student publications, you can grab a copy of Pelican. And check out the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery. Chez Jean-Claude Patisserie nearby always draws a crowd in Subiaco.

        The Fremantle Arts Centre is around if you need even more free art. RTRFM can be worth checking out but seems we both just missed their winter event.

        The Bird sometimes has something interesting and the ice cream across the street is pretty good.

        Probably not worth travelling for but P.Princi Butchers does a good continental roll (the continental being the second Perth icon) and Angelo St Markets also does good lunch rolls.

        • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 22:12

          Probably not worth travelling for

          Haha, it's on the list now!

          Seems I'm spending a whole day just in Fremantle, with this list - might be Thursday or Friday (whichever we don't hit up Rottnest Island on)

          The above was mostly for joke value.

          It was good! I'm rather annoyed I totally forgot about Eurovision this year, as I meant to watch it - last time I did was 2010, and I'm still listening to the songs. This one is super catchy too!

          Thanks heaps for all your insights <3

        • markathome on 23/06/2025 - 22:14
          +1

          Okay. Damn. It deleted all my research.

          Pretty disappointing. In words:

          With no interest in alcohol: skip Little Creatures and The Bird.

          But maybe check out the North Freo Songwriters Club (Mojo's) - it's free - although apparently that's not good enough for OzBargain who unpublished my comment. Wednesday and mostly works if you can get a seat and stay awake.

          Travelling the state is a good idea (not much guidance from me though) and a car is even better.

          To understand the continental sandwich and long mac references you can use this link.

          • Doug Dinsdale on 25/06/2025 - 13:20

            @markathome: It is a continental roll not a sandwich. Also the Re Store in Northbridge or Leederville has the best continental rolls in my opinion. Northbridge, Leederville and Fremantle cbd's are worth the visit anyway.

      • rambutann on 24/06/2025 - 09:24

        No

    • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 22:20

      A little too far north for my journey, unfortunately - would love to see that meteorite crater there

  • frondono on 23/06/2025 - 22:31
    +1

    if you're going to albany go through wagin and katanning and take the horsepower highway it will take you through the porongorups and take you past the granite skywalk, stop at the williams woolshed for a brekky burger in the morning. Anzac centre? in albany is worth a look, albany motel and apartments are good and close to the action. You can drive across to margaret river from albany but it's a fair hike, stopping at denmark, valley of the giants tree top walk, walpole, windy harbour is nice for a look but a fair detour, pemberton and nannup are worth a look too and on the way.

    • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 23:04

      A few of these look really good, and I'm now kind of kicking myself for only booking 6 days. Just have to try to slot in everything optimally and I can stop by Pemberton + Nannup too. Valley of the Giants should also work, stopping after Pemberton, and working in Windy Harbour should also work - hopefully it's not too cold there.

      Thanks for your suggestions!

      • frondono on 23/06/2025 - 23:10
        +1

        yeah I did it recently and stopped for the night in pemberton on the way to margaret river we did the whole trip in around 6 nights.

  • Protractor on 23/06/2025 - 22:38
    +1

    Whenever you visit another state check out as much of the different to your state/home 'nature' as you can.
    In WA's case particularly, the environmental changes afoot, and the burgeoning sprawl and population spurt mean it is highly unlikely to look the same next time you visit.

    • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 23:06

      This is excellent advice! I'll be sure to take some pictures to compare to (hopefully) next time I stop by WA.

  • bargaino on 23/06/2025 - 23:22

    The loop along the coast to Albany and back through the wheatbelt is over 1000km and 12 hrs driving.

    You could do that in six days, if you don't want much time in Perth except a few hours in Fremantle.
    For such a short trip, don't bother with Bunbury. Drive straight from Fremantle to Busselton.
    Bunbury is WA's version of Woolongong, but less exciting.

    • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 23:40

      No issues with the driving (OK to do Melbourne to Sydney in a day), but especially during winter it leaves little time for actual doing stuff - especially as I've been told things close early in Perth (might spread to the rest of WA as well).

      Bunbury is WA's version of Woolongong, but less exciting

      Having had the option to stop in at Wollongong today & opting to not to, this may affect the Bunbury plans somewhat :D

      Thank you :)

      • simplystu on 23/06/2025 - 23:50
        +2

        Don't let above person discourage you …

        Bunbury is also well known for it's dolphins + watching.
        Did a tour roughly 1.2 years ago … Soo many dolphins + came right up along side of boat.

        Was actually a highlight of our SW trip (esp. for my nephew from Melb only young).

        • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 23:53

          Sounds like something that would work well when more time is on hand for the next trip - make it two weeks & take my time touring around, spending a full day in a few of the "big" areas.

