Perth to Kalbarri road trip: Distance, drive time & stops
The best stops on a Perth to Kalbarri road trip itinerary include Lancelin, Jurien Bay and Geraldton. The Perth to Kalbarri drive covers a 571km distance in a driving time of around 6h8m.
A Perth to Kalbarri road trip itinerary takes you from Western Australia’s biggest city to one of the most magical places on the west coast. But it’s a pretty long drive, so you’re better off scouting out some places to stay on the way. Thankfully, there are plenty of excellent options.
Kalbarri offers sunset cliffs cruises, and whale-watching tours. To pick your favourite from a good range of Kalbarri accommodation, hunt here. To investigate a wider range of Kalbarri tour and activity options, go here.
Before leaving, Perth offers gold pouring experiences at the Perth Mint, Rottnest Island day trips, and scenic Swan River cruises. To book Perth tours and experiences, head here. For Perth accommodation deals, book here.
Perth to Kalbarri distance and driving time
The distance from Perth to Kalbarri by car is 571km. That makes for a driving time of around six hours and eight minutes. As a drive, that’s onerous. As a road trip, that’s just long enough to build in a few good stops.
The best places to stay in Perth
You can check out deals on a wide range of Perth accommodation options. But these are some of the best choices.
- The swankiest address in town: COMO The Treasury.
- The cool, fun one in the centre of the action: The Alex.
- For quality apartments next to Kings Park: Quest Kings Park.
- For quality apartments by the beach: Seashells Scarborough.
- On a backpacker budget: Spinners Hostel.
6 great Kalbarri experiences to book before you arrive
- See the colours of the giant cliffs change on a sunset cliffs cruise.
- Have fun catching the local lobsters on a lobster pot pulling tour.
- Learn about the area’s history, nature and wildlife on a Murchison River cruise.
- See migrating humpbacks on a seasonal whale-watching experience.
- Take a scenic flight to Monkey Mia for a dolphin-feeding encounter.
- Fly over the infamous Batavia shipwreck on an Abrolhos Islands tour by plane.
The Perth to Kalbarri road trip is best off broken down into three chunks. First up, it’s 220km from Perth to Jurien Bay. This is mostly along National Highway 1, which is called the Indian Ocean Drive in this part of the country.
Perth to Kalbarri road trip stops: Yanchep and Lancelin
Once out of Perth’s sprawling northern suburbs, you’ll reach the Yanchep National Park. Here, you can either divert to the coast for the beach town of Yanchep and Yanchep Lagoon, visit Yanchep Crystal Cave or go clambering at Treetops Adventure Yanchep.
The next worthy stop on the Perth to Kalbarri drive is Lancelin, although you can stop at tiny beach communities Seabird and Ledge Point.
Four Lancelin experiences to book in advance
- Full day Pinnacles and Lancelin dunes tour from Perth.
- All terrain vehicle and sandboarding tour – conquer the massive dunes the fun way.
- Single-seater or two-seater quad bike hire.
- Lancelin dunes sandboard hire – see how fast you can whizz down the dunes.
The best things to do in Lancelin include surfing at Back Beach and 4WD tours of the Lancelin Dunes. Either hire a sandboard or go on a dune driving tour. If you want to stay to enjoy the Lancelin beaches, the four star Lancelin Lodge is the nicest Lancelin accommodation option.
Click through for the next section: Cervantes and the Pinnacles.