Road Trip: Australia’s amazing south west from Perth to Bussleton
Last updated on March 15th, 2025 at 12:02 am
Make sure you leave a few days aside for this very overlooked road trip in south west Australia!
It’s going to give you way more than you can imagine – from giant creatures and murals, to rare tuart trees and rare thrombolites (what are they you might ask?), 28s and king skinks (both only found in south western Australia), dolphins, gnomes, wineries, eateries, walking tracks, and swimming holes!
Seriously – it’s not a long distance but it is going to take a while. And you’re definitely going to see some of the best things in south west Australia!
First up….
A Quick Guide to help you plan your trip
Insurance – Click here for travel cover with SafetyWing – almost any nationality, its ok if you are already traveling, up to 64 years old. Or click here for cover with EKTA – any nationality, any age and its ok if you are already traveling!
Internet – get a highly rated yesim eSim before you go – click here for yours
Accommodation – book a hotel with booking.com or Tripadvisor, or, a hostel with Hostelworld
For the best walks get AllTrails so you have offline maps to guide you.
Car rental – compare prices and get the best deals with Rentalcars.com
Tours and Activities – find the best tours with GetYourGuide or Viator. These are my top picks for you:
- Seal Island and Penguin Island or Point Peron Sea Kayak Tour
- Swim with the Dolphins Tour
- Busselton Jetty and Underwater Sculptures Snorkel Boat Tour
1. Snorkel at Point Peron
Start with a snorkel (and a walk if you feel like it) an hour from Perth near Rockingham.
Point Peron (officially named Cape Peron) is surrounded by the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park – a sea full of reefs, caves and swim throughs – all close to shore. The beaches are safe for swimming, and the headland has a few walking tracks – including a platform to walk out on which extends beyond the cliff edge so you can see the surroundings.
Snorkel at Point Peron and the Mushroom Rocks for the best under-water exploring.
Note – dolphins are often seen here from the beach so keep an eye out!
There are also some great tours from Rockingham to take you out and about here:
Snorkel at the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park (3.5 hours)
Point Peron Sunset & Sparkling Hike (2 hours)
Seal Island and Penguin Island or Point Peron Sea Kayak Tour (1 day)
2. Take a trip to Penguin Island
Just down from Point Peron, also in the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, is the ferry to Penguin Island. You’ll find it opposite the intersection of Penguin Rd and Arcadia Drive in Shoalwater. They say it takes two hours to walk the island – but for me it is worth a longer trip if you want to swim, photograph the wildlife or take a picnic lunch. You are unlikely to see penguins as they will be out and about during the day, but you will see sea lions, terns, gulls, the King’s skink (only found in South-western Australia), and two of the few nesting sites for the beautiful aussie pelicans. The walk around the island is definitely worth the trip imho!
Take one of these tours if you want an informative guide and pleasant cruise through the area:
Cruise through Shoalwater Islands Marine Park and finish at Penguin Island (1.5 hours)
Seal Island and Penguin Island or Point Peron Sea Kayak Tour (1 day)
3. Visit the Giants in Mandurah
This is a brilliant tourist attraction if ever there was one! I’m not one for tourist attractions on the whole but, firstly you have to walk to get to some of them, second they are free to see, and third – well, they are just stunning works of art! They are expected to stay until the end of 2026 – but lets hope they keep them a lot longer than that!!
The “Giants of Mandurah” is a free outdoor exhibition celebrating the extraordinary beauty and importance of protecting our natural world, including Mandurah’s globally significant wetlands, unique waterways, bushland and wildlife. You can get a map of the locations of the giants from the Visitor Center in Mandurah. But – be warned if you do, you will have passed some by and backtracking is a bit of a pain – especially as they have sneakily put one of them in Perth! So do your research and visit them as you go. I’ll help you out with coordinates below – you can save them on google maps.
Billie Bob – at the Subiaco Theater in PERTH!!
