I've driven more kilometres of Western Australian highway than I can honestly account for, and every single time I cross the border or fly into Perth and hitch up the van, I feel that familiar pull — this state is genuinely enormous, and it keeps its best bits just far enough away to make you earn them.
Western Australia covers roughly a third of the Australian continent. That single fact shapes everything about travelling here: distances between fuel stops, the need to carry water, the reward of arriving somewhere that most people never bother to reach. For caravan and camping travellers specifically, WA is one of the great destinations on earth — provided you plan around its scale rather than fighting it.
The South West: Forests, Waves and Wineries
Most first-time visitors to WA anchor their trip in the south west corner, and there are very good reasons for that. The region packs an astonishing variety into a roughly three-hour radius from the city.
Margaret River Region
Margaret River is the name everyone knows, but the broader region stretching from Dunsborough down to Augusta rewards slower exploration. I camped at a bush site outside Prevelly for four nights last autumn and barely scratched the surface. The karri and marri forests around Boranup are extraordinary — old growth in the truest sense — and the coastal breaks attract surfers from across the country for good reason.
For campers, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) runs several campgrounds through the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. Sites book out quickly during school holidays, so reserve through the Parks and Wildlife Service Western Australia online system several weeks ahead. Powered sites are limited in the national park itself, so if you rely on mains power, look at the township caravan parks in Augusta or Yallingup as your base.
The Karri Valley and Pemberton
Head inland from Margaret River and you'll find Pemberton, a timber town surrounded by some of the tallest hardwood trees in the southern hemisphere. The Gloucester Tree climb is not for the faint-hearted — it's a fire-lookout tree with metal pegs hammered into the trunk — but the campground at Gloucester National Park just below it is peaceful and well-maintained. Mornings there in April are very cold and very quiet.
Perth and the Swan Valley: The Starting Point for Most Itineraries
I always tell people not to rush through Perth on their way somewhere else. The city has genuinely good free camping and low-cost park options within striking distance, and the Swan Valley wine region is practically on the doorstep. For van travellers, the suburb of Midland offers a useful overnight stop with easy freeway access north and east.
Rottnest Island
Most visitors take the ferry, but it's worth knowing that Rottnest has tent camping sites managed by Rottnest Island Authority. You can't take your own vehicle to the island, so you'll leave the van on the mainland and carry gear across on the ferry. It's a different kind of camping, and the snorkelling in the bays along the south coast is among the clearest water I've seen anywhere in Australia. Quokkas, naturally, are everywhere.
The Coral Coast: From Cervantes to Exmouth
This is the stretch that converts people. Drive north out of Perth and within two hours you're at the Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park — limestone spires rising from yellow sand. Another few hours and you're at Geraldton, a proper regional city with good supermarkets for a van restock. Then the highway keeps going, and the landscape keeps opening up.
Coral Bay
Coral Bay sits at the southern end of the Ningaloo Reef, and it is one of those places where the postcards aren't exaggerating. I've snorkelled off the beach here twice, once in March during whale shark season and once in September when the manta rays aggregate in the bay. Both times the water was warm, clear and full of life within literal metres of shore.
Camping options in Coral Bay are limited — the town is small and the caravan parks fill up during peak season (April through September). Book as far ahead as you can. If you're planning to spend serious time on the reef, it's worth reading through the Tourism Western Australia Coral Coast guide for operator recommendations and seasonal timing advice before you go.
Exmouth and Cape Range National Park
Further north, Exmouth is a better-stocked town and the gateway to Cape Range National Park, where campgrounds like Mandu Mandu and Osprey Bay sit directly behind the beach. These are some of the most sought-after camping spots in Australia — I'd argue more beautiful than anything I've seen on the east coast — and they operate on a ballot system for peak dates. Check the Parks and Wildlife booking system months in advance, not weeks.
The Kimberley: For the Committed Long-Hauler
The Kimberley is another country within a country. Broome is the entry point for most travellers, and it earns its reputation: Cable Beach at sunset really does look like that. But the deeper Kimberley — the Gibb River Road, El Questro, the Bungle Bungles in Purnululu National Park — demands a high-clearance 4WD, experience towing on corrugated dirt, and a genuinely honest assessment of your mechanical capability.
Gibb River Road
The Gibb River Road runs roughly 660 kilometres between Derby and Kununurra through cattle station country. Several stations along the route offer camping — some with surprisingly good facilities including hot showers and even swimming holes fed by springs. The road is generally open from around May to October; outside those months, wet season flooding makes large sections impassable. If it's your first time on the Gibb, travel in convoy with someone who knows the road, or at minimum tell people your intended stops and check in regularly.
Practical Notes for Caravan and Camping Travellers in WA
A few things I wish someone had told me before my first long WA trip. Fuel prices climb substantially once you leave the south west and the Wheatbelt. Budget accordingly and never pass a servo with the tank less than half full once you're north of Geraldton. Water is the other variable — some free camps have bore water that isn't suitable for drinking, so carry more than you think you'll need.
Mobile coverage thins out fast outside the main regional towns. A personal locator beacon (PLB) is not optional if you're heading into the outback or remote coastal areas — it's a basic safety item, like a seatbelt. Register it with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority before you leave.
Finally, respect campfire rules. The south west can be under total fire bans for weeks at a time during summer, and the bush up north is a different kind of dry that catches fast. Most campgrounds provide gas rings or BBQ plates for this reason.
Western Australia rewards patience and preparation more than almost anywhere else I've camped. Start with the south west if it's your first time, work your way up the coast at whatever pace suits you, and give yourself permission to stay longer than planned wherever the mood takes you — that's usually where the best memories come from.