Best Short Break Stays in WA | Australian Traveller

From sustainable station and wilderness stays to the ultimate beach and glamping escapes, our WA picks.

Farmers’ Home Hotel, Northam

A destination in itself, in a town that’s fast becoming Perth’s weekend destination of choice, the boutique Farmers’ Home Hotel has spades of country charm brought to life in the atmospheric surrounds of a public house whose history stretches back to 1866. Some of its 16 rooms feature a balcony, stained-glass windows or fireplaces, and all have Aesop amenities and king-size beds.

General Manager Rod Black, who hails from properties like Tassie’s Henry Jones and Pumphouse Point, knows a thing or two about making you feel at home and the good old-fashioned inn-keeping hospitality extends to its Dôme Café and The Temperance Bar.

Inside the rooms at Farmers’ Home Hotel, Northam.

Kooljaman at Cape Leveque, Dampier Peninsula

A few days spent at this off-grid Indigenous-owned wilderness camp three hours by 4WD from Broome will see you slip away from the everyday and into an extraordinary world of Bardi Jawi Country.

Spend a few days off-grid at the Indigenous-owned wilderness camp, Kooljaman.

Kooljaman at Cape Leveque, Dampier Peninsula. (Image: Tourism WA)

Check into a safari tent, log cabin or Bardi-style beach camping shelter and plug into your surrounds: all red pindan cliffs, coastal dunes and turquoise ocean with bountiful wildlife for company. Take part in unique Aboriginal tours and dine at Raugi’s Restaurant.

Smiths Beach Resort, Yallingup

Part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World portfolio and a stone’s throw from the wineries and restaurants of the Margaret River region, this beach retreat overlooking the Indian Ocean near Yallingup is the stuff weekends are made of.

The architecturally award-winning resort sits lightly on the landscape between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin and there is luxury here in the flexibility of offering, too: with everything from apartments to villas to beach houses to stylish and pocket-friendly beach shacks, all decked out in a palette of beachy tones.

Inside the Ocean View Villa at Smiths Beach Resort.

Unalloyed access to the white sands of Smiths Beach, plus an infinity pool, kids’ pool, yoga, tennis court, restaurant, gourmet deli and wine shop – Lamont’s Smiths Beach – complete the picture.

Wooleen Station, Murchison

A station stay with a difference four hours’ drive north-east of Geraldton, Wooleen Station covers more than 150,000 hectares of mulga shrub-shrouded rangelands and plays a leading role in preserving and sustaining the unique ecology of the Murchison region.

Owners David and Frances Pollock are dedicated to regenerating Wooleen after years of overstocking and to connecting guests to the country via a nature-based stay. Bed down in the National Trust-listed homestead, rammed earth guesthouses or one of three campsites at the property and don’t miss a sunset tour with David and Frances.

Sunset at Wooleen Station, Murchison. (Image: Nic Duncan)

Mile End Glamping, Margaret River region

A 15-minute drive from Margaret River, Dunsborough and Busselton and providing ready access to wineries and nature, this unique Margaret River getaway dishes up the essential ingredients for a perfect weekend. Set on an idyllic 58-hectare private estate and with valley views, each Mile End Glamping geodesic dome boasts an en suite, king bed and spacious deck with outdoor bath and barbecue.

Aiyana Retreat, Denmark

These four luxuriously earthy villas in a serene bushland setting are furnished with handcrafted ceramics and local timbers. And between its offering of yoga, massage and an all-permeating air of tranquillity, Aiyana Retreat is so geared around relaxation that it might be hard to tear yourself away to the stunning local sights of Denmark and the Rainbow Coast.

The Local Hotel, South Fremantle

Feel like a Freo local for the weekend at The Local Hotel, one of WA’s oldest trading hotels reimagined as a friendly neighbourhood watering hole with boutique lodgings upstairs. Rooms have been creatively and individually styled by a handful of the establishment’s local friends and the various bars and dining spaces downstairs, from the loungey Whiskey Bar to the industrial-chic Garage, have different moods and sensibilities covered, too.

This remote corner of Australia is one of the world’s last frontiers. This is how to see it properly.

Vast, rugged and deeply spiritual, the Kimberley coast in Australia’s North West feels a world away from everyday Australia – and there are countless ways to explore it. But if you want to reach ancient rock art, hidden gorges and lonely waterfalls, it has to be by boat. Whether you’re aboard a nimble expedition vessel or a luxury yacht with all the trimmings, exploring by the water brings exclusive experiences, shows unique views and makes travel easier than any other mode. And that’s just the beginning of Australia’s North West cruises.

The True North Adventure Cruise in between sandstone cliffs. — Adventure starts where the road ends.

1. Discover Broome, and beyond

Explore your launchpad before you set sail: Broome. Here camels and their riders stride along the 22 kilometres of powdery Cable Beach at sunset. That’s just the start.

