Western Australia, short WA, has lots to offer for nature lovers, but there is also something for wine aficionados and even for urbanites. However, for the latter, Perth is the only true city here. If you have a preference for wine, the most popular wine regions are Margaret River and Swan Valley. And in terms of natural wonders, you find in WA a variety of great national parks, often in coastal areas. When traveling Western Australia on a four-week trip in the early Australian spring, my husband and I went all the way from Exmouth in the north to Esperance on the southeast coast. Find out in the following about the best activities in this part of Western Australia.
I start with Perth as most visitors start their journey from here, at least when they come by plane. So it serves as a springboard for many to the best things to do in Western Australia’s countryside. Then I go into two wine regions. And I end with a bunch of must-do national parks in Western Australia. One piece of information at the end, Western Australia is known as Wildflower State as it has over 12,000 species of wildflowers that bloom each year. And 60 percent of them are found nowhere else on the planet. So, spring is the perfect time to visit Australia’s biggest state!
Perth, the springboard to the best activities in Western Australia
There is no city of comparable size – there are more than two million people in its metropolitan area – in the world that is so remote. Perth is closer to Jakarta, Indonesia, than from Sidney. And it is quicker, easier and cheaper to fly to Bali from here than to Australia’s east coast. Yet it is a fantastic place to come if you love sun, sand and sea and care for good food and wine. Perth has lots of sunshine, about 8.8 hours per day, which makes it Australia’s sunniest capital city. It has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. So, it is a city with a strong outdoor lifestyle.
In terms of inner-city sights, there is Elisabeth Quay.
This is a modern waterfront precinct with restaurants, playgrounds and the iconic Bell Tower. Perth’s historic heart with a number of heritage buildings is worth visiting too.
And walking up towards Kings Park, one of the world’s largest inner-city parks, is a great thing to do too. From the top of Jacob’s Ladder, leading to this large green area, you have a good view of Perth’s downtown.
If you like to walk/hike, why not do the South Perth Foreshore,
a circular tour starting from Elisabeth Quai and walking across Narrows as well as Boorloo Bridges (11.8km/7.3mi, 2.30h).
If heading out of town, then must-dos are Freemantle,
a historic town where the Swan River meets the Indian Ocean.
Visit Freemantle Prison
where exciting tours await you. And if the weather is favorable – we were not that lucky – , hop over to Rottnest Island. It is only a short ferry ride away from Freemantle and impresses with the famous quokkas – some kind of small kangaroos – and plenty of scenic nature that you can explore via a wide bike net.
Wine regions in Western Australia
Once having explored Perth, it is not far to the nearest best activities in Western Australia’s countryside. It is about the state’s key wine regions, which are in its southwest. Margaret River is probably its most famous, known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, grown here thanks to coastal influences. Swan Valley, the state’s oldest wine region, is close to Perth. There is a Mediterranean climate here, where you find a wide range of wine styles from sparkling to fortified ones. And there is also the Great Southern, a large, diverse region with cooler subregions. Here they grow premium Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.
My husband and I made stops in two wine regions, Margaret River (our focus)
and Swan Valley.
1. Margaret River wine region, Western Australia’s best activity for wine lovers
We stayed three nights in the area and went to the region’s oldest winery of Vasse Felix, established in 1967.
Here we had booked the Cellar Experience. While it was a very interesting tour, it was quite costly too (350$ per person). It includes a walk through the property’s oldest vines, a visit to the historic wine museum and a wine tasting
of the winery’s leading Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay varieties.
Following all this, the experience continues upstairs in the award-winning Vasse Felix Restaurant (15/2 Hats AGFG) for a five-course tasting menu (delicious modern food),
accompanied by the Icon Wines, their signature ones.
2. Swan Valley wine region
As we only had two nights in the Swan Valley just before flying out, which in addition were immediately after our Margaret River stay, we decided not to visit a winery again. I had thought about going to Sandalford Wines, a cornerstone here since 1840. It also features a good dining spot, Sandalford Restaurant (12/1Hat AGFG). Mandoon Estate with its varied offerings would have been another option. Here you find another gourmet spot, Restaurant Wild Swan (13/1Hat). And both of these winery eateries only have a lunch service, which seems to be a common thing in Australia.
