Ultimate Family Road Trip Guide: Perth to Darwin

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Why traveling from Perth to Darwin with kids is a must

When you are thinking about an epic road trip with your family, Australia must be on your radar. The country is known for its adventurous outback and lots of amazing national parks. Most people focus on the famous East Coast. Everybody knows about the Great Barrier Reef, the Blue Mountains and the Opera House in Sydney. The East Coast is surely going to amaze you.

But, if you’re looking for a beautiful coastline, a relaxed atmosphere, dramatic gorges and a stunning reef to explore you shouldn’t overlook the West Coast. It brings you all that and more, but is quieter and more rugged than the East Coast. This is the ultimate family road trip guide: Perth to Darwin. One of the best Australian road trips!

Road tripping from Perth to Darwin with kids

Australia is one of the best countries for a family road trip. There are exciting things to see and fo for all ages in every destination. From diving and snorkeling in Ningaloo Reef or Great Barrier Reef to camping in the outback and exploring amazing cities like Perth, Broome, Melbourne and Sydney. You’ll never get bored!

The food is kid friendly and the majority of the people speak English. Infrastructure is great and you know which road to avoid, because when a road is unsealed multiple road signs will tell you in time. If you’re not used to road tripping through a foreign country, Australia is a great pick. And if you want to avoid the crowds, don’t pick the popular East Coast, but the West Coast and road trip Darwin to Perth or the other way around, like in this example.

Self-drive from Perth to Darwin with kids

The absolute best way to road trip through Australia with kids is by car. It’s the most convenient and cheapest way to travel. Set your own Perth to Darwin itinerary, go off the beaten path whenever you please and stop when you want for as long as you want.

There are other options like joining a tour, which is often very expensive and more often than not not aimed at families with children. And it’s mostly not a package deal, but a day trip from one of the major cities. You’d have to get around by plane or (Greyhound) bus.

Which brings me to the last option and that’s public transport. It’s possible to get around Western Australia and Northern Territory by using public transport like the bus and train, but it will take lots of time and doesn’t get you to amazing highlights like Peron NP or Purnululu NP.

Renting a campervan or a car is the best option and this way you’re the most flexible and the basis for this ultimate family road trip guide: Perth to Darwin.

Safety in Australia

Australia as a whole is a pretty safe country. Western Australia and Northern Territory are no exception. There are 3 things you need to be careful with: bushfires, wildlife and the sun.

The sun is very strong in Australia, because it’s close to the equator, but also because UV radiation is stronger due to a hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic. Wear hats or caps and apply heaps of sunscreen and swim with long sleeve UV shirts.

Wildlife is beautiful in Northern Australia and Northern Territory. Kangaroos, koala bears, wallaby’s and camels can be spot all over the area, but so are spiders and snakes. Don’t leave shoes or other clothing unattended while camping and check your shoes, before putting them on. You’ll never know what happens. I had a huge spider in my shoe that turned out to be harmless, but there are plenty of spiders that are harmful.

And lastly, stay away from bushfires. In lots of places, like Kakadu NP, the native people start bushfires on purpose to maintain the health and safety of a forest. It’s called controlled burning. And unfortunately, because of climate change, the heat grows stronger by the year. Resulting in more and more bushfires. Stay away from areas when road signs warn you or when you smell smoke or see smoke in the distance.

Last thing to note is to bring a first aid kit, lots of water and food and fill up on gas wherever you can when you’re road tripping from Perth to Darwin with family. You’ll often drive for hours without seeing a soul and without passing through towns. Make sure you’ve got everything with you to stay healthy and safe.

Get my FREE pocket guide >> How To Stay Healthy Traveling With Kids

Best time to visit Western Australia and Northern Territory

The best time to visit Western Australia and Northern Territory with kids is during winter, from June to August. Weather is pleasant (24° to 34° Celsius) in Western Australia and the western part of the Northern Territory. But along the west coast it does get pretty cold during the night. The closer you get to Darwin it does get pretty hot during winter, with temperatures ranging from 35° to 40° Celsius.

If you’re traveling from Perth to Darwin during the wet season, or summer, temperatures reach 35° to 40° Celsius with high humidity. This is from October to March. Expect the heaviest rains and thunderstorms from December to February. With most unsealed roads being closed.

But to be far, because of all the different microclimates naming a specific best time to visit is hard. With a mediterranean climate in the south, desert in the east and tropical in the north it’s a year-round holiday destination.

Best time to visit the highlights

When it comes to the best time to visit the highlights, that depends on what you want to visit. Parts of Kakadu NP, Peron NP and Purnululu NP are only accessible by 4WD via unsealed roads. In the wet season those roads are mostly (partially) closed.

