©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd West Coast Australia Broome & the Kimberley p209 Ningaloo Coast & the Pilbara p187 Monkey Mia & the Central West p169 Perth Region p100 Perth p54 ^# Margaret River & the South Coast WA Southwest p125 p151 Charles Rawlings-Way, Fleur Bainger, Anna Kaminski, Tasmin Waby, Steve Waters PLAN YOUR TRIP ON THE ROAD Welcome to PERTH . 54 Swan Valley West Coast Australia . 4 Wine Region . 113 Sights . 56 Avon Valley . 115 West Coast Australia Activities . 66 Map . 6 Northam . 115 Tours . 72 West Coast Australia’s York . 116 Festivals & Events . 73 Top 13 . 8 Toodyay . 117 Sleeping . 75 Need to Know . 16 New Norcia . 118 Eating . 80 Wildflower Way . 118 First Time Drinking & Nightlife . 89 West Coast Australia . 18 Moora . 119 Entertainment . 93 What’s New . 20 Wongan Hills . 119 Shopping . 95 Accommodation . 22 Sunset Coast . 120 Guilderton . 120 Getting Around . 24 PERTH REGION . 100 Lancelin . 121 If You Like . 26 Rottnest Island . 102 Turquoise Coast . 121 Month by Month . 29 Rockingham . 106 Cervantes & Pinnacles Desert . 122 Itineraries . 32 Peel Region . 107 Mandurah . 107 Jurien Bay . 123 Discover Margaret River & the Southwest . 38 Dwellingup . 108 Green Head & Leeman . 124 West Coast Australia Perth Hills . 110 Outdoors . 42 Hyden & Wave Rock . 111 MARGARET Family Travel . 48 Swan Valley . 112 RIVER & THE Guildford . 112 SOUTHWEST . 125 Regions at a Glance . .. 51 Bunbury Geographe . 127 Bunbury . 127 DAVID STEELE/SHUTTERSTOCK © STEELE/SHUTTERSTOCK DAVID Busselton . 130 Margaret River Region . 131 Dunsborough . 131 CATHERINE SUTHERLAND/LONELY PLANET MAGAZINE © MAGAZINE PLANET SUTHERLAND/LONELY CATHERINE WAVE ROCK P111 ABORIGINAL SPEARHEAD, FITZROY CROSSING P231 Contents UNDERSTAND Cape Naturaliste . 134 Denham . 180 History . 240 Yallingup . 135 Monkey Mia . 182 Local Produce, Margaret River . 137 Gascoyne Coast . 183 Wine & Craft Beer . 248 Caves Road . 141 Carnarvon . 183 Mining & the Augusta & Around . 144 Quobba Coast . 185 Environment . 253 Southern Forests . 146 Indigenous Art in Western Australia . 258 Nannup . 146 NINGALOO COAST Bridgetown . 146 & THE PILBARA . 187 Manjimup . 147 Ningaloo Coast . 190 Pemberton . 148 SURVIVAL Coral Bay . 190 GUIDE Exmouth . 191 SOUTH COAST Exmouth Region . 195 Directory A–Z . 262 WA . 151 Ningaloo Marine Park . 197 Walpole & Nornalup . 153 Cape Range Transport . 272 Denmark . 154 National Park . 199 Index . 279 The Pilbara . 200 Albany . 157 Map Legend . 286 Mt Barker . 161 Karratha . .. 200 Porongurup Dampier . 203 National Park . 162 Port Hedland . .. 203 Stirling Range Karijini National Park . 205 National Park . 163 Bremer Bay . 164 BROOME & Fitzgerald River National Park . 165 THE KIMBERLEY . 209 Hopetoun . 166 The Kimberley . 212 Esperance . 166 Broome . 212 Dampier Peninsula . 222 Derby . 224 MONKEY MIA & THE CENTRAL Devonian Reef National Parks . 227 WEST . 169 SPECIAL Gibb River Road . 228 Batavia Coast . 171 FEATURES Great Northern Dongara-Port Denison . 171 Highway . 230 Off the Beaten Track Map . 36 Geraldton . 172 Kununurra . 233 Kalbarri . 175 Discover Margaret Purnululu National River & the Kalbarri National Park . 178 Park & Bungle Southwest . 38 Bungle Range . 236 Shark Bay . 179 Wyndham . 238 West Coast Shark Bay Road . 179 Australia Outdoors . 42 Local Produce & Wineries Map . 250 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 32 Itineraries É •# Perth Rottnest •# Island É É I N D I A N O C E A N É Bunbury •# Bunbury Geographe Geographe É •# Bay É Dunsborough •# É Busselton •#Balingup Margaret River •# É Wine Region •# ‚ Nannup Boranup Dr É É •# Cape Leeuwin Augusta 1 WEEK A Southwest Short Circuit Pressed for time? This itinerary offers a taste of the best of the state – city life, colonial history, beaches, wildlife, wine, forests and lonesome rural roads. Base yourself in Perth, either in the city centre or Fremantle, and spend three days exploring: don’t miss Fremantle Prison, Cottesloe Beach and Kings Park. Is the New Museum for Western Australia open yet? Ferry out for a day on Rottnest Island, then hire a car and head south, stopping first at Bunbury for a visit to the Dolphin Discovery Centre. Continue on to Bunbury Geographe, basing yourself in either Busselton or Dunsborough, and spend the rest of the day at the beach. Pick up a map of the Mar- garet River Wine Region and spend day six checking out the wineries, surf beaches and caves, all of which are close by. Sleep in the Margaret River township that night. The next morning, head to Augusta via Caves Rd and take the scenic detour through the karri forest along unsealed Boranup Drive. Visit Cape Leeuwin, where the Indian and Southern Oceans collide, before heading back to Bunbury on a picturesque rural drive through Nannup and Balingup. From here it’s a two-hour drive back to Perth. 