Santi Ikto at Halls Head in Mandurah
Sebas Song in Wannarup, Mandurah (You can see Sebas Song from the water on this Dolphin & Giant Sightseeing Cruise)
Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone at the Peel Inlet in Mandurah
Little Lui in the Lakelands area of Mandurah
Jyttes Hytte in the Lake Clifton area
And, I’m not meant to tell you this secret – not secret – location of the last giant! But it does lead very nicely into our next stop……
4. Go back 2000 years – see the thrombolites
An absolute must-stop if you do nothing else! Thromobolites are rare today and considered ‘wonders of the universe.’
Thrombolites are living rocklike organisms that are one of the first forms of life in the world! They are formed in shallow water by biofilms of microorganisms that trap, bind, and cement sedimentary grains. Someone described them as “weird, rocky blobs in the shallows” and that’s about right. Sitting on the edge of Lake Clifton they are really beautiful to see – and quite amazing if you read about them!
5. Admire the kanga art at the Miami Bakehouse
I suggest you keep going on State Highway 1 toward Bunbury and from Bunbury do an inland loop. If that’s the case the Miami Bakehouse near Myalup has a lawn area full of kangas painted by local artists. It’s a bit of fun and you are at a bakery with plenty of edible options!
6. Spot the wildlife at Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park
If you haven’t already stopped for the night the Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park is a great option for camping near Australind. Or just stop in at this lovely and uncrowded reserve and take a walk – actually you don’t really have to walk to see kangaroos, 28’s (local parrots with an odd name), galahs and more. Key to me is the 28s which are only found in south western Australia. At night you might also see brushtail or ringtail possums. I really love this little reserve – but do take your bug spray!
7. Dolphin watch and take in the views in Bunbury
Bunbury has a lot of walks and viewpoints as well as dolphins – notably at Koombana beach. I like the little town as well – especially some of the old buildings and the pink Art Gallery!
For viewpoints and walks the coast has plenty – I recommend as a priority to drive up past the lovely black and white Bunbury Lighthouse to the Marlston Hill lookout on Whale View for excellent 360 views over the city and sea. The walk along the coastline below is also very scenic.
As for dolphins, head back to Koombana beach to the Marine Discovery & Interpretive Centre. Tbh, I have heard its good but I haven’t been in it, but there is a viewpoint outside to watch for dolphins from, or you can take a dolphin boat trip. As for me – I just went swimming and was soon joined by three dolphins. You can’t expect that, but it does happen! To have more than chance luck, try this 4-hour Swim with the Dolphins Tour. (It is Licensed by Parks and Wildlife Service.) Or you can go on a 1.5-hour dolphin cruise and not have to get wet!
Before you leave the beach check out the excellent Wardandi Boodja sculpture by the car park – its quite stunning!
You could easily spend a day in Bunbury but these are the things to do if you are short of time!
Apart from the dolphin tours, there are a couple of other great ones worth mentioning. This one seems intriguing and has 5 star reviews – a 10km Running Tour of Bunbury! (Go on – you know you want to!) But for Bunbury and the Ferguson Valley and Wellington Dam plus more this is a great day out!
8. Head inland on the Fergusson Valley to Collie and its mural trail
You can keep on heading down the coast to Busselton but I recommend taking some time to go inland through the Fergusson Valley to Collie first.
The Fergusson Valley is set among rolling green hills complete with more than a dozen boutique wineries, two craft breweries, plenty of eateries and artisan cheeses and and the like and the feeling of being in another world.
Collie is definitely worth a visit to check out some of the 45 local murals telling the stories of local people and places on the Collie Mural Trail before heading to the huge mural of all murals at the next stop. Stop at the Visitor Information Center to get a map to help you find the murals and give you the background stories.
The Visitor Center also has a replica coal mine – constructed in 1983 to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of coal discovery. And across the road you can visit the Coalfields Museum and Historical Research Centre.
There are some good swimming spots in the area too – the Minningup pool, Black Diamond Lake, and Stockton Lake are all stunning swimming spots – not to be missed.
A brilliant fun way to discover all this is to take the Secret Picnic Adventure with Digital Clues ‘tour.’ Great idea – and yummy too!
9. Bring a gnome home to Gnomesville!
It all started as a joke.
Some locals did not understand or like the roundabout that the local council decided to put in – in the middle of nowhere really. One night a gnome appeared on the roundabout, the next night there were more, soon there was a whole rugby team of them……
Its just a good thing the council took the joke well, and as the gnomes grew in numbers, they moved them to their own dedicated forest space next to the roundabout. Now there are thousands of gnomes, and they have their own village – called Gnomesville of course. (Get directions to Gnomesville from Collie.)
