Monkey Mia Dolphins and West Coast

Two national parks and a whole lot of contrast make today a good one. Your first stop is Yanchep National Park, where wetlands and bushland come together in a landscape that’s as significant as it is scenic. Join an Aboriginal guide for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and hear how stories are shared, listen to didgeridoo playing and get hands-on with traditional tools. Then it’s on to Nambung National Park, home to the Pinnacles, a strange and striking landscape filled with limestone formations that look more moon landing than mainland Australia. Later, in Geraldton, visit the moving HMAS Sydney Memorial and reflect on the stories it honours.

Today starts with a trip through Kalbarri National Park, where the scenery quickly goes from impressive to show-off. Head to the Kalbarri Skywalk for huge views over Murchison River Gorge, with red cliffs, layered rock and wide-open space in every direction. If you’re here during wildflower season, there’s even more colour in the mix, with native blooms putting on a proper display. Then continue north to Monkey Mia, where the landscape shifts again. Think bright water, pale sand and that unmistakable feeling of being somewhere a bit special. It’s a big day on the road, but the reward at the end is more than worth it.

This morning, keep an eye on the shoreline for Monkey Mia’s most famous locals. Wild dolphins regularly swim into the bay, and if they decide to make an appearance, National Park Rangers will introduce you to these much-loved regulars and explain their habits and personalities. Nothing is guaranteed, of course. They are wild dolphins after all, which is part of the magic. The rest of the day is yours to spend exactly as you please. Go for a barefoot wander, find a shady spot with a view or settle in for a slow afternoon by the water. There are worse places to do absolutely nothing.

Kalbarri National Park does drama very well. Over millions of years, the Murchison River carved through the landscape, leaving behind deep gorges, red-and-white sandstone and coastal cliffs that don’t exactly do subtle. To take it all in, step out onto the Kalbarri Skywalk, which juts 25 m (82 ft) beyond the gorge rim and hangs 100 m (328 ft) above the river below. Not one for anyone scared of heights. You’ll also meet an Indigenous guide for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and be welcomed to Country. Learn about bushfoods, medicine plants and the traditional uses of local flora, while hearing stories that reveal the region from an Aboriginal perspective.

Just when you think Western Australia has shown you every colour it has, Hutt Lagoon appears and changes the mood entirely. Depending on conditions, this famous pink lake can shift through shades from lilac to bubblegum and everything in between. From here, continue south to Perth, where your journey comes full circle. Tonight, join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for dinner and a final chance to relive the best bits from the past two weeks. There’ll be stories, laughs and probably a few “remember when” moments before the trip wraps up.

After breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye to Perth and your fellow travellers. Two weeks ago you arrived as strangers. Now, after outback landscapes, big skies, beach sunsets and more than a few memorable moments along the way, chances are you’ll be leaving with a camera full of photos and a few new friends too.