Albany to Ravensthorpe road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops

The distance from Albany to Ravensthorpe is 295km, with a driving time of around 3h5m. But you can extend that with visits to some of Western Australia’s spectacular white sand beaches…

The Albany to Ravensthorpe road trip takes you from the most historic city in Western Australia to an intriguing former mining town. Most visitors will be passing this way on the longer road trip from Albany to Esperance.

Albany is the main town on WA’s south coast, and offers plenty of tourist attractions, including the historic whaling station at Frenchmans Bay and the National Anzac Centre war museum.

You can also use Albany as the base for tours, whether a Mount Barker wine tasting tour or a guided climb to the Granite Skywalk in Porongurup National Park.

To find the best Albany accommodation, head here.

This guide is designed to help travellers plan their perfect Albany to Ravensthorpe road trip itinerary.

Albany to Ravensthorpe distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Albany to Ravensthorpe is 295km. That makes for a driving time of around three hours and five minutes.

This will be longer if you choose to make detours to the impressive beaches to the east of Albany. Gull Rock Beach in Gull Rock National Park, Nanarup Beach, Little Beach in the Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve and Bettys Beach are all lovely.

In Albany, attractions worth checking out include the old whaling station at Discovery Bay, plus the Gap, the Blowholes and the Natural Bridge in Torndirrup National Park. There’s also the National Anzac Centre, Dog Rock, Little Beach, Middleton Beach and the Padre White Lookout on Mount Clarence.

Albany to Ravensthorpe drive: Albany to Wellstead

Leaving the city along the South Coast Highway, the quickest Albany to Ravensthorpe driving route passes the Bakers Junction Nature Reserve and heads through the small town of Kalgan.

Later on, you’ll pass birdwatching hotspot Lake Pleasant View. The turn-offs for Cheyne Beach and Hassell Beach are a little further along.

The South Coast Highway itself passes through the rather weird Hassell National Park. This is essentially 43km of protected woodland either side of the road. There are no visitor facilities – it is designed to be a drive-through experience.

Albany to Ravensthorpe road trip: A Bremer Bay detour

After a fuel stop at Wellstead, the Palinup Nature Reserve offers free camping and wildflowers. The right turn down the Borden-Bremer Bay Road comes shortly afterwards. This is worth taking if you want to visit killer whale hotspot Bremer Bay.

Things to do in Bremer Bay include orca-watching tours from Fishery Beach. There are several other beaches to enjoy – Foster Beach is long, Bremer Beach has big white dunes behind it and Trigelow Beach is the finest option in the western section of Fitzgerald River National Park.

Albany to Ravensthorpe drive: Jerramungup and Ravensthorpe

Otherwise, keep going along the South Coast Highway to Jerramungup, a logical fuel and snack stop.

The highway runs north of Fitzgerald River National Park, which you can dip into for wildflower-viewing.

Ravensthorpe is the next town along, and this old gold mining town does have a few things to offer. The Cattlin Creek Heritage Trail takes you past the most significant buildings, you can learn about the mining days at the Dance Cottage Museum and there’s a spectacular mural spread across three grain silos.

For Ravensthorpe accommodation, the Wavecrest Village and Tourist Park is a better bet than the Ravensthorpe Motel and Chalet Village.