The Best Places to Visit in Western Australia – and What to Do While You’re There

Our largest state offers sun-drenched coastlines and vivid landscapes. But where to start in Western Australia? Here are some new ways to explore.

Broome

If you’ve got a day…

When time is short in this vibrant town on the southern coast of the Kimberley, let Johani Mamid of Mabu Buru Broome Aboriginal Tours (above) take you out crabbing on Country, where he’ll share traditional foraging techniques and cultural insights before cooking up the day’s catch for a feast. “Mabu Buru means healthy Country,” says Mamid. “We make sure we’re educating people about what we do in a respectful manner that’s sustainable and culturally correct.”

If you’ve got a week…

Cast off on three-storey houseboat The Barra Shack and discover the cobalt-blue waters and mangrove-edged inlets around Willie Creek Pearl Farm. A fully catered three-day stay sleeps up to 12, with fishing, crabbing and a pearl farm tour and wildlife cruise included. Book a five-day stay and the live-aboard is exclusively yours (for a group of six people or more).

If you’ve got LOTS of time…

Snap up one of the 132 staterooms and suites on Ponant’s Le Soléal for Australia’s West Coast Odyssey, a new itinerary leaving Fremantle (Walyalup) on 21 August for 11 days of adventure on the way to Broome (Rubibi). The trip takes in big-name highlights such as Shark Bay and Ningaloo but the real discoveries are the lesser-visited gems – the pristine marine environments of the Abrolhos and Montebello islands and the Burrup Peninsula, home to up to two million petroglyphs dating back tens of thousands of years. A decision from UNESCO on listing the peninsula’s Murujuga Cultural Landscape will be made this year.

The Kimberley

Double down on the bucket list

The Kimberley covers one-sixth of Western Australia – an area about the size of Germany – which makes taking it all in quite the endeavour. On a six-day West Kimberley expedition with Ventur Atlas, you’ll traverse its vastness by seaplane, luxury four-wheel-drive coach, helicopter and boat, with stays at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm and Mount Hart Wilderness Lodge. Highlights include seeing the Horizontal Falls from the air and the water, a visit to Bell Gorge (Dalmanyi) (above) and the cathedral-like cavity of Tunnel Creek (Dimalurru). For an even more exclusive approach, explore this rugged wonderland by helicopter on a six-day private tour.

Coral Coast

Learn First Nations perspectives by land…

A full day’s drive north of Perth (Boorloo) and four hours from Geraldton (Jambinu) on the white-sand Coral Coast, Shark Bay (Guthaaguda) (above) is populated by turtles, dolphins and dugongs in their thousands. Stromatolites found here are among the earth’s oldest living organisms but rock shelters also hint at the long history of the Nhanda and Malgana people. Darren “Capes” Capewell shares his Nhanda heritage on adventures with Wula Gura Nyinda; the three-day World Heritage Walking Tour with marine safari explores Francois Peron (Wulyibidi) National Park and Dirk Hartog Island (Wirruwana) National Park. “You can see flora and fauna from the saltwater Country and the desert Country,” he says. Join Capewell to spot sea creatures, marsupials, eagles and ospreys, and listen for chiming wedgebills, which “sound like a rusty gate”.

And by sea…

Further north you’ll find the marine playground of Ningaloo (Nyinggulu), where traditional custodians from Baiyungu Dreaming have joined with Ningaloo Glass Bottom Boat to guide a three-hour snorkelling tour. You’ll not only paddle among this World Heritage reef (and perhaps encounter a passing dolphin or turtle) but will learn about Baiyungu traditions and how generations of care have shaped the preservation of this ecosystem – practices that are still relevant today.

Great Southern

Balance effort with indulgence

Hiking in the unspoiled hinterland of this region, which spans the state’s southernmost coastline, rewards with fresh forest air and views of postcard-perfect beaches. Better yet, exertion is balanced with fine food and relaxation. Lace up the boots on a four-day Denmark Signature Nature Retreat with Off the Beaten Track for guided hikes through karri forests to Monkey Rock and Mount Hallowell, followed by a wine tasting among the vines. Your deluxe hillside digs are located on a farm outside Denmark (Koorabup), where each Heyscape tiny home (above) offers gorgeous views, a coffee machine and an outdoor bath.

South West

Indulge in the state’s finest fare

The South West’s Mediterranean climate and fertile, forested landscapes – from Bunbury (Goomburrup) to Bremer Bay – are a magic recipe not just for holidaymakers but the growers who coax delicious offerings from the region’s terroir. The second annual Pair’d Margaret River (20 to 23 November) celebrates this alchemy with a packed calendar of events across locations such as Castle Bay, which hosted Margaret’s Beach Club pop-up (above) at last year’s event. Expect more hot-ticket collabs like 2024’s sellouts, which included a long-table feast among karri trees, special dinners at local institutions such as Vasse Felix and even chefs (like Ben Shewry) playing DJ in the vines. Keep an eye on the website for tickets.

Fremantle

Book a place in local history

Part of the charm of Fremantle, 25 minutes south of Perth, is the way its contemporary artiness sits so seamlessly within its heritage streetscapes. Converted warehouses and limestone buildings are home to breweries, cafés, shops and, from August, boutique hotel complex Garde, a redevelopment of the old police headquarters in the Convict Quarter. Six onsite eateries and bars include mod-Asian fusion Moon & Mary in the old police lock-up. Garde’s 83 newly built and renovated rooms and suites sit alongside the 23-key Warders Hotel, which was converted from the old prison warders’ cottages in 2020. Our pick? The 60-square-metre suites in the property’s heritage terraces, where marble ensuites house a double bath.

Pilbara

Escape to an idyllic island

The 10 atolls and sandy specks that make up the Mackerel Islands – 45 minutes by boat from Onslow in the southern Pilbara – present an irresistible case for the castaway lifestyle, with excellent snorkelling and fishing, plus whales so close you can hear them from your patio. On Thevenard Island there’s an airstrip plus beachfront cabins and rooms. Take the scenic approach over Ningaloo Reef on a return charter flight from Exmouth when you book a two-night Reef to Retreat flight package. You’ll stay in a two-bedroom beachfront cabin, with all meal supplies provided, as well as kayak, SUP and snorkel equipment, along with your own personal island guide.