  • simplystu on 23/06/2025 - 23:38
    +2

    A six day trip SW WA == something like …

    Day 1 == Mandarah.
    Day 2 == Busselton.
    Day 3 == Margaret River (possibly a day trip inland to Forrest if not intendind to drive that way).
    Day 4 == Albany.

    Personally … NW WA == soo much better than SW WA.
    AND 6 days certainly isn't enough for either …. Heck I took 3+ months just to do NW WA back in in 2003.

    • Elegant Giant on 23/06/2025 - 23:50

      Seems like the current plan might be:

      Day 0 - Arrive
      Day 1 - Fremantle
      Day 2 - Rottness Island (days 1 and 2 interchangeable)
      Day 3 - Through to Busselton or Margaret River
      Day 4 - Across through Nannup, Pemberton, Windy Lookout, & across to Albany
      Day 5 - Morning in Albany, possibly head back toward Perth in the afternoon
      Day 6 - Finish trip back to Perth (or already be there) & flight back

      The original plan was only 1 day in Greater Perth, but shoving it to two is really cramping the rest of the trip, condensed as it was. Maybe it'll be a good thing to treat it like a sampler pack, make me want to come back sooner.

      Personally … NW WA == soo much better than SW WA

      It's on the to-do list as well - might steal my brother's van OR just drive across the Nullabor in my car, do an around the country trip at some point - maybe when my long service leave arrives in the near future. Still a few years off though.

      AND 6 days certainly isn't enough for either

      Certainly seeing this now - have already had to cull a few things from the list

      • fantombloo on 23/06/2025 - 23:59
        +1

        NW WA

        I've been a few places but the Ningaloo Reef (with its accompanying simple, chill holiday mode) remains one of my fondest holiday memories.

      • bargaino on 24/06/2025 - 00:03
        +1

        Sounds a bit slow. Why not add in Wave Rock, Esperance, Pinnacles and Kalgoorlie?

        • Elegant Giant on 24/06/2025 - 00:10

          Haha, my friend (who I'm meeting up with on days 0, 1, 2) recommended Esperance as well, but it added around 500kms to the driving, and with keeping 2 days in Greater Perth it might be cutting it fine with the actual doing things while there as well - a shame, as the wave rock looks awesome (thanks to MS Paint for the suggestion), and I do want to try to get there as well

          Pinnacles

          Have to save that for the north WA trip that will (inevitably) have to come as well - a few people have mentioned north is nice as well.

          Kalgoorlie

          I reckon next south trip will include the Esperance / Wave Rock / Kalgoorlie circle

      • dayta on 24/06/2025 - 12:05
        +1

        This is a pretty good itinerary I think, but I'll add my 2c, since you asked.

        I'm not sure Freo is a full days worth, maybe head there for brunch and then go to Kings park or the zoo in the arvo.

        I'm not the biggest fan of Rottnest, but it's hard to go past the Quokkas. Try and arrange it so it's not raining when you go. If it's properly miserable it's probably not worth going.

        You can't really go wrong with Busselton or Margaret river, Dunsborough is another worthwhile option. There's plenty of non-alcohol stuff spread around the place there as well - Eagles Heritage raptor sanctuary, the Berry farm, sections of the cape to cape trail. Pottery and art places. All depends what you're into.

        The drive from Margaret river to Albany tends to take a bit longer than you think because it winds through forest and you get stuck behind caravans, but it's quite picturesque. The big trees are definitely worth a look.

        Denmark will be on your way to Albany and is a nice little town. Once you're in Albany, this is a good time of year for seeing whales. The go-to place seems to be Cheynes beach - I saw whales there about a week ago and it sounds like people are still seeing heaps of whales there. There's also a few other places around Albany worth a look in, like the Gap and the Blowholes.

      • carlJack on 24/06/2025 - 12:36

        Day 4 is very ambitious. Plenty to see and lots to travel. My suggestion is to skip windy harbour. Not worth it. There are better places to see.

    • MS Paint on 24/06/2025 - 00:19

      inland to Forrest

      Isn't that like 1000km+ from Perth?

      Fun fact, that's an alternate landing point for commercial jets crossing the nullabor in the event of an emergency.

  • bargaino on 23/06/2025 - 23:54
    +1

    First night after you leave Perth stay in Busselton. Further South is where the attractions are.
    Look up "Valley of the Giants".

    You could skip Margaret River, and spend more time on the South coast. Plenty of good walking there.

    • Elegant Giant on 24/06/2025 - 00:05

      Valley of the Giants is on the to-do list as well (Day 4), with the tree-top walk - will have a poke around to see what else is around there as well

      Current plan is looking somewhat like:

      https://maps.app.goo.gl/BomfZKoh96S34cQS6

      cut out Margaret River

      Could look to do this as well, might have to move the Day 3 destination to somewhere else, maybe Pemberton, as that'd help with the day 4 itinerary

      • bargaino on 24/06/2025 - 00:09
        +1

        Looks good!

