The Other Face of Australia — Western Australia & the Kimberley
Thirty-one days through the Australia that few know: from Perth along the WA beaches, from Monkey Mia dolphins to the Ningaloo Reef, from Karijini's red gorges to Broome's cliffs, from the Bungle Bungles to Katherine Gorge, Kakadu and Darwin. Then Kings Canyon, Uluru and Sydney.
The Route
Day-by-Day Programme
Arrival in Perth
Arrival at Perth International Airport and transfer to a 3.5-star hotel. Perth is the Western Australia capital: a sunny, modern and relaxed city, with Kings Park dominating the skyline, the pristine beaches of Cottesloe and Scarborough and vibrant Fremantle just 30 minutes away. Two nights in hotel.
Perth — Free Day
Free day to explore Perth: Kings Park and Botanic Garden with panoramic city views, Fremantle with its market and historic pubs, Cottesloe Beach, Swan Valley for local wine tasting, or Rottnest Island by ferry to meet the quokkas.
Perth → Pinnacles Desert (Cervantes)
Car rental pick-up and drive north (200 km). Stop at Nambung National Park: the Pinnacles Desert, limestone columns rising from the yellow sand in thousands of bizarre shapes. Sunset over the pinnacles is one of Australia's most photographed spectacles. Overnight in Cervantes.
Cervantes → Kalbarri National Park
Drive to Kalbarri National Park (310 km), famous for its red gorges along the Murchison River and the colours of the Skywalk — panoramic walkways suspended over the gorges. Wildlife spotting: kangaroos, emus and kookaburras. Overnight in Kalbarri.
Kalbarri → Monkey Mia
Drive to Monkey Mia (350 km), in the Shark Bay UNESCO World Heritage Area. Overnight at the Monkey Mia resort, one of Western Australia's most iconic locations. Two nights.
Monkey Mia — Dolphins and François Peron 4WD Tour
Morning: the wild dolphins of Monkey Mia — every morning they spontaneously approach the shore where rangers feed them, in one of the most moving events in all of Australia. Afternoon: organised 4WD tour in François Peron National Park, with endemic wildlife, remote beaches and stromatolites at Hamelin Pool.
Monkey Mia → Coral Bay
Drive to Coral Bay (450 km), one of the gateways to the Ningaloo Reef — Australia's most pristine coral reef, accessible directly from the beach. Overnight in a 4-star hotel. Two nights.
Coral Bay — Snorkelling at Ningaloo Reef
Free day at Coral Bay: snorkelling directly from the beach among colourful corals, manta rays, sea turtles and tropical fish. Ningaloo Reef is the most accessible place in the world to swim with whale sharks (March–July). Free afternoon on the beach.
Coral Bay → Exmouth — Cape Range
Drive to Exmouth (130 km) and visit Cape Range National Park: canyons, gorges and isolated beaches on the ocean. Yardie Creek Gorge offers one of Western Australia's few gorge boat cruises. Overnight in Exmouth at a 4-star hotel.
Exmouth → Karijini National Park
Long drive to Karijini National Park (650 km), in the heart of the Pilbara. Karijini's red gorges are among the world's oldest geological formations — 2.5-billion-year-old rock. Three nights in a permanent tent in the park.
Karijini — Organised Gorge Tour
Organised tour of Karijini National Park with lunch included: Dales Gorge, Fortescue Falls (Western Australia's largest waterfall), Fern Pool, Hancock Gorge and Weano Gorge with Handrail Pool. Swimming in natural pools between iron-red walls. One of the most spectacular days of the journey.
Karijini — Free Day in the Gorges
Second day in the park to explore the less-visited gorges: Knox Gorge, Joffre Falls, Oxer Lookout (the viewpoint where four gorges meet). Karijini has over 100 km of walking trails at various difficulty levels.
Karijini → Pardoo (510 km)
Long drive (510 km) to Pardoo Station, in the coastal zone between Port Hedland and Broome. The Pilbara gives way to the Kimberley landscape, red earth and spinifex. Overnight in a 3-star motel.
Pardoo → Broome
Drive to Broome (280 km), the pearl capital of Australia, with its ochre cliffs towering above the turquoise sea at Cable Beach. Three nights in a 4-star hotel.
Broome — Cape Leveque Tour
Organised tour with lunch to Cape Leveque, the northernmost tip of the Dampier Peninsula: red clay cliffs dropping vertically into the blue sea, one of Western Australia's most iconic images. Along the way, stop at Middle Lagoon and visit the Aboriginal community of Ardyaloon.
Broome — Cable Beach and Historic Centre
Free day in Broome: Cable Beach (22 km of white sand, sunset camel caravans), historic Chinatown, the Pearl Luggers Museum on pearling history, Sun Pictures (the world's oldest operating outdoor cinema, 1916). Dinner featuring barramundi and local fish.
