Seven days from Perth: quokkas, jetties, and a slow loop through the south-west
The friendliest marsupials on earth, the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere, and a week of short drives.
Most trips out of Perth start with a long drive. This one doesn’t. The south-west has the country’s friendliest wildlife, its longest wooden jetty, and some of its best cellar doors — all within easy daily hops of the LGM Perth branch.
Seven unrushed days lets you do Rottnest, the coast, and the Margaret River wine country without compressing any of it into a forced march. The longest single drive is broken into two with a lunch stop. Two days have no motorhome driving at all. This is the south-west at the pace it’s meant to be seen.
WA’s roads are excellent and the fuel coverage on this route is total. Nothing here is remote, nothing is rushed, and the quokkas are exactly as good as the internet promised.
The country’s friendliest wildlife, its longest wooden jetty, and a week of short drives. The south-west at the right pace.
The trip at a glance
Here’s what the week looks like before we go day by day.
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Day 1 — Perth to Fremantle. 25 km, 30 min.
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Day 2 — Rottnest day. Ferry — no motorhome driving.
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Day 3 — Fremantle to Mandurah. 75 km, 1 hr.
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Day 4 — Mandurah to Bunbury. 100 km, 1 hr 15 min.
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Day 5 — Bunbury to Busselton. 50 km, 45 min.
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Day 6 — Busselton to Margaret River. 55 km, 50 min.
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Day 7 — Margaret River back to Perth. Split into two legs.
Total drive distance over the week: around 580 km. The longest day, the return, is split into two legs of about 75 minutes each. Two days have no motorhome driving at all — Rottnest and the Margaret River cellar afternoon.
Day 1 — Perth to Fremantle
DRIVE · Perth → Fremantle · 25 km · 30 minutes
Collect the motorhome from the LGM Perth branch and drive the short 30 minutes to Fremantle. The first day is deliberately tiny — get the vehicle, get to Freo, and start slow.
Stay at Coogee Beach Holiday Park. Spend the afternoon walking Fremantle’s cappuccino strip and the Fishing Boat Harbour, and have dinner at one of the harbour restaurants. Tomorrow is the big one, so tonight is for settling in.
Day 2 — Rottnest day
DRIVE · Ferry day — motorhome stays at Coogee
The ferry to Rottnest leaves from Fremantle. Leave the motorhome at the caravan park and go across as a foot passenger — the island has no private cars, which is part of what makes it work.
Hire bikes at the jetty and ride the island loop. The quokkas are everywhere and entirely unbothered by people — the selfie is real, and it’s as good as advertised. Swim at the Basin and Pinky Beach, walk up to Wadjemup Lighthouse, and catch a late ferry back to Fremantle. This is the hero day of the trip and it earns it.
The quokkas are everywhere and entirely unbothered by people. The selfie is real, and it’s as good as advertised.
Day 3 — Fremantle to Mandurah
DRIVE · Fremantle → Mandurah · 75 km · 1 hour
An hour south to Mandurah, a waterway city built around canals and an estuary. Stay at BIG4 Mandurah.
Take a dolphin canal cruise in the afternoon — Mandurah has a resident pod and the cruises reliably find them. Walk the Mandurah Foreshore, have dinner at the marina, and watch the sun go down over the water. Another short driving day, another slow afternoon.
Day 4 — Mandurah to Bunbury
DRIVE · Mandurah → Bunbury · 100 km · 1 hour 15 minutes
75 minutes further south to Bunbury. Stay at Discovery Parks Bunbury Foreshore.
The draw here is the dolphins at Koombana Bay — you can wade in from the Dolphin Discovery Centre beach and there’s a real chance of a close encounter on the centre’s guided wades. Walk the boardwalk to Back Beach for sunset.
Day 5 — Bunbury to Busselton
DRIVE · Bunbury → Busselton · 50 km · 45 minutes
A 45-minute hop to Busselton. Stay at the RAC Busselton Holiday Park.
The Busselton Jetty is the longest timber-piled jetty in the southern hemisphere — 1.8 kilometres out into Geographe Bay, with an underwater observatory at the end where you descend below the surface to see the artificial reef that’s grown on the pylons. Walk it or take the little train. Spend the late afternoon on the beach.
Day 6 — Busselton to Margaret River
DRIVE · Busselton → Margaret River · 55 km · 50 minutes
Under an hour down to Margaret River, one of the country’s great wine regions. Stay at the Margaret River Tourist Park or one of the estate-adjacent parks.
Spend the afternoon at the cellar doors — Vasse Felix, Voyager Estate, and Leeuwin Estate are the famous three, and a motorhome means nobody has to be the designated driver. Dinner at one of the estate restaurants. This is a no-pressure afternoon: a few tastings, a long lunch, no driving once you’ve arrived.
Day 7 — Margaret River back to Perth
DRIVE · Margaret River → Perth, split with stops · 275 km total · Two legs via Bunbury and Mandurah
The longest drive of the week, deliberately broken. Margaret River to Bunbury first, around 1 hour 15 minutes, coffee and a stretch. Then Bunbury back towards Perth with a lunch stop at Mandurah, and the final run to the LGM Perth branch.
Split into legs with real breaks, the return is a pleasant day rather than a slog. Seven days, two of them with no driving at all, and the south-west seen properly rather than skimmed.
Practical notes for the trip
Fuel and route
The South Western Highway and the Forrest Highway are major routes with service stations every 30 to 50 kilometres the entire way. Every town on this itinerary — Mandurah, Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River — has full fuel availability.
Our fuel info page links the federal government’s fuel availability site for the national picture. For this route, fuel is not a planning concern at any point.
Vehicle suitability
All LGM vehicle sizes are suitable. Rottnest is a foot-passenger ferry — the motorhome stays parked in Fremantle. Margaret River cellar door car parks accommodate motorhomes, though the boutique producers can be tighter — a sub-7m vehicle gives you more options.
Best season
Year-round. September to November is wildflower season inland. December to March is peak for Rottnest and the beaches. May to August is quieter and cheaper, with the trade-off that Rottnest weather is more variable — pack for it.
What to book in advance
Rottnest ferries should be booked ahead in peak season. Margaret River cellar door restaurants book out for weekend lunches. The caravan parks on this route are generally available closer to the date outside school holidays.
The Aussie Winter Wander Sale — 25% off May to July
WA is a year-round destination, which makes the 25% off the reason to go now instead of someday. Every May, June and July booking from the LGM Perth branch is discounted as part of the Aussie Winter Wander Sale.
The sale runs 15 May to 25 May. Once it’s over, full-price bookings return. If the south-west has been on the list for a while, the quokkas aren’t going anywhere — but the discount is.