Perth to Adelaide Wildlife Adventure - 9 Days

Day 1 - Perth to Fitzgerald River National Park (lunch and dinner)
Tours depart from YHA Hostel, 300 Wellington Street at 6.45am on Sunday.

Your adventure begins as you travel east from Perth over the Darling Ranges. Enjoy a coffee break in the historic township of York, WA’s oldest inland town.

There's a bit more driving to be had before a lunch stop in the shadow of Wave Rock.

By late afternoon, you’ll arrive in Fitzgerald River National Park, an internationally recognised world biosphere! This is your camp for the night and your first taste of swag camping! The campsite has a toilet but no shower facilities.

Today you'll travel around 10 hours with stops along the way. Walking time is about an hour.


Day 2 - Fitzgerald River to Cape Le Grand (all meals)
Begin the morning with a brisk hike up East Mt Baron, one of the three quartzite peaks that make up the Barren Range. Afterwards, take the coastal route into Esperance for a coffee break and a bit of exploring.

Next up, get ready for some of Australia’s most spectacular scenery! This part of WA has no less than 9 National Parks, which are all absolutely stunning.

Tonight, you'll be camping at the most spectacular of all, Cape Le Grand National Park. Soak in the pristine ocean, meet the local eastern grey ‘roos sunbaking on the beach and walk along the sand at Lucky Bay. It's twice been judged Australia’s whitest.

Explore the area with a free afternoon here. How you spend it is wholly up to you. Set out on a coastal bushwalk, splash about in the sea, fiddle around with your camera aperture or just kick back with your new buds along the beach.

Today we travel 2.5 hours with stops along the way. Walking time is about 3 hours. Accommodation is swag camping with toilet and solar shower facilities. 


Day 3 - Cape Le Grand to The Nullarbor
If you didn’t a chance to spot any roos yesterday, wake up early and head down to the beach to explore. The morning’s a prime time to see what’s hopping about before embarking on an early morning hike up Frenchman’s Peak. There are stunning views across the inlets and islands of the Recherche Archipelago to be seen here.

Later, head to Norseman for lunch and then hit the Eyre Highway to start your journey east bound.

Tonight, get ready for the highlight of your day, an IMAX version of the great southern sky. You'll be left speechless by how clearly you can see the constellations and shooting stars. There's nothing like a WA sky! 

Today’s driving time is about 5 hours and walking for about 1 hour. You'll be bush camping (no facilities). 


Day 4- The Nullabor & Koonalda Homestead
There's a big drive ahead of you today! 143.9 kilometres of the world’s longest stretch of straight road needs to be covered! You'll really get a sense of just how huge and vast this area is.

Break up the day with a stop at an old telegraph township now mostly buried beneath sand dunes below Eucla. Then, head on toward tonight’s camping spot at Koonalda Homestead.

Travel time today is about 6 hours. Koonalda Homestead provides a toilet but no showers.


Day 5 - Great Australian Bight & Coodlie Park
Hit up the highway’s famous Camels/Kangaroos/Wombats Crossing road sign and the Bunda Cliffs today. This is where the Nullarbor Plain drops dramatically into the Southern Ocean. Running for approximately 200 kilometres along the Great Australian Bight, this is the world’s longest uninterrupted line of limestone cliffs.

You'll also cross the Dingo Fence and enter the Yalata Aboriginal lands. At 5,614 kilometres this is the world’s longest fence! 

In the afternoon, visit the Ceduna Arts and Cultural Centre, where you’ll hear a bit about the styles and meanings of Indigenous artwork. After stocking up on supplies in Streaky Bay, you'll head to Coodlie Park bush camp – a working farm.

Tonight you may share a meal and stories with traveller’s from the Adelaide tour and sleep in super cool swag huts. Refresh with the unique bucket shower facilities.

Today you'll travel for about 8 hours with stops along the way. 


Day 6 - Coodlie Park & the Eyre Peninsula
Today is a day you’ll remember forever! Swimming with the friendly seals and beautiful dolphins will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy. The clear waters off Baird Bay, a small fishing village located on the Eyre Peninsula, are a favoured haunt of sea lions and bottlenose dolphins. This morning you’ll get to join them for a dip. Please note the Baird Bay Eco-tour is an optional outing that you’ll need to book before your Perth tour begins. Cost is $160 per person, duration 3-4 hours. Those who choose to stay dry will have the morning at their leisure.

After lunch, continue your travels to Murphy’s Haystacks, a collection of bizarrely warped rock formations. Check out the Talia Caves, gigantic caverns carved into the coastal cliffs and explore the Lake Newland Sand Dunes. There'll be the chance to try sandboarding here!

Later, it's back to Coodlie Park for another night around the campfire with your new friends.

You'll drive for about 3 hours today and walk for about one hour. 


Day 7 - Mikkira Station & Port Lincoln (all meals)
This morning it’s back on the road for a final dose of spectacular coastal driving. Along the way, make a stop at Lock’s Well, where you can take on the 283-step staircase down to the beach. Enjoy a beach stroll and the opportunity to admire the cliffs from below.

Later, tuck into a delicious lunch on the foreshore of Port Lincoln. Enjoy some free time here, and check out the local sites of this pretty little town which is Australia’s seafood capital.

Afterwards, make the short drive on to tonight's campsite in Mikkira. This spot is a working sheep station clustered with Manna Gums with koalas galore!

Driving is about 4 hours and walking time is about 2 hours today. You'll be swag camping at Mikkira Station which has toilets and a shower facility. 


Day 8 - Port Lincoln to Mt Remarkable
How brave are you feeling? Today, you’ll either be diving into the world of Great White Sharks or brushing up on local whaling history at Whaler’s Way Conservation Park. If you opt for the Whales you’ll be visiting the remains of an old whaling station, where you’ll hopefully spot some kangaroos and emus, followed by lunch in Lincoln National Park.

If you're feeling daring, and choose shark diving and you’ll be boating out to sea, changing into dive gear and hopping in a cage for a meet-up with some real monsters of the deep. These are some critters you don’t want to hand-feed! This tour is at your own expense. 
Shark Cage Diving with Great Whites – Calypso Star Charters $395pp + $100 onboard payment.
Shark Cage Diving with Great Whites – Adventure Bay Charters $395pp + $125 onboard payment.

Later, visit Wadlata Cultural Centre and enjoy an interpretive walk through the life of the new frontier pioneers of South Australia.

Today you'll drive for about 4 hours, and walk for 2, if not doing the cage dive. Accommodation is bush camping with only toilet facilities at Mount Remarkable.


Day 9 - Mount Remarkable to Adelaide (breakfast and lunch)
You're hitting the home stretch now, and the entrance into Adelaide provides a fitting finale. Soak in the natural beauty today as you travel on to Lochiel, a pink lake if it has water in it, and gorgeous Clare.

Your overland adventure ends upon arrival in Adelaide at approximately 7.30 pm. There’s no accommodation provided tonight, so make sure you have booked your accommodation prior to departure. You’ll get your breakfast and lunch and although there are no formal activities planned it is usual for the group to get together and reflect on the big journey over a few drinks and meal (at own expense).

This is a 9-day tour, departing Perth at 6.45am and finishing in Adelaide around 7.30pm. We recommend you book your Adelaide accommodation before you start this tour.