33 Perth Swan Valley É Rottnest •# •#York Island•# •# •# •# Fremantle •# Perth Hills É Hyden & PLAN YOUR TRIP É Wave Rock Shoalwater Islands •# Marine Park É É É É É •# É É É Busselton É •# IT •# •# É Margaret River Esperance ÷# ‚ É Hopetoun I Boranup Dr Cape Le Grand NERAR Cape •# É Leeuwin ÷#Stirling Range National Park Augusta •#Pemberton National Park É Mt Barker•# ÷#Porongurup National Park I É É É ES •# •# •# Denmark Albany Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk S O U T H E R N O C E A N 3 WEEKS The Southwest Uncut Western Australia’s southwest is a magical corner of the continent. This itinerary checks off the main highlights over three weeks – give it a month to really relax into it. Spend three days in Perth and Fremantle – the WA Shipwrecks Museum is a must – then beach yourself for a day on Rottnest Island or hit the wineries in the underrated Perth Hills. Truck south to Geographe Bay – stopping at Rockingham to wade out to Shoalwater Islands Marine Park – before overnighting in Busselton. After a morn- ing walk along the town’s epic jetty, continue for two nights in Margaret River town- ship, exploring the local breweries, wineries, surf beaches and caves. The following morning head to Augusta via Caves Rd, detouring along scenic Bo- ranup Drive with its karri trees. At Cape Leeuwin, pinpoint the exact spot where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet, then continue to sleepy Pemberton. Don’t miss the Karri Forest Explorer scenic drive. The next day, visit the extraordinary Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk near Walpole and overnight in hippie-meets-city Denmark. Assess the beaches, wineries, breweries and restaurants here, before two days in history- rich Albany. Head north for more Great Southern wineries at Mt Barker before tracking east to Porongurup National Park. Spend the next day (or two) tackling the mountainous tracks either here or at Stirling Range National Park. Continue to the South Coast Hwy and at Ravensthorpe hop down to Hopetoun – it’s a three-hour drive from the Stirling Range (spend the afternoon at the beach). The fol- lowing day, head back to the South Coast Hwy and continue east around 2½ hours for two days in Esperance and Cape Le Grand National Park. Back on the South Coast Hwy, turn north just past Ravensthorpe for Hyden and the curvilicious granite of Wave Rock – around four hours. The following day, head west to the Avon Valley and classically colonial York. On your final day back to Perth, stop at the Swan Valley for craft beer and wineries. 34 Honeymoon Timor Bay Sea •# •#Kalumburu Cambridge É Gulf Mitchell •# É PLAN YOUR TRIP Plateau Parry Lagoons É Nature Five Rivers I N D I A N Reserve Drysdale Lookout O C E A N •# •# Kununurra River ÷# É É Home Valley •# Kalumburu Rd Station •# •# Ord Dampier Mt Elizabeth •# É River Peninsula •# É IT •# Station É El Gibb River Questro I NERAR Gibb Lennard Rd É •# River Mt River Galvans HartR Rd É Gorge É Derby É ‚ É É •# É I •# ES É Mornington •# Purnululu É •# Wilderness Windjana Gorge National Park ÷# Camp ÷# •# •# É Tunnel Creek Bungle É National Park É Broome Geikie Bungle •# Range Gorge É Great Northern Hwy 4 WEEKS Kimberley Outback This is the biggest adventure in the west, leaving Broome during the dry season and traversing the rugged heart of Kimberley by 4WD. From Broome, the first stop is the Dampier Peninsula, with its Aboriginal commu- nities, beautiful beaches and mud crabs. It’s also your last saltwater swim. Take the back road to Derby and its boabs, then roll onto the Gibb River Road. Lennard River is the first of many inviting gorges here. Explore wildlife and more gorges at Mt Hart and remote Mornington Wilderness Camp, and look for examples of Wandjina art at Gal- vans Gorge and Mt Elizabeth Station. Turn off onto the Kalumburu Road, check the road conditions at Drysdale River and drive on to the Mitchell Plateau, with its forests of livistona and astonishing waterfalls. Discover the area’s ancient rock art before hitting the northern coast for some top-flight fishing at Honeymoon Bay, just beyond the mission community of Kalumburu. Retrace your route back to the Gibb, then turn left for wonderful Home Valley Sta- tion, where soft beds make a happy change from camping. Nearby El Questro has gorg- es aplenty, none more beautiful than Emma Gorge near the resort. Soon you’re back on asphalt, but not for long as you take in the amazing birdlife of Parry Lagoons Nature Reserve. Let Wyndham’s Five Rivers Lookout blow your mind, before heading for the civility of Kununurra, with its excellent eateries. Canoe down the mighty Ord River, or jump back behind the wheel for the wonders of Purnululu National Park and the orange-domed Bungle Bungle Range. Darwin and the Northern Territory are beckoning, or you can follow the Great North- ern Hwy back to Broome, stopping in at beautiful Geikie Gorge for a relaxing boat cruise: any freshwater crocs? There are plenty at nearby Windjana Gorge, sunning themselves on the riverbanks.