To see the Staircase to the Moon on Cable Beach in Broome you have to visit between March and October.

And if you want to swim with whale sharks you should travel there between March and August and for the humpback whales July to October is best.

In short, you should figure out what your family wants to see and check the best times to visit those activities and pick your best time to travel from Perth to Darwin or vice versa.

Planning a family road trip from Perth to Darwin

Getting your Perth to Darwin road trip with kids right involves some serious planning. It starts months before the trip, choosing the destination, planning the route, arranging visa, renewing passports or ID’s and checking if you need medical declarations. And don’t forget renting a car or camper and/or buying flight tickets.

Planning a family road trip can get pretty overwhelming. But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with my eBook! I’ll be holding your hand every step of the way. Just to make sure your family road trip through the Yucatán Peninsula will go smoothly.

Get my FREE ebook >> The Ultimate Beginners Guide: Planning a Family Road Trip

How to get to Perth

If you’re flying in internationally to Perth (or Darwin, if you’re going the other way around) then I recommend you to use a site like Expedia to check which airline offers the best price for your flight. Expedia is an online travel agency where you can not only book your flights, but also hotels, rent cars or even excursions. I usually turn to Expedia for flights, but if you like to book everything in one place then Expedia is going to be your best friend. This ultimate family road trip guide: Perth to Darwin starts by your arrival at Perth Airport. But if you want you can easily start in Darwin, where there’s also an international airport.

If you are taking a domestic flight or if you want to travel from Perth to Darwin or from Darwin or Perth by train, I recommend 12Go. It’s a user-friendly website that will show you all the different price options and comparisons as well as reviews from fellow travellers.

Booking a 4×4 campervan

Our family choose to hire a 4wd campervan and drove from Perth to Darwin. It turned out to be the most adventurous drives we ever did. We started in Western Australia and we ended our 4 week self-drive in the Northern Territory. If you are looking for the ultimate family road trip guide from Perth to Darwin, look no further. Read on and find out what the must-sees and do’s are when spending 4 weeks in Australia and drive your car or motorhome from Perth to Darwin. Of course you can also use this itinerary from Perth to Darwin if you take the road trip from Darwin to Perth.

Read more >> 10 Things to Do In Western Australia with Kids

Read more >> Best campsites in Western Australia with kids

Before I start the ultimate family road trip guide from Perth to Darwin, I would like to mention that we rented our 4WD from WA Experts. A rental company just outside of Perth. An easy booking with great service. Even before we arrived the owner shared great tips about Perth like good places to eat and things to see. He even picked us up with his car from our AirBnb in Perth and drove us back to his place, where he gave us an extensive instruction on how to use everything the car had to offer. We highly recommend WA Experts!

Perth to Darwin – Australia Itinerary Map

This ultimate family road trip guide: Perth to Darwin requires you to start in the capital of Western Australia: Perth and ends in the capital of Northern Territory: Darwin. See the Perth to Darwin road map above for all the locations we will touch upon.

And now the perfect itinerary for a road trip in a 4WD from Perth to Darwin in 4 weeks. A trip of a total distance of roughly 4050 km, depending on the route. Which takes about 43 hours in one go. But that’s not going to bring you the adventures you and your family are looking for, right? Take it slow and admire all that this part of Australia has to offer.

FYI, if you’re planning a 4 week Darwin to Perth road trip, this Perth to Darwin road trip itinerary can be just as helpful. Just work your way up from the bottom.

Perth

You start your road trip WA to NT in Perth. A nice town with great food and a tropical climate. Stay here for one or two days. After this short city trip you take off in your 4WD, with a rooftop tent, a fully loaded freezer and/or cooler and a great mood, because this is when the magic starts. If you have more time be sure to check out the former prison in Fremantle to learn more about the time when Great Britain set foot in Australia.

A great tip for kids is a visit to Rottnest Island. This is the only place in the world where you can spot the insanely cute (but very helpless) Quokka’s in the wild.

Top tours in Perth with kids

Yanchep National Park

On your first day you will only take a short drive, 55 km, to Yanchep National Park. It is a great NP to start. It’s not too touristy. And there are a lot of Grey Kangaroos humping around and that will totally make your day. We were sitting in front of our Troopy with a beer in hand and they where chillling right in front of us. Slowly the sun went down and it was a magical experience that made for a great first day! And oh, did I mention you can also spot koala’s here? You can and they’re adorable.

Nambung National Park

In the morning you’ll leave Yanchep NP to drive to Nambung NP in just a few hours. The highlight in this NP is the Pinnacles Desert. Spend a few hours walking through this park. It is quite a sight. Everyone knows about the pinnacles so it is a touristy spot, but definitely still worth a visit. And to be fair: it’s still far quieter than any other tourist spot on the East Coast of Australia.

