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

By car, the distance from Pemberton to Albany is 240km, with a driving time of 2h49m. The best stops to add to a Pemberton to Albany road trip itinerary include Quinninup, Walpole and Denmark.

Planning a Pemberton to Albany road trip

The drive from Pemberton to Albany in Western Australia connects the heart of the Southern Forests to the historic city on south coast. Both are highly appealing towns to stop at, and travellers may pass through on a road trip from Margaret River to Albany.

Pemberton offers 4WD tours through forests and dunes, plus a national parks tour that finishes at a little-known Southern Ocean Beach. For Pemberton accommodation options, step this way.

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. To find the best Albany accommodation, head here.

This guide should help you plan a Pemberton to Albany road trip itinerary. Click through on the links for more detailed links about individual towns and attractions – and remember to stock up on your road trip essentials before setting off.

Pemberton to Albany distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Pemberton to Albany is 240km. You can expect a Pemberton to Albany driving time of around two hours and 49 minutes.

The best things to do in Pemberton include swimming in the Pemberton Pool, taking the Pemberton Tramway Company tourist train and climbing the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree.

3 Pemberton experiences to book now

Explore the surrounding national parks, forests and sand dunes – on a half day 4WD tour.
Take a tour through the national parks – including a visit to a Southern Ocean beach.
Tackle the Pemberton to Northcliffe section of the Bibbulmun Track – on a four day guided walk.

The best places to stay in Pemberton, WA

The top Pemberton accommodation options are:

For a charming forest location with kangaroos on the grounds: Forest Lodge Resort.
For cool cabins with kitchenettes: Jaspers Cabins.
For central location: The Pemberton Hotel.

Pemberton to Albany road trip: Wineries and national parks

The best route out of Pemberton heads north-east along the Vasse Highway, past Below and Above Truffles and Wine and the Lost Lake Pemberton winery.

You’ll join the South Western Highway by the Smith Brook Nature Reserve, then head south.

The highway passes to the west of Quinninup. The 3.3km Karri Lake Trail through the forest and around the lake is the highlight here.

Road trip essentials that many travellers forget

Search on the web, and you’ll find ludicrously long lists of equipment to take on a road trip. Australia Travel Questions isn’t going to do that to you. But it is worth buying the following road trip items before setting off. Click through for a good range of options.

Charging cables – yes, you’ll probably need a spare at some point.
Car charger adaptor – in case your rental car has the old-fashioned cigarette lighter rather than a USB.
Multi USB charger – for those hotel rooms that don’t have enough power sockets.
Fold-up chairs – to make anywhere a picnic spot.
A really good water bottle – go for a bigger one than usual to last the longer drives.
Packing cubes – save space but, more importantly, avoid unpacking everything every night.

Should you want more tall trees, try the 3.7km King Karri Walk in Greater Dordagup National Park. This circular trail passes some enormous native karri trees.

The road continues through the national park, which is largely left wild and untamed.

Further along the route, Shannon National Park is much better set up for visitors. Here you can tackle one of several walking trails, or go on the 50km Great Forest Trees Drive. This scenic drive passes hordes of towering karris and jarrahs. For the best views, pull over at the Snake Gully Lookout of walk to the top of Mokare’s Rock.

Shannon Dam, meanwhile, is a great spot for swimming and kayaking.

Pemberton to Albany drive: Shannon National Park to Walpole

Next comes the Mount Frankland National Park, which shows off more Big Forest. The main attraction, however, is the Mount Frankland Summit Trail. The views from the top are outstanding, but it’s a significant detour off the highway.

There are a couple of Bibbulmun Track campsites just off the highway further south, but the best photo stop before entering Walpole is the John Rate Lookout, just outside town.

The best things to do in Walpole include spotting quokkas, tackling the treetop walk at the Valley of the Giants and going on the Wow Wilderness Eco Cruise.