I pulled up to a dusty campsite outside Kalbarri with red dirt on my boots and a cooler full of things that had already gone warm — and I remember thinking that this particular stretch of Western Australia rewards the people who show up prepared and punishes everyone else. The 10-day Perth to Broome run with Adventure Tours Australia is genuinely one of the great overland journeys on the continent, and I want to give you an honest account of what it involves.
How the Route Is Structured
The tour departs Perth and heads north along the Brand Highway before swinging inland and coastal by turns. You're covering roughly 2,200 kilometres over ten days, which sounds punishing on paper but works out to comfortable driving days broken up by long stops at gorges, beaches and national parks. The pace Adventure Tours Australia runs is touring-vehicle pace — a large 4WD bus towing a trailer — so you're not rushing through anything.
Days 1–2: Perth to Kalbarri
The first two days ease you in. The group usually overnights at a caravan park around Cervantes on night one, which gives everyone a chance to get acquainted. I'd recommend grabbing a walk through the Pinnacles at dusk if there's time — the light on the limestone formations is better than any midday photo you've seen. By day two you're at Kalbarri, where the river gorges cut through ancient red sandstone above the Murchison River. The sky walk at Kalbarri National Park is worth the detour.
Days 3–4: Shark Bay and Monkey Mia
Shark Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Area and the tour spends a proper amount of time there. The Stromatolites at Hamelin Pool are among the oldest living organisms on earth — a fact that tends to stop people in their tracks. Monkey Mia gets the dolphins, which interact with visitors most mornings in shallow water under the supervision of a ranger. Camping here is run through the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, so facilities are solid but unpowered sites fill up fast in peak season.
Coral Bay and the Ningaloo Reef Stretch
For my money, the section around Coral Bay is where the trip shifts gear completely. You're suddenly looking at one of the most accessible reef systems on the planet — you can snorkel directly off the beach without a boat — and the campgrounds sit close enough to the water that you fall asleep to the sound of the ocean. Adventure Tours Australia usually spends at least one full day here, and if you have the budget and inclination, a whale shark swim (seasonal, roughly March to July) can be arranged through a licensed local operator.
What to Bring for This Section
- A quality reef-safe sunscreen — the reef at Ningaloo is genuinely fragile and regular sunscreen is banned in-water
- Snorkel gear — the tour carries some but your own mask is always more comfortable
- A dry bag for your phone and documents
- Cash — Coral Bay has limited ATM access and some small operators don't take cards reliably
The Pilbara and Karijini National Park
This is the section that stops first-timers cold. Karijini National Park sits in the Pilbara region about 1,400 kilometres north of Perth, and the gorges here — Hancock, Weano, Dales — are among the most dramatic geological features in Australia. The rock walls drop forty or fifty metres and the water at the bottom is cold enough to knock the breath out of you in a good way.
Camping at Karijini
The Karijini Eco Retreat sits inside the park boundary and offers a range of accommodation, but the Adventure Tours group generally camps at the DBCA campground nearby. It's well-maintained with drop toilets and fire rings. Fires are permitted outside total fire ban periods but you'll need to carry your own firewood in — collecting within national park boundaries is prohibited. Nights here are genuinely dark, and the Milky Way is visible in a way that most Australians living in cities have simply never seen.
Gorge Safety
The gorges at Karijini involve ladders, rope-assisted descents and wading through chest-deep water in narrow canyons. It's not technical canyoning but it's not a stroll either. Wear closed-toe shoes you don't mind getting wet, and follow the tour leader's instruction on water levels — flash flooding is possible and the park service posts warnings at trailheads. I've been in Weano Gorge when it was docile and clear; I've also heard stories about the same gorge in a different season. Respect the conditions.
The Final Push: Port Hedland to Broome
Port Hedland is a working industrial port and the tour doesn't linger. It's interesting to see the iron ore loading operations from a distance — the scale of it is hard to process — but it's not a place you'd want to spend extra nights. From there it's north and west to Eighty Mile Beach, a long remote stretch of coastline where the camp is genuinely isolated, the fishing is productive and the sunsets over the Indian Ocean are reliably spectacular.
Arriving in Broome
Broome ends the tour at Cable Beach, and by this point the group has usually settled into a comfortable rhythm. There's a communal dinner on the last night, which is a tradition I genuinely appreciate — it's a proper send-off. Broome has good caravan park options if you're extending your trip independently. The town itself rewards a day or two of walking around Chinatown and the pearl showrooms, and the camel rides at sunset on Cable Beach are popular for good reason.
Practical Considerations Before You Book
This is a camping tour, which means sleeping on a stretcher mattress in a swag under a fly sheet or in a tent depending on conditions. If you've never done that before, it's worth being honest with yourself — or doing a shorter trip first. The group size is usually around twelve to twenty people, which is a nice size for a campfire conversation but means you're sharing bathroom facilities at most stops.
Best Time to Travel
May through September is the sweet spot. Temperatures are manageable, roads are in good condition and national park facilities are at their best. The summer months (November through March) bring extreme heat in the Pilbara — daytime temperatures above 45°C are common — and the wet season can close roads through the Kimberley entirely. If you're trying to catch whale sharks at Ningaloo, the season runs from mid-March to late July, with April and May considered peak.
What This Tour Is Not
It is not the same as a self-drive campervan trip along the same route. You won't have total flexibility on timing or detours, and you'll be eating group meals that are decent but not gourmet. If you want to linger for three nights at Margaret River or take a side road on a whim, a guided tour isn't the format for that. But if you want someone else managing the logistics, carrying the camping gear and knowing which fuel stop closes at 5pm, it's very good value.
The Western Australia tourism authority maintains a useful road-condition and seasonal guide for the northwest that I'd encourage anyone planning this route to check before they travel. And the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions page for Karijini National Park has current gorge access conditions and campsite booking details.
Book as early as you reasonably can — the May and June departures in particular sell out months in advance, and last-minute availability is rare. If you're travelling solo, it's worth emailing the operator directly to ask about single-supplement costs, because some departures have spare spots that can be negotiated down.