Top tours to the Pinnacles Desert with kids

Kalbarri National Park

Next on this ultimate family road trip guide: Perth to Darwin is another national park. Western Australia is filled with gorgeous national parks, so if hiking is your thing, you’ll love WA!

Kalbarri NP is a definite must-see on a road trip Perth to Darwin. You can hike multiple routes. We walked to Nature Window and then hiked the 10km Loop Route, which is a beautiful walk through the gorge. Both routes were do-able for children, but when you visit this NP when it’s hot take enough water with you and hats and sun glasses. There aren’t many shady places around.

We did these two hikes in a day. If you like to hike more routes, then I recommend an extra day.

Peron National Park (4wd only)

Before I get into Peron NP I would love to give you the first inside tip: on your way to Peron NP, stop at Overlander Roadhouse for the best hamburger you have ever had. Spend a whole day exploring Peron NP, you can only drive here with a 4WD and there are multiple free camping spots there. We choose to set up camp at Herald Bight, where we spotted dolphins while hanging the laundry out to dry. Can you believe it?

Monkey Mia dolphins

If you want a good chance at spotting dolphins, make sure to visit Monkey Mia early in the morning. No monkeys to be seen, but Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins can be spotted here. The bad news is that they come here because they’re being fed. Please don’t be a part of the feeding process, but just watch. Currently there’s a petition online to help the Monkey Mia dolphins. They’re displaying unnatural behavior because of all the interaction with humans.

After playing around here you head on over to the next spot: Shark Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will drive by the Blowholes, make time to see them if you can. It felt like walking on Mars, don’t walk around on flip flops, you will get hurt.

Ningaloo Reef

Remember that I promised you a beautiful reef? It’s time to spend a few days at the amazing Ningaloo Reef. Book a camping spot for a few days to charge your battery after all that traveling. Relax and swim, dive, bbq and do a whale shark tour. Ningaloo Reef is Australia’s most accessible coral reef. The area is cheaper than around Great Barrier Reef. If I have to compare the two: Great Barrier Reef is more diverse on all accounts, but I’d go for Ningaloo reef where you get the chance on more intimate wildlife encounters.

The whale shark tours aren’t much fun for younger children. They won’t allow younger kids to partake in the snorkeling (too deep and dangerous). It’s a great family outing for families with kids 14 and up.

My second tip: swimming with a whale shark is a great experience. Just make sure you check out which company does it sustainably.

We booked the tour with Coral Bay Eco Tours and enjoyed it very much. We didn’t only see the whale sharks, but also dolphins and whales.

Top tours in Coral Bay with kids

We skipped driving further up to Exmouth and instead drove back to National Highway 1 to get to our next destination.

Tom Price

After a last chill morning at your camping spot at Ningaloo Reef it is time to hit the road. The next highlight is Karijini NP, but I recommend to stop halfway, because it’s a very long drive and you don’t want to drive in the dark, because you should avoid hitting wildlife. Spend the night in miners town Tom Price and fill up on gas and do groceries to get you going for the next few days.

Karijini National Park

Karijini NP is a place where we could’ve spend an extra day, but we arrived at the camping ground (Dales) around 9am, so we did have a full day to hike and therefore we did decide to move on the next day. What did we do during the day? We went to Oxer Lookout first, where you get rewarded with a great view of three gorges coming together. After that it was time to hike and we walked to Fern Pool and then back to Circular Pool. After a picnic at Circular Pool we hiked back to the Threeway Lookout before walking back to Dales Campground, enjoying our surroundings, in little less than an hour. A schedule I highly recommend.

Eighty Mile Beach

Drive to the start of Eighty Mile Beach via Port Hedland. Play in the sand (shark alert, so now swimming here) and chill in your hammock. After all the hiking you did yesterday you deserve to put your feet up and have a beer, mate!

Broome

Next up in this ultimate family road trip guide: Perth to Darwin is a city called Broome. It’s been a while, because the only other (semi)big city until now has been Perth.

There are many campings in Broome. It is really popular with Grey Nomads, families and backpackers. It was really the only place where we drove for hours before we had any luck and that’s only because the guy at the reception saw my despair after the 10^th “no” and looked at my very tired 11yo who almost started crying. He gave us a spot that wasn’t officially a camping spot, but we were really grateful. Moral of the story is, that if you visit Broome during high season, than you should book ahead.

Highlights include:

• driving onto the famous Cable beach with your 4WD, cooking and eating there while people are riding camels (yes, really: camels)
• visiting a pearl farm
• check out dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point (kids love it!)
• visit the Bird observatory
• if you’re here between May and October you have to watch the sun go down at the beach to see the Staircase to the Moon

Check out the best things to do in Broome. Local Wendy shares 40+ great things to do in this Kimberley destination.

