Travelling from Darwin to Perth?

Find out when the best time to venture along this route is. This is possibly one of the most amazing road trips, with fabulous scenery and contrasting landscapes in Australia and definitely one of our favourites!

Travelling down from the lush Top End

On this adventure you’ll get to see the tropical lush Top End around Darwin, the breath-taking landscape of the Kimberleys and be amazed by its large swaths of wilderness defined by rugged peaks and impressive gorges. You’ll see the vast contrast of the brilliant red of the outback as it meets with the crystal clear waters of the many resort towns, such as Broome, along the way. In fact, you’ll discover that the entire Western Australian coastline is stunning!

This route is also popular for seeing the wildflowers. Depending on the weather, wildflowers usually start blooming in the north from June, until November in the area south of Perth. In the stretch north of Perth, that is incorporated in the Darwin to Perth adventure, these are usually showing in July/August. Western Australia is renowned for having one of the most spectacular displays of wildflowers in the world!

Seasons can be complex to understand in Australia as the country is so vast. It dramatically varies depending on where you are (read this blog if you’d like to find out more).

Galah – a beautiful cockatoo found widespread in Australia

If you’re heading off from Darwin and exploring the Top End, this area is best to explore in the ‘dry season’ which is roughly the months of May through to September (winter months). Summer, which is more humid and much hotter, is the ‘wet season’ and you might find that some of the roads in these areas can become impassable due to flash flooding. However, the main highway around Australia is usually open. Our advice is if you decide to travel outside of the ‘dry season’ to try and be as flexible as you can as the wet season is unpredictable.

Whether you are travelling from Darwin to Perth or vice versa, it’s more important that you plan to be in the Top End at the right time. In terms of the best direction to travel, it is more about when you travel. If you’re starting earlier in the season, it is best to travel in the Perth to Darwin direction and later in the season, the reverse route of Darwin to Perth applies. The best months to be in the Top End are June, July and August. The ‘build up’ usually happens Oct – Dec in the Top End, which is when the humidity is very high.

Some of the average temperatures you’ll experience along this route are (in °C ):

How long should you consider taking for this route?

The stunning Turquoise Beach in WA

We’d suggest taking a minimum of 25 days. Our escorted motorhome tour runs over 35 days which allows more time and gives you a chance to really experience this route. However, many of our retired clients take about 6 weeks or even longer explore this picturesque route. If you have the time, you won’t be disappointed, there is plenty to see and do between Darwin and Perth.

We have more travel tips and highlights for this route in our Darwin to Perth travel route, that offers a wealth of information for those who are planning an independent trip along this stunning route. You can also refer to the Camps Australia Wide Guide book which provides a comprehensive range of camp sites and tourist park information. This book can be purchased from us for AU$65, or you can obtain a free copy if you book a selected motorhome with us for a minimum of 21 days (conditions apply).

There is also an app you can purchase for a low cost, called ‘Wiki Camps’ if you use a smart phone or tablet, plus the information centres en-route are a gold mine for local information.

Please contact us if you’d like to receive information hot off the press for future escorted motorhome tours.