Perth, in Western Australia, is said to be the worlds most remote capital city. It's nearest capital city neighbor, is Adelaide around 2500km away. With a bustling population of around 1.8 million inhabitants, Perth has something to offer nearly everyone, however it is when you head a few hours out of Perth, in pretty much any direction, that the fun really starts. Keeping that in mind, it is highly recommended to rent a vehicle whilst you are there. To have true freedom of movement though, it is recommended that you hire a campervan or motorhome so you can set your own agenda and operate to a timetable that is governed entirely by you.
To the south of Perth is the famous Margaret River wine region. Known for it's delightful wines you can also indulge in beautiful food and amazing surf. There is even one beach there where stingrays come to the shore daily to feed on the left overs that fisherman throw away when they clean their fish. Standing knee deep and realtively still, you can have the stingrays glide past you like a cat as their flaps brush up against your legs. I've done it and I am still alive to tell the tale so don't worry. There's a sheep farm in Margaret River that has camping facilities with all the amenities you could want including a nice social communal kitchen and open fire which everyone gathers around at night. This place, along with all the good camping site around Australia can be found in Camps Australia book which is highly recommended (at time of writing Camps is up to version 7).
Only a couple of hours north of Perth is the well known sandstone stalagmite national park of The Pinnacles. Following the coast road, the Pinnacles are in close proximity to the town of Cervantes which is a great place to stay overnight. However, something to look out for on the way there, is the the township of Lancelin. This town in the home of dune surfing in Western Australia and sand 4WDriving. It is a great place to stop for a few hours and really tear up some energy. There are few shops in town that rent sand surfing boards on the cheap, it's best to only get one for a few hours as sand surfing can really burn energy. If you've got a 4WD you can drive right up to whicever dune you choose to surf, but if you've got a 2WD, it's probably best to park on the road outside and walk in. If you've got the 4WD it is also a great place to really let loose with it and really tear it up on the sand. Most of the area the sand is pretty solid so unless you are really doing crazy things you are unlikely to bogged. The sand boards are pretty much the same as snowboards and are pretty easy to master, but if you've never boarded before, you will find it even more fun as you innevitably find yourself tumbling down a sand dune rather than surfing it. Anyway, after you finished and are covered in sand it is only a short trip to the beach to wash it all off and continue on to Cervantes.
There are tons of things to do in Perth itself and Tourism Western Australia has recently produced an exciting new promotional video clip showing some of the stuff you can find to do there. You can find it on the Tourism Australia YouTube channel. There is a also a cool listing of things to do on Trip Advisor called "77 things to do in Perth."
Perth and Western Australia are an incredible and amazing section of Australia. It is enormous and divergent in every manner and the ultimate way to see it is by using a rented campervan or motorhome which allows you to set your own personal timetable, settle in places where you want, wake up when you want and get going when you want. You are not beholden to bus timetables or checkout times.
To the south of Perth is the famous Margaret River wine region. Known for it's delightful wines you can also indulge in beautiful food and amazing surf. There is even one beach there where stingrays come to the shore daily to feed on the left overs that fisherman throw away when they clean their fish. Standing knee deep and realtively still, you can have the stingrays glide past you like a cat as their flaps brush up against your legs. I've done it and I am still alive to tell the tale so don't worry. There's a sheep farm in Margaret River that has camping facilities with all the amenities you could want including a nice social communal kitchen and open fire which everyone gathers around at night. This place, along with all the good camping site around Australia can be found in Camps Australia book which is highly recommended (at time of writing Camps is up to version 7).
Only a couple of hours north of Perth is the well known sandstone stalagmite national park of The Pinnacles. Following the coast road, the Pinnacles are in close proximity to the town of Cervantes which is a great place to stay overnight. However, something to look out for on the way there, is the the township of Lancelin. This town in the home of dune surfing in Western Australia and sand 4WDriving. It is a great place to stop for a few hours and really tear up some energy. There are few shops in town that rent sand surfing boards on the cheap, it's best to only get one for a few hours as sand surfing can really burn energy. If you've got a 4WD you can drive right up to whicever dune you choose to surf, but if you've got a 2WD, it's probably best to park on the road outside and walk in. If you've got the 4WD it is also a great place to really let loose with it and really tear it up on the sand. Most of the area the sand is pretty solid so unless you are really doing crazy things you are unlikely to bogged. The sand boards are pretty much the same as snowboards and are pretty easy to master, but if you've never boarded before, you will find it even more fun as you innevitably find yourself tumbling down a sand dune rather than surfing it. Anyway, after you finished and are covered in sand it is only a short trip to the beach to wash it all off and continue on to Cervantes.
There are tons of things to do in Perth itself and Tourism Western Australia has recently produced an exciting new promotional video clip showing some of the stuff you can find to do there. You can find it on the Tourism Australia YouTube channel. There is a also a cool listing of things to do on Trip Advisor called "77 things to do in Perth."
Perth and Western Australia are an incredible and amazing section of Australia. It is enormous and divergent in every manner and the ultimate way to see it is by using a rented campervan or motorhome which allows you to set your own personal timetable, settle in places where you want, wake up when you want and get going when you want. You are not beholden to bus timetables or checkout times.
About the Author:
Tim Ahern has over 5 years of world travel under his belt with over a year spent in a 4 wheel drive campervan around Australia. It is no wonder that motorhome hire in Australia is his recommended method of transport for visitors. If you are looking for motorhome hire in Perth you should visit his campervan review site to find out who the best hire companies are.