Top tours in Broome with kids

Gibb River Road

Today you start driving the impressive Gibb River Road. Your first visit is to the Prison Boab. A Boab with a horrific background story. Aboriginals used to get strapped to it in the scorching heat as punishment, mostly for petty crimes or even just the hint of suspicion of a crime they might have commited. It will teach your kids and you more about the racism the original inhabitants of Australia had to cope with (and sadly still have to endure, like most minorities in the world).

Windjana Gorge

After that you hike through the gorgeous Windjana Gorge and observe hundreds of freshwater crocs. No, I’m not exaggerating! It is a loop, because there is only one way to enter and exit the gorge. The good news is that you will see all those crocs again on your way back. Believe me, it won’t get old.

Halls Creek

Our plan was to drive the complete Gibb River Road. But after our visit to Tunnel Creek we were tired of the bumpy roads and a piece of pebble broke our front window, so we had to change our plans anyway.

We needed to drive to Halls Creek and leave the Gibb River Road. That meant we could enjoy Fitzroy Crossings, but better yet: we found a hidden gem in the process: Caroline Pool! We camped out there for free, were surrounded by wildlife drinking from the creek. We made a fire and had so much fun by ourselves in the middle of nowhere with no one around.

Purnululu National Park

Our car was at a mechanic for a few hours, but in that few hours we came up with a new plan and it turned out to be the best decision we could’ve made. We would’ve missed out on one of the highlights of our road trip, Purnululu NP, another UNESCO world heritage site.

I’ve said it before about spots in Oz, and I’ll say it again: it’s a must-see. The beehive-shaped Bungle Bungle Range is out of this world and the hikes are amazing. Don’t skip Cathedral Gorge and if you have the time go on a helicopter ride to admire the view from the sky. Bungle Bungles is one of the best tips in this ultimate family road trip guide: Perth to Darwin!

You really do need a 4WD for a lot of the roads in Purnululu NP and the camping grounds that are only accessible by 4WD are less crowded and surrounded by nature. If you can live without a hot shower and clean toilets you will have an awesome time here.

Gibb River Road or Purnululu NP

If you can do both the Gibb River Road and Purnululu NP, than go for it. If you have to choose because of time, then I advise you to do the start of the Gibb River Road, so you can check out Windjana Gorge and then drive back and make your way to Purnululu NP.

Timber Creek

Another insider tip. In Timber Creek we decided that it was time for a little chill out time. So we spend time at a camping where we could wash our clothes in a real washing machine and where we could bbq and make a bonfire. We didn’t do much else but read, watch freshwater crocodiles and watch dozens of eagles fly by. A nice little breather.

Kakadu National Park

Kakadu NP deserves so much more praise than it already gets. It was the absolute number 1 highlight of our road trip and one of the best UNESCO World Heritage listed sites we ever visited. If we had more time we would’ve stayed even longer than we already did. The NP is huge and you could easily spend a week there and you still wouldn’t have seen it all. We were there for 3,5 days and we saw as much as we could and we really enjoyed it, but I already know I want to go back there.

Please don’t skip the Yellow Water Cruise and make sure you find out when the sun will set and book the tour at that time slot. It is enchanting and you will never forget it. Magical for children too!

If you want to read more about what to see and do in Kakadu National Park with kids, click the link and check out my article.

Read more >> 8 Things to Do In Kakadu NP With Kids

Darwin

Our last stop on this Perth to Darwin roadtrip is of course: Darwin. We really enjoyed Darwin so I advise you to stay there for a day or two. Our highlights include the Darwin Waterfront, Bicentennial Park and the Big Buoy Water Park.

That’s it for this ultimate family road trip guide: Perth to Darwin. You’ve reached the end of the 4 week Perth to Darwin itinerary.

Top tours in Darwin with kids

Our verdict after sharing with you the ultimate family road trip guide: Perth to Darwin. This Perth to Darwin drive remains our fave! But our trip through Australia wasn’t over yet. We also visited Sydney and Melbourne after. If you are taking a domestic flight from Darwin to either of these cities, I recommend 12Go. We used them to find the cheapest flight from Darwin to Sydney and from Sydney to Melbourne. It’s a user-friendly website that will show you all the different price options and comparisons as well as reviews from fellow travellers.

Did you ever go an a self-drive through Western Australia and Northern Territory? Did I leave things out that people really shouldn’t miss? Would you like more information? Share it with us by leaving a comment below. I hope you enjoy your family road trip from Darwin to Perth, or the other way around. Please let me know how you liked your Perth to Darwin road trip.