Getting Around
Getting Around by Car
Australia's South West is ideal for self-drive holidays. With a good network of sealed and signposted roads, and relatively short travelling distances between towns and attractions, you can do your own thing. There is an impressive variety of scenery throughout the region, with facilities available at regular intervals.
Hire cars are available from Perth or in other major towns within the region, such as Bunbury, Albany and Busselton. Road maps and directories are available from most newsagents and some convenience stores.
Plan your own tour by looking at the travelling distances chart, road rules and accommodation options, or search through the suggested self-drive itineraries on this site.
Search to find car hire companies.
Bus Travel
Transwa operates regular coach services that connect all major towns in Australia's South West region. These coaches are fitted with modern entertainment systems and provide comfort while travelling in regional Western Australia. Visit the Transwa website for further information and timetables.
Regular services are also offered by South West Coachlines between Perth and Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River, Augusta, Donnybrook, Balingup, Bridgetown, Manjimup and Pemberton.
Travel by Tour
Join a tour and let someone else do the driving for you. A range of packaged tours are offered throughout Australia’s South West, from adventurous four-wheel drive tours to luxury coaches. Use the tour search to explore the many options.
Cycling
Tour Australia’s South West on two wheels and experience the region’s natural beauty at a more leisurely pace. With a wonderful climate and a generally flat terrain, Australia’s South West is the perfect place to explore by bicycle. Your bicycle is also welcome on many of the regular train and bus services connecting towns throughout the region.
For more information, visit cycling for tourists.
Munda Biddi Bike Track
The off-road Munda Biddi bike trail offers a world-class cycling experience for cyclists of all levels of experience and fitness. Stage one of the proposed 900-kilometre track is now complete, winding its way from Mundaring in the Perth hills, through scenic natural bushland, beautiful state forests and quaint country towns to Collie in the South West.
Stage two and three are under construction, and will meander through Donnybrook, Nannup, Donnelly River, Manjimup, Pemberton and Northcliffe, along the stunning coastline to Walpole and Denmark before reaching its final destination in Albany. For more details, visit the Munda Biddi website.
Walking
Bibbulmun Track
The award-winning Bibbulmun Track is one of the world’s greatest long-distance walking trails. It takes you on an incredible journey through the South West’s magnificent karri and tingle forests and spectacular coastal national parks, as well as the charming country towns of Collie, Balingup, Pemberton, Northcliffe, Walpole and Denmark. For more details, visit the Bibbulmun Track Foundation website.
Cape to Cape Track
The Cape to Cape Track is a 135-kilometer coastal walking trail that follows the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge. Starting at Cape Naturaliste lighthouse it leads you across pristine white sand beaches, along breathtaking cliff tops, past fascinating caves and through magnificent karri forests to the lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin. You can opt to tackle the track on your own or join a fully-guided Cape to Cape walk. See the Cape-to-Cape website for details.
To find more walking trails in Australia’s South West, see the walking section in Things to See and Do.