  • Elegant Giant on 24/06/2025 - 00:17

    Thanks so much to everyone - I've received a lot of options and ideas that it's super clear that 6 days is NOT enough. I'll keep this as a sampler, sticking roughly to what I've posted in a comment above (though playing it by ear - the advantage of the solo trip), and plan to come back again with at least double the time available, maybe triple.

  • mangodavid on 24/06/2025 - 07:54

    Bear in mind that the "must see" Fremantle Market is only open on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays. Defo worth a visit.

    • Elegant Giant on 24/06/2025 - 11:30

      Thanks for letting me know! Will try to slot it in on Friday, pending times

    • jv on 24/06/2025 - 11:40

      Bear in mind

      🐻

  • numloxx on 24/06/2025 - 08:01
    +2

    We call them parmis, and 5 days is a bit short for what you want to do. But good luck.

    • Elegant Giant on 24/06/2025 - 11:28

      Any place that calls it a parma has never produced a good meal, in my experience. If you're ever in NSW with some time to kill, I love vising the Oriental Hotel in Tumut for the parmi - solid meal, would recommend.

      We'll see how this first trip goes, and will probably be back to WA for a longer trip afterward

  • jjjaar on 24/06/2025 - 08:03
    +1

    For Rottnest, if you’re planning to hire a bike, especially an e-bike, I’d recommend doing so in advance. Not only do e-bikes sell out early, but even just for normal bikes, having to line up for 30 mins is a pain.

    • Elegant Giant on 24/06/2025 - 11:26

      Thanks for the advice! We're still to determine if it'll be Thursday or Friday, but once we know, it'll definitely be booked a solid day or two in advance (should that make any difference, we'll find out)

      • jjjaar on 24/06/2025 - 11:42
        +1

        Even the night before I’m pretty sure they’re bookable. Just not on the day. I’d recommend the ebike as there are loads of hills. You can choose to pedal whenever you want, but the assist up those hills was definitely worth it. Also, pay the $3 to get the gel seat.

        https://www.rottnestisland.com/see-do/hire/pedal-flipper-hir…

      • carlJack on 24/06/2025 - 12:34
        +1

        You can hire a bike freo and take it on the ferry. That way you wont have to line up in rottnest for hire bike.

  • BoltThrower on 24/06/2025 - 08:06
    +2

    Hillarys boat harbour. Nice beach, Great place to eat and has an aquarium.

    • Elegant Giant on 24/06/2025 - 11:33
      +1

      Thank you :) I'll try to check it out

    • jv on 24/06/2025 - 11:38

      Hillarys boat harbour.

      Bill's resaurant there….

  • jackspratt on 24/06/2025 - 11:15
    +1

    Some more ideas here https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/9w8y7ryq

    • Elegant Giant on 24/06/2025 - 11:26

      Thanks :) Will have a look through here as well

  • jv on 24/06/2025 - 11:37

    WA - Suggestions on Sights

    Quokkas…

  • carlJack on 24/06/2025 - 12:31
    +1

    As someone who has travelled from Exmouth to Esperance, You wont be able to see much in 6 days. May be stick to Rottnest island, Busselton jetty, Margaret river, May be some caves, Hamlin bay. From there drive towards east to Pemberton, Walpole, Denmark and Albany. May be on the way back sterling ranges. This is just a broad stroke. There is a lot of nice little things to see. Oh yeah.. if time permits you can go to pinnacles ( you need a AWD or else you will need to walk), Lancelin and guilderton. you can do this in one day.

  • TrdiK89 on 24/06/2025 - 15:54
    +1

    for parmi - Hyde Park Hotel if you get around and get close to the area.

  • lainey13 on 24/06/2025 - 21:49
    +1

    Pemberton railway, Hamelin bay beach rays, a few very cool caves like jewel cave, mammoth cave, lake cave, Busselton jetty.

  • Doug Dinsdale on 25/06/2025 - 13:36

    You can easily spend the whole time in Perth area, 6 days is not very long. Do you want to spend all your time driving like 8 or 9 hours there and back for a 30 minute walk around a rock or whatever? I prefer quality over quantity.
    Some suggestions-

    Rottnest Island

    Kings Park

    A coastal drive from Fremantle to Yanchep and back

    The Fremantle, Perth/Northbridge and Leederville and Subiaco CBD's

    A drive looping around the north and south sides of the Swan River from Fremantle to Perth or even further to Guildford

    The Western Australian Art Gallery is always worth a visit

    You can easily spend a day doing any of the above suggestions or less if thats what you want.

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