What can I say? You’ve got to see it to believe it!
Ohh – and do bring a lonely gnome home – I’m sure she or he will love you for it.
10. See the ugly – made incredible, Wellington Dam
Absolutely one of the best things to do in the south west of Australia is to check out the Wellington Dam – sitting right in the middle of the Wellington State Forest.
It is indeed a dam creating a huge water reservoir etc etc – usually something I find quite ugly. BUT this dam is nothing short of incredible – thanks to its unbelievably huge and stunning mural. I’m not going to try and repeat the story behind the mural – how it was painted using abseils etc – do read about the artist and backstory here though. Needless to say – it is an incredible sight to view from above, to walk over, and to view from below. I definitely recommend all three!
Even better, there are a number of walking trails that start at the dam carpark, and, The viewing platform near the car park has its own beautiful mural – both these murals are also part of the Collie Mural Trail.
You will see this incredible mural on this great day out!
11. Drive, walk and swim on Lennard Road
When you leave Wellington Dam, take Lennard Road. It is so scenic it will take a while – there are so many places to stop and take in – and swim or walk. Honeymoon Pool and Long Pool are both idyllic swimming spots. The Rapids, Big Rock, and Little Rock are beautiful stops with interesting geology and – yes – rocks! You will not regret taking this road – just make sure you have time to enjoy it!
12. See the rare Tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala) trees
Getting back to the highway between Bunbury and Busselton is a turnoff you don’t want to miss to the Tuart Forest National Park. Its definitely worth a stop and a walk to see the largest remaining pure forest of Tuart trees in the world. Some trees are more than 33m high and 10m in girth. Stunning!
Tuarts only grow on coastal limestone, 200km on either side of Perth. And nowhere else! Another rare thing to see on this amazing trip!
13. Walk and snorkel the Bussleton jetty
Its famous and the main attraction of Bussleton as well as one of the best things to do in the south west of Australia! The 1.84km jetty sticks way, way out into the sea and from the first step you think its going to go on forever. The jetty is heritage listed and is the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. At the end of it there is also an Underwater Observatory – one of only six in the world!
Its a wonderful 25 minute-ish walk – although I recommend doing what I did and coming early before the madding crowds. I shared the jetty with a handful of fishermen and women and that was it – the crowds were arriving as I was leaving at about 10am.
You can pay to go in the underwater observatory – you can also pay to take the little train out to the end of the jetty if walking doesn’t appeal – or trains do appeal! But for me, of course, the best thing you can do here (on a calm day) is go snorkeling at the end of the jetty. There are a number of underwater statues along with plenty of marine life. I can’t ask for more than that. A snorkel or walking pass costs $4.00 for the day – unless you come early when its free! Note that it can get rough here and you want to be a competent swimmer to go alone.
A great option to get the most of the underwater sculptures and the jetty is this Busselton Jetty and Underwater Sculptures Snorkel Boat Tour. You will be safe in their hands – and not miss any of the good stuff!
And that concludes a great little road trip in this very overlooked part of south west Australia – with some of the best things to do in the whole area. Let me know if you have added it to your plans and if you found it as fascinating as I have in the comments below!
Where to stay in Busselton
As always there is a lot of choice and your budget and what you want to do has a big part to play in what is right for you. Book your hotel with booking.com or Tripadvisor, or a hostel with Hostelworld. Start with these options that are all rated at 9/10 or higher at the time of writing – unless noted:
For great value the Hilton Garden Inn has the prime spot right by the jetty!
Mid Range – try Baudins of Busselton
Good Value – try the hostel Ithaca 1896.
There are plenty of options for 2-4 bedroom full villas or homes to stay at as well.
Where to stay in Bunbury
For higher end – try the Hope Springs Farm or Bunbury Seaview Apartments
Mid Range – try The Telperio Guest Suite, or, Quest Bunbury Apartment Hotel
Good Value – the Bunbury Seaview Apartments
For a 3-bedroom villa try The Beach Villa
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