Western Australia

Six Days Off the Highway: Chasing Tracks Between Halls Creek and Kununurra

Most people run the sealed road between Halls Creek and Kununurra. We took the long way instead, chasing drop pins down every side track we could find. Here's how six days of it played out.

The natural amphitheatre of Cathedral Gorge in Purnululu National Park, a huge curved rock overhang framing a still green pool, with sunlit orange cliffs and a gap of pale sky beyond.

Four Nights in the Bungle Bungles: Walks & Gorges

We spent four nights inside the Bungle Bungles with one goal: to see as much of it as we could on foot. Here is how the gorges, the domes and one very early sunrise played out.

A couple stand at the edge of a green pool beneath a tall waterfall spilling down a red rock amphitheatre in the Kimberley.

Kununurra to Purnululu: Swimming Holes, a Hidden Waterfall and a Morning on Country

We worked our way south from Kununurra through a string of swimming holes, talked our way into a hidden waterfall behind a locked gate, and spent a humbling morning on country with a Gija traditional owner at Violet Valley.

A white Hilux and silver 79 Series parked at the Cockburn Ranges lookout on the Gibb River Road, the flat-topped escarpment stretching across the horizon.

Gibb River Road Early Season: Rain, Gorges and the Pentecost

Rain that pinned us down, gorges running harder than we'd ever seen, and the mighty Pentecost crossing. Our early season run down the eastern half of the Gibb.

Both our rigs beside the sticker-covered Gibb River Road sign on red dirt near Derby

Starting the Gibb River Road: Windjana, Tunnel Creek, Mount Hart and Adcock Gorge

After more than two months on the road, we finally made it to the Gibb River Road. Over our first stretch we took on Windjana Gorge just a day after it reopened, walked the full length of Tunnel Creek, pushed deep into Mount Hart on 50 kilometres of rough, flooded track, and swam at Adcock Gorge before the rain caught up with us. Here's the lot from the start of one of Australia's most iconic 4WD adventures.

Aerial view of glassy water reflections at Coongan Pool with red Pilbara ranges in the background, near Marble Bar WA.

Things to Do in Marble Bar: Gorges, Gold and a Back Track to Port Hedland

Looking for things to do in Marble Bar? Australia's hottest town might not look like much at first glance, but the country surrounding it is some of the best we've seen all trip. We hiked into Glen Herring Gorge, tried our luck at prospecting on the Marble Bar Common, stumbled across a surprising WWII secret at the Comet Gold Mine Museum, camped beside the red walls of Doolena Gorge and the green water of Coongan Pool, then took a six hour 4WD detour back to Port Hedland that

Aerial view of two 4WDs camped beside a small waterway, surrounded by dense paper bark trees at Skull Springs in the Pilbara.

Four Pilbara Free Camps That Don't Fit The Picture

When you think Pilbara, you think red dirt, spinifex, heat haze stretching to the horizon. You don't think paper barks, crystal clear water, rope swings. But that's exactly what we found, four times back to back. From a hidden waterway off Skull Springs Road to a gorge wall that has to be seen to be believed, these Pilbara free camps were some of the best free camping we've ever done.

Two 4WD vehicles parked on the edge of a deep red rock canyon at Eagle Rock Falls in the Pilbara, with mountain ranges fading into the distance under a partly cloudy sky.

One Week, Zero People: Exploring the Newman Backcountry in WA

A week deep in the Newman backcountry without seeing another vehicle. From the chaotic water crossings into Kalgan's Pool to the cliff top campsite at Eagle Rock Falls, two unforecast storms, ancient petroglyphs at Punda and the most recently discovered meteorite crater in Australia. This remote stretch of the Pilbara delivered some of the most stunning scenery and untouched country we've ever explored, and proved exactly why a properly equipped 4WD opens up a different side

Camp oven cooking on an open fire at George Gorge with sheer red rock cliffs in the background, West Pilbara Western Australia

George Gorge & Python Pool | West Pilbara 4WD Adventure

The Pilbara has a way of pulling you back. This leg of our half lap of Australia took us through the west of the region, starting with campfire cooking at Pannawonica Hill before a sunset scramble to Nature's Window. Things didn't quite go to plan from there, but every wrong turn led us somewhere worth finding. We ended up at George Gorge with sheer red cliffs, clear water and a camp spot we didn't want to leave. The Pilbara always delivers.

Overhead drone shot of the red sand cliffs meeting white sand beach and calm shallows at Francois Peron National Park, with a lone person walking along the shore for scale.

Clear Water, White Sand, Red Dirt: Francois Peron National Park

After a crazy few weeks on the road, Francois Peron National Park was exactly the reset we needed. Two days of red dirt, soft sand, glassy water and wildlife everywhere we looked. From sharks and stingrays in the shallows to a sunset dinner at Cape Peron and a glassy final morning at Little Lagoon — here's how it unfolded, plus everything you need to know to plan your own trip.

Aerial view of a Toyota Hilux and 79 Series LandCruiser parked on white sand at Shelter Bay near Steep Point, Western Australia, with turquoise shallows in the foreground and two people sitting between the vehicles under an awning.

Shelter Bay Camping Near Steep Point: When Plans A and B Fall Apart

Cyclone Narelle shut down Francois Peron National Park, so we activated Plan C and rolled out to Shelter Bay near Steep Point. The run in across the big sand dune, a running repair on the rooftop tent, two to three hours a day when the wind eased, and some of the clearest water in Western Australia. Not the plan we started with, but one of the best camps of the trip so far. Here is how the shoulder season, a cyclone and a locked gate led us somewhere better.

Two 4WD vehicles camped on the banks of Cameron's Lake at sunset, surrounded by flowering banksias and native bush in the Western Australian wheatbelt

Ellendale Pool, Kidney Stones and a Cyclone: Our First Week on the Road

We'd been planning this trip for years. Vehicles prepped, systems tested, itinerary mapped out. And then, approximately five days in, Paul ended up in the emergency department of Geraldton Hospital at 10pm while a Category Two cyclone bore down on the coast. Week one of our six-month adventure north had other ideas - but not before delivering some absolutely cracking campsites.