Broome → Halls Creek (690 km)
Long drive into the heart of the Kimberley (690 km): the Great Northern Highway crosses landscapes unchanged for millennia, red earth and boab trees (Australian baobabs). Arrival in Halls Creek, a frontier town in the remote heart of Australia. Overnight in a 3.5-star hotel.
Halls Creek → Kununurra
Drive to Kununurra (360 km) in the north-east of the Kimberley. Stop at Wolfe Creek Meteor Crater — the world's second largest meteorite crater — and Lake Argyle, Western Australia's largest artificial lake. Two nights in Kununurra at a 3.5-star hotel.
Kununurra — Purnululu (Bungle Bungles) Scenic Flight
Scenic flight and 4WD tour to Purnululu National Park — the Bungle Bungles: orange and black striped sandstone domes, formed over 350 million years, rising from the Kimberley plain like an alien city. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lunch included.
Kununurra → Katherine
Crossing the border between Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Drive to Katherine (530 km), the Northern Territory's fourth largest town and gateway to Katherine Gorge. Two nights in a 3.5-star hotel.
Katherine Gorge — Cruise Between Sandstone Walls
Cruise along Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park): 13 successive gorges carved by water through sandstone, with 60-metre vertical walls, Aboriginal rock art and freshwater crocodiles on the banks. The cruise navigates the first two or three gorges with canoe transfer between gorges.
Katherine → Kakadu — Yellow Water Cruise
Drive to Kakadu National Park (320 km), Australia's largest national park and double UNESCO World Heritage site (natural and cultural). Stop for the Yellow Water Billabong sunset cruise: saltwater crocodiles, thousands of birds and the fiery colours of the tropical sunset over the Bininj/Mungguy country.
Kakadu → Darwin
Morning in Kakadu: visit to the rock art sites of Ubirr (Aboriginal paintings over 20,000 years old) or Nourlangie. Then drive to Darwin (250 km), the Northern Territory's tropical capital. One night in a 3.5-star hotel.
Darwin → Kings Canyon (4WD, Mereenie Loop)
Flight Darwin–Alice Springs and 4WD pick-up. Drive along Larapinta Drive and then the Mereenie Loop Road — 150 km of unsealed track through Aboriginal territory (permit included) with wild camels, dingoes and Red Centre landscapes. Overnight at Kings Canyon Resort in a 4-star hotel.
Kings Canyon → Uluru
At dawn: Kings Canyon Rim Walk (3–4 hours), panoramic trail along the canyon's red walls and the Red Centre plain. In the afternoon: drive to Yulara with a stop at Mount Conner Lookout. Arrival in time for sunset over Uluru. Two nights in a 4-star hotel.
Uluru and Kata Tjuta
Dawn at Uluru and the Base Walk or Mala Walk with stories of the Tjukurpa (the ancestral Aboriginal Law). Afternoon: Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) with the Walpa Gorge Walk among the 36 rock domes. Evening: Bruce Munro's Field of Lights — luminous art installation in the desert.
Uluru — Final Dawn and Flight to Sydney
Final dawn at Uluru, then visit to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre to deepen understanding of Anangu culture. 4WD drop-off and flight Ayers Rock–Sydney. Transfer to a 3.5-star hotel. Three nights in Sydney.
Sydney — Harbour Cruise with Lunch
Panoramic Sydney Harbour cruise with buffet lunch included: Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Mosman Bay, Manly beaches and Georges Head promontories from the water. Free afternoon at Circular Quay, The Rocks and Darling Harbour.
Sydney — Free Day
Free day in Sydney: Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Coogee Walk, Taronga Zoo, Blue Mountains (1 hour from the city with canyons and waterfalls), an Opera House visit, or simply a stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens with bay views.
Sydney — Second Free Day
Second free day in Sydney to explore the most interesting neighbourhoods: Paddington with its Victorian terraces and art galleries, Surry Hills with the city's best restaurants, or Manly and the Northern Beaches for sea lovers.
Departure from Sydney
Free transfer to Sydney International Airport and return flight home. End of included package services. Australia's longest road trip ends here, after 31 days of remote nature, Aboriginal culture and unforgettable landscapes.
What's Included
- All accommodation as per itinerary
- Perth–Darwin car rental (All Inclusive, unlimited km)
- Alice Springs–Ayers Rock 4WD rental (All Inclusive, unlimited km)
- François Peron National Park organised 4WD tour
- Karijini National Park organised tour (lunch included)
- Cape Leveque organised tour (lunch included)
- Purnululu/Bungle Bungles scenic flight and 4WD tour (lunch included)
- Katherine Gorge cruise
- Yellow Water Billabong sunset cruise (Kakadu)
- Field of Lights — Uluru
- Sydney Harbour panoramic cruise (buffet lunch included)
- Australian SIM card with credit
- Italian-language on-site assistance
- Mereenie Loop Road permit
Not Included
- International and domestic flights
- Travel insurance
- Anything not expressly listed in the included services
From
US$6,460
per person · land services · indicative price, subject to change
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