Instead of checking out a Swan Valley winery, we chose some other of the best activities in this part of rural Western Australia. Precisely, we visited the lovely town of Guildford
and went for a walk in the Bells Rapids Park.
5 of the best national parks in Western Australia
The highlight of the best activities in Western Australia is without doubt exploring some of its magnificient national parks. When traveling the state from Exmouth to Esperance, my husband and I visited five of them. All of them were a hit. I start with the most northern one we went to and end with the one furthest on the state’s southeastern coast.
1. Cape Range National Park, Exmouth
Cape Range National Park is part of the Nigaloo UNESCO World Heritage Site near Exmouth. Here you find the Nigaloo Reef, Australia’s largest fringing coral reef. It is home to over 500 fish species, 600 species of mollusc and 300 species of coral. It is a brilliant spot to go snorkeling, which you can do right from the water’s edge. If you are wondering where to go as beginner, Oyster Stacks at high tide (check this out beforehand to avoid destroying the corals)
and Turquoise Bay (northern part of the beach) are great places to do so.
While the former is a bit difficult to access because of rocky terrain, the latter is easier to get in (right from the beach).
There is more to do at Cape Range National Park than snorkeling. Apart from camping, wildlife viewing and boat cruises (Yardie)
it is popular for hiking too. Mandu Mandu Gorge (Class 4 Difficult) and Yardie Gorge (two trails) are probably your best options here. My husband and I went for the latter. Here you can limit yourself to the Yardie Nature Walk (Class 1 Easiest, 1.2km/0.8mi return) or do the longer Yardie Gorge Trail (Class 4 Difficult 2km/1.2mi return, 45min).
We did the second one, which we did not find overly difficult apart from the last part with two steep gradients with rough, uneven surface. For another easy walk head to Sandy Bay where you can go on a paved trail to Osprey Bay (2.3km return 30min).
2. Francois Peron National Park, Denham
Francois Peron National Park in Shark Bay/Denham is famous for its stunning contrast of red cliffs, turquoise water and white sand.
The former sheep station is an excellent place for spotting marine life from cliffs. Sightings include dolphins, sea cows, rays
and turtles. As to land animals you find her kangaroos and echidnas. Other activities are camping, swimming, fishing, snorkeling and canoeing. And you can visit the Peron homestead precinct with a visitor center, a self-guided trail and an artesian hot tub. BUT you can only come if you have a high-clearance 4WD with low range. And you should have driving experience in such terrain and know how to air-down the tires (air-down station provided).
As we only had a regular 4WD and did not have experience in driving sandy tracks, we opted for a guided tour. For this purpose, we booked a full-day tour with Shark Bay Eco Tours, Denham.
And we had a great day with Siri, our kind and informative Dutch guide. It was filled with experiencing beautiful landscapes, wildlife viewing, brief talks, short walks, gourmet snacks and lunch as well as transport in a comfortable bus.
3. Kalbarri National Park, Kalbarri, one of the best activities in Western Australia
Kalbarri National Park with its varied offer of inland and coastal attractions was definitely a highlight on our Western Australia journey. The former includes the dramatic gorge carved by the Murchison River with famous locations like Nature’s Window
or the Kalbarri Skywalk.
The latter is about fascinating coastal cliffs with formations like Natural Bridge
or Island Rock. In terms of things to do there are the usual land activities (hiking etc) and anything you can think of around river and beach. You need at least two to three days to explore both the gorge and the coast.
In our case, we visited the Ross Graham and Hawks Lookout
en route on our arrival day. On day one we did the remaining inland (gorge) attractions (Kalbarri Skywalk etc.) including the The Loop Trail Hike (Class 4 Difficult, 9.5km/5.9mi, 2.5h, 200m/656ft elevation gain, one difficult spot at the water’s edge while navigating around a cliff).
