Broome is 2,200km north of Perth and worth every kilometre of the drive. It's a pearling town that became one of the most culturally diverse places in Australia in the 1800s when Chinese, Japanese, Malay, and Aboriginal workers all ended up on the same remote stretch of coastline harvesting pearls together, and the town has had a personality ever since. Cable Beach is 22km of white sand and turquoise water with nothing behind it but red pindan cliffs. The sunset camel rides along the beach are one of those experiences that sounds kitsch until you're actually on a camel watching the sun go down over the Indian Ocean and you realise it's just genuinely spectacular.
The route from Perth to Broome is the West Coast's greatest hits in one extended road trip. Everything worth stopping at is on or near this route and most of it is extraordinary.
What Perth to Broome Tours Cover
Cervantes and the Pinnacles are the first major stop north of Perth. The limestone formations in Nambung National Park look like they've been placed there by something that wasn't human and wasn't trying to be subtle about it. Sunrise and sunset are the times to go. Sandboarding on the dunes nearby is worth adding if you've got the energy for it. The Pinnacles tours page has more detail on this specific stop.
Monkey Mia is the wild dolphin feeding experience at Shark Bay that has been running since the 1960s. Wild bottlenose dolphins, every morning, on the beach. Rangers manage the feeding carefully to protect the dolphins' natural behaviours. One of the most reliable and genuinely moving wildlife encounters on the West Coast.
Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth sit on the route if you're doing the full Perth to Broome run. Whale shark snorkelling from March to July, manta ray encounters year-round, and reef snorkelling that starts right at the beach. The Perth to Exmouth page covers this stretch in detail.
Karijini National Park is the detour that separates serious West Coast travellers from people who just did the coastal drive. Ancient gorges cut into iron-rich rock, swimming holes at the bottom of narrow chasms, waterfalls, and a landscape that's been forming for 2.5 billion years. It requires going inland but it is absolutely worth it. The colours alone, deep red rock against bright green water against blue sky, are unlike anything else in Australia.
Cable Beach and Broome at the end of it all. The beach, the camels, the sunset, the pearl jewellery shops, Chinatown (the real historical Chinatown, not a tourist construction), and a town that has a very specific end-of-the-road energy that you either fall in love with immediately or don't get at all. Most people fall in love with it.
Where to Go After Broome
Broome is the gateway to the Kimberley, which starts east of town and is one of the last genuinely remote wilderness regions in Australia. The full overland run from Perth through Broome and the Kimberley all the way to Darwin is the West Coast's epic trip and takes 3-4 weeks minimum. Back to the West Coast Australia hub for the full picture.
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