Karijini to Perth road trip: Best stops, distance & time
The best stops on a Karijini to Perth road trip along sealed roads are Meekatharra, Mount Magnet and New Norcia. By car, the Karijini to Perth drive covers a 1,362km distance in a driving time of around 14h23m.
The drive from Karijini National Park to Perth is an epic journey through remote country, bookended by one of Australia’s greatest national parks and Western Australia’s capital city.
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The inland drive from Karijini National Park to Perth isn’t crammed with conventional highlights, but add the right stops to your itinerary and it still makes for a good road trip. This guide should help you plan the quickest trip along sealed road.
Karijini to Perth distance and driving time
By car along sealed roads, the distance from Karijini to Perth is 1,362km. That makes for a driving time of around 14 hours and 23 minutes. This time is taken from the park’s western entrance, which is where you’ll enter if you’re coming from the WA coast. Distances from the likes of Hamersley Gorge will be a little longer and from the Dales Campground a little shorter.
The best stops to add to a Karijini to Perth road trip itinerary include Meekatharra, Mount Magnet and New Norcia.
Near the west entrance to Karijini National Park is Mount Bruce – the second highest mountain in WA. It’s climbable, but will take the best part of a day.
You can also branch off towards Hancock Gorge (home of Kermits Pool), Weano Gorge and Joffre Gorge, home of Joffre Falls. These attractions all cluster together.
Karijini to Perth road trip: Dales Campground to Newman
Further east along Karijini Drive is the Dales Campground and Picnic Area by Dales Gorge.
is home to Fortescue Falls, Karijini’s only permanent waterfall. Perhaps even more temptingly, it’s another couple of hundred metres to Fern Pool, one of the most glorious swimming holes in Western Australia.
There are several walking trails in the Dales Recreation Area, with the 2.4km Gorge Rim Walk from the Fortescue Falls Lookout to the Circular Pool Lookout arguably the highlight.
It’s 48km from the Dales Campground to the Great Northern Highway. From the junction, head south towards Newman.
On the way, you’ll pass the Robinson Rest Area – a free camping site – and Wonmunna Gorge. This narrow gorge has a permanent pool and swathes of Aboriginal rock engravings, but you’ll need a 4WD vehicle to get there.
It’s another 75km from Wonmunna Gorge to Newman.
Click through for the next section: Newman attractions and accommodation.