What to see from Perth in 4 weeks?

Hi everyone. I’ve got a round-trip ticket to Perth for 4 weeks. Is it better to stay on the west coast the whole time? Or should I grab a round-trip to the east coast? Or even head over to NZ as well? Thanks for your tips.

I think you’ve got time to do a round trip along the east coast. You won’t have time to see everything, though—there’s just so much to do. If you head to the east coast, pick one region (Queensland, Victoria, or New South Wales). In any of those, you can easily do a 1- to 2-week road trip. For New Zealand, you’d need at least a full month on the island—it’d be a shame to go for any less time.

Hi there,

With 2 weeks ahead of us and starting from Perth, is it better to head south to Esperance or go north up to Exmouth?

It depends on the time of year you're going. To give you a rough idea: in summer (Australian winter), the north will be more pleasant in winter (Australian summer), the south will be more pleasant

Then Exmouth is still 1,300 km just to get there. If you do the round trip in 2 weeks, that’s a lot of driving! 😅

Hi there,

Well, I’d say that for New Zealand, as already mentioned, it’d be a shame. You’ll be flying over both countries. On the other hand, the East Coast is doable. But it really depends on what you want to see and do in WA because, even with 4 weeks, it’s already too tight to go everywhere in WA—so combining it with the East Coast will mean making choices. The season is also super important. What could work (if the season’s right) is spending 2–3 days in Perth or Fremantle to recover from the trip, then doing a 10-day loop in the south toward Esperance. After that, you’d have a good 10 days left for a route between Brisbane and Sydney, for example, which changes things up a lot in terms of vegetation and vibe, or Sydney to Melbourne. But trying to do more would be counterproductive, in my opinion. Then return to Perth before leaving (allow some buffer time to connect to your international flight).

Otherwise, in WA, it might be really nice to take your time and go as far as Exmouth, even Karrijini and/or Broome, and focus on that region. By taking an internal flight back to Perth instead of driving, you could probably add a small loop in the south too. But seriously, don’t underestimate the distances.

Claire

Hi there,

I agree with the other comment—two weeks is really tight for getting all the way to Exmouth, especially if you're flying in from the mainland straight to Perth and need a few days to recover before hitting the road. I’d lean more toward a loop in the south, which is also gorgeous if it’s the right season (doable in about ten days).

Thanks to both of you for your replies.

Originally, I was really set on heading north, but I do feel like taking my time. So with 2 weeks, is it better to stop at Shark Bay?

I haven’t looked into a loop south of Perth yet. Is it worth it? As beautiful as the north of Perth?

Yeah, it’s really quite different—more focused on vineyards (Margaret River), giant trees and forests (Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk), and stunning long beaches with turquoise water and kangaroos, like around Esperance.

For the north, it might be doable to go as far as Exmouth if you don’t stay too long in each place and take a flight from Exmouth (LEA) back to Perth instead of driving, but one-way car rental fees are often really steep. Otherwise, if you’re driving round-trip and spending 3 days in each spot, I’d say stopping around Shark Bay would probably be better.

Awesome, now I just have to make my choice between Esperance or Shark Bay 😉

Thanks for your replies

Awesome, now I just have to make my choice between Esperance or Shark Bay ;)

Thanks for your replies

In January 2025, we did the loop Perth - Hyden (Wave Rock) - Esperance (all the way to Cape Le Grand) - Albany - Margaret River in 2 weeks, and we loved it.

And if you have time, I recommend spending a night on Rottnest Island, just 1 hour by boat from Perth, to see the quokkas.

Jean-Pierre

Thanks for all your replies. We’re arriving from Réunion for 4 weeks and decided to stay on the west coast. We’re doing a 15-day loop in the south of Perth, and we’ve got 13 nights left to explore a bit of the north. The dilemma is whether to go all the way to Exmouth or stop at Shark Bay? What do you think? Thanks

Hi there,

we chose to stay on the west coast.

That’s a wise decision. 🙂

The dilemma is whether to go all the way to Exmouth or stop at Shark Bay?

Going as far as Exmouth won’t add much more. On the other hand, a loop from Shark Bay > Kalgoorlie > Perth will let you explore the outback, rounding out the first part of your trip.