I've slept in a swag under the Milky Way in the Pilbara, in a boutique guesthouse in the Swan Valley, and in more roadside caravan parks than I can count — and Western Australia keeps surprising me with how varied the options are once you get off the main highway and start asking locals where they actually stay.
Western Australia is enormous. At roughly 2.5 million square kilometres, it accounts for about a third of Australia's total landmass, which means that thinking about accommodation here isn't like planning a city break. The state spans climates from the temperate south-west to the tropical north, and the distance between regions can be humbling. Getting clear on where you're going — and for how long — matters before you start booking.
Perth and the South-West Corner
Perth is the obvious starting point for most visitors, and the city has a genuinely strong accommodation offer across every price point. The CBD has seen a wave of mid-range hotel openings over the past decade, including several well-regarded boutique properties in Northbridge and East Perth. If you're travelling with family, the northern suburbs around Scarborough and Cottesloe tend to offer better value for apartment-style stays close to the beach. I'd recommend spending at least two nights in the city itself — not just as a transit stop — because the food and bar scene in Leederville and Mount Lawley is worth a proper evening out.
Margaret River Region
About three hours south of Perth, the Margaret River wine region is one of the most accommodation-dense parts of Western Australia outside the capital. The range is genuinely impressive: you can book a private cottage on a working winery, a surf-camp bunkhouse near Prevelly, a luxury eco-lodge in the karri forest, or a well-appointed holiday house in the town of Margaret River itself. Prices climb sharply during school holidays and long weekends, so booking ahead — often months ahead for the peak December to January period — is not optional. Self-contained cottages tend to represent the best value for couples and small groups, and many are on properties where the owners will suggest trails and local suppliers you'd never find in a guidebook.
Accommodation Style Tips for the South-West
- Chalets and forest retreats near Pemberton and Nannup are often independently run and priced well below comparable options in Margaret River township.
- If you're travelling between May and September, storm-season rates at coastal properties can be significantly lower — and the scenery during a south-west winter storm is genuinely spectacular.
- Farm stays with working properties around Manjimup offer a quieter alternative if the wine-region crowds aren't your preference.
The Coral Coast and Gascoyne
The stretch of coast running north from Geraldton through Carnarvon to Exmouth is one of the most rewarding long drives in the country, and accommodation along it ranges from basic to genuinely excellent. Coral Bay sits at the southern gateway to Ningaloo Reef and has a compact but well-developed set of options — a caravan and camping park, a resort, and a handful of apartment-style properties. It's a small town, and during peak whale shark season (roughly March to July) every bed fills quickly. I'd strongly suggest booking at least six to eight weeks out if you're planning to visit during that window.
Exmouth and Ningaloo
Exmouth, about 1,200 kilometres north of Perth, has more accommodation variety than Coral Bay and works well as a base for multiple days of reef activity. There are several caravan parks that cater well to self-drive visitors, a handful of motels, and a growing number of holiday houses available through direct rental. The town itself is functional rather than pretty, but the proximity to Cape Range National Park means you're rarely stuck for something to do. Camping inside the national park at Turquoise Bay or Mandu Mandu Gorge is a genuine highlight if you have your own gear, though those sites book out months in advance for peak periods.
The Kimberley
The Kimberley is the part of Western Australia that requires the most planning from an accommodation perspective. The distances between Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Kununurra, and El Questro are significant, and in the wet season (roughly November to April) many roads and properties close entirely. Broome itself has a well-established tourism infrastructure with good hotels along Cable Beach, a few boutique guesthouses, and caravan parks that fill with grey nomads and families each dry season. Further inland and east, the options thin out considerably, and a lot of travellers rely on station stays — working cattle and sheep properties that have opened a portion of their land to tourism. These can range from a cleared paddock with a tap to surprisingly comfortable ensuite cabins. They're worth seeking out not just for the accommodation but for the access to landscapes you simply won't see from a sealed road.
Planning Around the Wet Season
- The dry season (April to October) is the only practical time to visit much of the Kimberley without a high-clearance 4WD and a high tolerance for uncertainty.
- Many Kimberley properties close for the wet and reopen in April or May — check directly with operators rather than relying on booking platforms, which don't always reflect seasonal closures accurately.
- Broome remains accessible and reasonably priced year-round, though the shoulder months of March and November can offer good value with fewer crowds.
The Goldfields and Outback Interior
Kalgoorlie is the main accommodation hub for the goldfields, with a reasonable selection of pubs, motels, and caravan parks. Further into the outback — toward Laverton, Leonora, or along the Eyre Highway — accommodation is sparse and often attached to a roadhouse. These roadhouse stays are functional and occasionally excellent, staffed by people who genuinely know the country around them and are usually happy to talk. I've had some of my best conversations about Western Australia at roadhouse counters at seven in the morning. If you're driving the Nullarbor, plan your stops carefully: distances between fuel and accommodation can exceed 200 kilometres, and arrival times matter.
Practical Notes for Booking Across the State
Western Australia's accommodation market has some quirks worth knowing. School holiday periods in WA don't always align with those in the eastern states, which means popular coastal destinations can be busy when you might not expect them to be. The Tourism Western Australia accommodation directory is a useful starting point for finding operators in less-visited regions, particularly for farm stays, eco-lodges, and indigenous-owned tourism businesses that aren't always well represented on major booking platforms.
- Always confirm cancellation policies before booking in remote areas — access can change with weather, and flexible bookings are worth paying a small premium for.
- Caravan parks across WA are generally well-maintained and often in extraordinary locations; don't dismiss them as a budget option when the sites themselves are genuinely appealing.
- Self-contained accommodation with a kitchen saves money on meals in remote areas where restaurant options are limited or non-existent.
If you're putting together an itinerary for the first time, I'd suggest anchoring your trip around two or three main regions rather than trying to cover the whole state in one go. Give yourself enough time in each place to move at a slower pace — that's when Western Australia tends to show you its best side, and when you end up extending your stay because you're not quite ready to leave.