Perth to Adelaide

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Journey across the mighty Nullarbor!

An Aussie iconic road trip across the more Nullarbor plain topped off with the stunning white beaches, crystal blue waters and national parks of southern Western Australia.
DISTANCE: 2,750+ kms
SUGGESTED TIME FRAME: 14 days minimum
BEST TIME OF YEAR: Anytime (winter can be cold/Spring best)
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Watch this video for a quick taste of the Perth to Adelaide route:

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Highlights of a driving holiday from Perth to Adelaide

Heading East

  • Perth is a great spot to spend a few days either at the start or end of your mighty Nullarbor adventure.
  • If time permits, enjoy weaving your way around the southern coast of Western Australia, calling into places like Margaret River, Albany, Wave Rock (Hyden) and Esperance before arriving in Norseman, the eastern gateway to the Nullarbor Plains. Head over to our Southern Western Australia Loop page for more detail on this section.
  • The more direct way to head east is to make you way to Kalgoorlie through the golden outback. From Kalgoorlie, head south towards Norseman which is surrounded with salt lakes fringed with the red dirt of the Outback. Head over to our Southern Western Australia Loop page for more detail on this section.
  • Heading out away from Norseman and make your way towards the state border. Experience Australia’s longest straight road and you’ll be surprised by the changing scenery. There are a couple of interesting view points to stop and stretch your legs along the way.
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  • Make sure you keep your eyes open for wildlife, which are particularly active around sunrise and sunset – best not to drive this route at night.
  • There are quarantine inspections for fruit and vegetables when crossing the border. The rules for going from SA into WA is more stringent than the reverse direction. The quarantine point when travelling from West to East is at Ceduna; 5 hours from the border.
  • Continuing your drive from Border Village, you’ll be surprised at how close the road is to the cliffs, with opportunities to stop at parking areas and marvel at the spectacular coastline of the Bunda Cliffs.
  • Stopping at the Head of the Bight Centre is highly recommend, especially if you are travelling May to September which is when the Southern Right Whales come in the Bight to mate and give berth. You don’t even have to go out on a boat, the viewing platforms on the coast, give the perfect view. The scenery is amazing too!
  • Ceduna is the first big place you’ll see as you start to arrive closer to Adelaide. Make sure you try the oysters here!
  • Just west from Adelaide, we’d recommend exploring the Eyre Peninsular, featuring beautiful beaches and delicious seafood. The locals are super friendly and you won’t be disappointed with this detour. Make sure you allow at least 3 days, and will be cold in winter.
  • Even if you don’t have time to explore the Eyre Peninsular, you can take a road to Venus Bay, for beautiful camping right on the coast, stopping at the popular Streaky Bay too.
  • Head to Port Augusta before enjoy the renowned wine regions and beautiful scenery north of Adelaide.
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Learn more details and useful planning tips about this route.

Grab yourself a drink, sit back and relax while you watch this 8-minute video providing more insight to help your road trip planning from Perth to Adelaide.

Perth to Adelaide route planning tips

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  • This route can be hot in summer. At times the crossing can be notoriously windy (July/Aug tend to be windier) – pack layers including a jacket as can also be quite cold at night time. Summer can be hot during the day, at times up to 50°C, with winter being around the 25°C mark during the day. It cools down at night-time to around 7°C in winter, and 17°C in summer. Spring/Autumn are a nice to travel this route, particularly if you are also going to spend time exploring the southern section of Western Australia.
  • It doesn’t matter which direction you travel this route; some travellers say it’s better to go from west to east because of the sun in eyes when driving in the afternoon. We haven’t really found that to be an issue so a better idea is to consider what other plans or experiences you wish to have to help determine the best direction of travel for you.
  • If you’re interested in seeing the wildflowers then travelling around September works well, depending on the types of wildflowers you want to see and areas travelled (the southern area of Western Australia usually has a wildflower season from August to October, depending on the years rainfall/heat).

We’d recommend a minimum of 14 days for this trip, but most of our retired clients take a minimum of 21 – 28 days to experience this route. Some also include this iconic route as part of a circuit via Darwin, Broome, Perth and back to Adelaide – most commonly allowing about 3 months for something like that.

  • To experience this route, you can pick up your camper in Adelaide or Perth.
  • You’ll find helpful information centres along your route, and generally there is no need to book campsites in advance – except in the larger towns such as Albany or if a specific event is on. School holidays always tend to be busier, or if you are two or more motorhomes travelling together it is a good idea to book ahead to avoid disappointment, especially if you have pre-planned your route.
  • There is some freedom camping, which is free and low-cost camping along this route. Some days there will be longer km’s that you’ll need to drive, and you’ll see some rest areas that allow overnight parking – perfect while you’re travelling in a self-contained camper. Often with these, you’ll see an area ‘in behind’ the rest area where you can be further away from the highway.
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We’d strongly recommend obtaining a national park pass for Western Australia. There is an entry fee for each NP – most travellers wish to visit some of these, so it is very easy to save money with the pass.

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  • The road across the Nullarbor is a two lane sealed highway and while it does go through very remote parts of Australia you will see Roadhouses which is where you can get your fuel, basic grocery items and some also have an adjacent campground, if you prefer powered sites.
  • During some sections there will be longer distances between the roadhouses where you can get fuel, however there is no need to carry extra fuel inside your vehicle when travelling this sealed road.
  • Refer to the Camps Australia Wide Guide book for locations for freedom camps which can be purchased along your route at some information centres, book or camping stores. You can also purchase an app called ‘Wiki Camps’ if you use a smart phone or tablet, plus the information centres en-route are a gold mine for local information.
  • See plenty of wildlife along this route also like kangaroos, wallabies, camels, humpback and southern right whales, vast range of Birdlife including emus.

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