Day two was dedicated to the Kalbarri coastal cliffs. Here we walked from the Natural Bridge to the Shellhouse Grandstand (7km/4.4mi return, 1.45h, 10om/328ft elevation gain, interesting but a bit monotonous). Afterwards, we made a side trip to the Hutt Lagoon (Pink Lake, not part of national park) to admire its pink waters from its algae (best when the sun is high).
Last, we headed to the Meanarra Hill Lookout for a panoramic vista of town and river (with walking trails).
4. Cape le Grand National Park, Esperance
This national park in Esperance’s east is known for its coastal scenery. It varies from rugged peaks and rocky shores to expansive ocean vistas. Lucky Bay
is widely considered as most beautiful beach here out of total five. Apparently even kangaroos sunbake on the beach as it is home to a colony of them (morning and evening, we did not see any of them midday). You can access all the locations between Le Grand Beach and Rossiter Bay by car. Alternatively, if you are a strong walker, you can make use of Le Grand Coastal Trail that extends 20km/12mi between the before mentioned beaches (allow 8-9 hours, one way).
As my husband and I like to walk (but no hard-core hiking), we decided to do one section of Le Grand Coastal Trail. And this was about the one from Thistle Cove
to Lucky Bay, the easiest one (Class 3 Easy 5.6km/3.5mi return with some side walks at Lucky Bay, 1.5h, 130m/427ft elevation gain). It was a great way to approach the stunning Lucky Bay Beach! If you are into camping, there is a really nice site at this beach. And fishing, swimming, snorkeling and boating are possible here too. As to land activities, wildflower observation (we encountered orchids amongst others), abseiling and rock climbing are options too.
5. Torndirrup National Park, Albany
Torndirrup National Park is one of the most visited in Western Australia, and it is no surprise given its many natural wonders! It offers outstanding coastal views, rugged granite headlands and white sandy beaches. Must-do sights are The Gap
and Natural Bridge.
Lots of erosion have created a large gap in one rock face and a natural arch in another. And there are blowholes too, to be reached by a short walk from the carpark.
In case you are an outdoor enthusiast and avid walker, there is no way around the Bald Head Trail (Class 5 Difficult 12.5km/7.8mi return, allow 6-8 h, 650m/2,100ft elevation gain). It is a mesmerizing walking track with fantastic views of rugged coastline, white beaches and thundering ocean.
And it bursts into colors as wildflowers bloom in the season, including groves of banksia.
It is not necessary to go all the way as there are good views not too far from the carpark. My husband and I did only the first part to its (probably) highest point (5.4km/3.6mi, 1.5h, 307m/1,007ft).
Another recommended hiking trail is the one to the Peak Head (Class 5 Difficult 4.7km/2.9mi, 1.5h, 255m/837ft elevation gain).
It goes to the southernmost point in the national park and allows some stunning coastal views. While there are some short steep sections, we did not find it overly difficult. But once you reach the summit, it can be very windy.
When it comes to the question of my favorite among the Western Australia’s national parks, I cannot not choose just one. I endorse all of them strongly. The sole mistake you can make is not visiting as many as you can. The national parks are the standout feature when it comes to the best activities in Western Australia.
Looking back to my Western Australia posts
This blogpost about the best activities in Western Australia is my last of total four. The first one was about the 4-week itinerary we did in Australia’s biggest state, in style whenever possible. And this is – I can assure you – no easy undertaking! The second went into which hotels to choose for the most comfortable stay possible. I explicitly do not write “luxurious” because such lodging is a rarity outside of Perth. Finally, in my third post, I report on best restaurants in WA’s countryside. While my husband and I usually tend to opt for fine-dining spots, this is almost an impossibility in Western Australia, apart from Perth and the wine regions.
All in all, my husband and I had an utterly memorable time in Western Australia, filled with wonderful natural beauty all the way from Exmouth to Esperance. Lodging and restaurant wise, we were not exactly pampered but it was no frugal experience either.
Date of stay: September 2025
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