At Gantheaume Point, red pindan cliffs plunge into the turquoise sea, whose low tide uncovers fossilised dinosaur footprints. Broome’s pearling history runs deep. Japanese, Chinese, Malay and Aboriginal divers once worked these waters, and their legacy lives on in boutiques where South Sea pearls still shine.

If the moon’s right, you may catch the Staircase to the Moon over Roebuck Bay. Or simply kick back with a cold beverage and a film under the stars at Sun Pictures , screening since 1916.

Ride a camel along Cable Beach as the sun sinks into the Indian Ocean, casting golden light across the sand and sea. — Ride a camel along Cable Beach. (Image: Nick Dunn)

2. Unmatched access to The Kimberley

Once you’re onboard, expect a backstage pass to some of the most isolated places on Earth. No roads. No ports. No phone reception.

At Horizontal Falls/ Garaanngaddim, 10-metre tides surge through twin gorges like a natural waterpark ride that’ll make your palms sweat. Then there’s Montgomery Reef/ Yowjab: a giant living platform of coral and seagrass, where the sea pulls back to reveal waterfalls, sea turtles and ospreys.

Up north, King George Falls/ Oomari rage 80 metres down red cliffs. Zodiac boats often nudge in closer so you can feel the spray on your sun-warmed cheeks. You might even fly in to reach Mitchell Falls/ Punamii-unpuu, a four-tiered cascade where you can swim in freshwater pools above the drop.

Come spring, some itineraries veer west to Rowley Shoals: an atoll chain of white sand and reef walls. Then it’s up the winding Prince Regent River to King Cascade/ Maamboolbadda, tumbling over rock terraces, and into a Zodiac to view the Gwion Gwion rock art, whose slender, ochre-painted figures are older than the pyramids.

A cruise drifts beneath King George Falls, where sheer sandstone cliffs frame the thunderous plunge into turquoise waters. — Get closer to the Kimberley than ever before.

3. Taste the Kimberley with onboard hospitality

You might spend your days clambering over slippery rocks or charging past waterfalls. But when you’re back on the water, it’s a different story. Meals are chef-prepared and regionally inspired: grilled barramundi, pearl meat sashimi, mango tarts, and bush tomato chutney. One night it’s barefoot beach barbecues with your shipmates; the next, alfresco dining on the ship.

Small expedition ships each have their own personality, but many carry just 12 to 36 guests, making being out on the water a whole other experience. You might sink into a spa on the foredeck or sip coffee in a lounge while watching crocodiles cruise by. It’s choose-your-own-relaxation, Kimberley style.

4. Expert-led excursions through the Kimberley

These voyages are led by people who know the Kimberley like the back of their sunburnt hand. Attenborough-esque naturalists might gently tap your shoulder to point out rare birds or tell the story beneath a slab of rock. Historians can explain exactly how that rusted World War II relic came to rest here.

If your ship has a helipad, you might chopper straight to a waterfall-fed swimming hole. If not, you’ll still be hopping ashore for that wet landing at a secret creek.

Then come the evenings: songlines shared by Traditional Owners under the stars, or astronomy sessions that link what’s overhead with what’s underfoot and what’s within.

A small group glides through Kimberley’s rugged coastline by boat, passing ancient cliffs. — Explore with naturalists and historians by your side.

5. Relax in luxurious lodgings

Just because you’re off-grid doesn’t mean you have to rough it. These Kimberley vessels are small in size, but mighty in luxury. True North’s ships come with their own helicopters and a no-sea-days policy, so you’re always in the thick of it. Try the luxurious offerings from Ocean Dream Charters for exploration in style. Kimberley Quest offers a fast boat for easy, off-ship adventures. On the larger end of the scale, Coral Expeditions has open-deck bars and curated wine cellars. And then there’s Ponant’s luxury yachts – sleek and incredibly stylish French sailing yachts.

A helicopter soars above the sea, with a sleek cruise ship gliding in the distance. — See the Kimberley from sky to shore.

6. The adventure continues with pre- and post-cruise experiences

You’ve already come this far – so, why not go further? Broome makes it easy to ease in before you board, or wind down when your voyage ends, and there is no reason to stop there.

Head an hour and a half south to Eco Beach to stay off-grid and off the clock. Join a Yawuru guide for a mangrove walk or ocean forage. Dive even deeper into Broome’s pearling past at Willie Creek or Cygnet Bay, where divers and craftspeople still pull the seawater-slicked gems from the deep.

If you’re still craving adventure, it’s time to go further. Soar over the Buccaneer Archipelago, or detour inland with a 4WD trip along the Gibb River Road. Book a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles. Or – because you never know when you’ll be back – do all three.

aerial of people walking on eco beach in the kimberley western australia — Stay off grid at Eco Beach. (Image: Tourism WA)

Find out more about your trip to Australia’s North West at australiasnorthwest.com .

The best short break stays in WA