Karratha to Broome road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The Karratha to Broome drive through the Pilbara region of Western Australia covers a distance of 834km. That’ll take around 8h38m, unless you make road trip detours to Point Samson or Eighty Mile Beach.
The Karratha to Broome leg of the Exmouth to Broome coastal drive is one of the emptiest stretches of Western Australia. It’s a lengthy stretch behind the wheel, with a lot of Pilbara red dirt for company. But it’s this wide open space that makes an epic road trip up the west coast of Australia so distinctive.
Karratha accommodation is fairly scarce. Find the best options and book in advance here.
Broome offers trips to natural wonder Horizontal Falls, sunset camel tours on Cable Beach, boat cruises to 120 million-year-old dinosaur footprints and pearl farm tours by helicopter. To check out a great range of Broome activities and tours, browse here. For Broome accommodation, book here.
9 great Broome experiences to book today
- 1. Sunset camel ride – take in the changing colours of Cable Beach on camelback.
- 2. Horizontal Falls flight – see one of nature’s most extraordinary natural phenomena
- 3. Crocodile park visit – watch big crocs being fed up close.
- 4. Half hour helicopter ride – see the extraordinary red rock coastline from above
- 5. Dinosaur footprints adventure – including a wildlife spotting boat ride down Dampier Creek.
- 6. Sunset cruise – enjoy an Indian Ocean sunset with wine in hand
- 7. Windjana Gorge day trip – venture deeper into the rugged Kimberley.
- 8. Town tour – learn Broome’s fascinating history along the way.
- 9. Mud-crabbing experience – catch crabs in the mangroves then eat them after they’re cooked by a pro.
Karratha to Broome distance and driving time
The distance from Karratha to Broome by car is 834km. That makes for a driving time of around eight hours and 38 minutes. This is almost all along National Highway 1, which is known first as the NW Coastal Highway then the Great Northern Highway.
Best 5 Broome day trips to book in advance
- Horizontal Falls and Dampier Peninsula day tour – including speedboat ride and Buccaneer archipelago flight. (See other Horizontal Falls tour options here).
- Dampier Peninsula 4WD tour – including Beagle Bay’s pearl shell church, Aboriginal communities & Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm.
- Fixed wing air tour – including Cape Leveque, Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm & Horizontal Falls.
- Windjana Gorge day tour – including the Tunnel Creek caves.
- Epic full day combo – see Mitchell Falls, Horizontal Falls and the Dampier Peninsula in one trip.
Before leaving Karratha, you may wish to take an Indigenous-guided rock art tour.
Afterwards, Roebourne is the first realistic stop on the Karratha to Port Hedland section of the drive. Roebourne attractions include the and Old Gaol Museum and Mt Welcome Lookout. You may also want to make a fuel stop at the BP service station, or go on a Pilbara bird-watching tour.
Click through for next section: Point Samson and Millstream-Chichester National Park.