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.

Discover the perfect road trip stopover between Perth and wine country.

Western Australia punches above its weight when it comes to coastal hot spots, but no other town or city has seen a tourism boom quite like Mandurah. Named Australia’s Top Tourism Town in 2023 , it’s the relaxed, beachside break you’ve been searching for. And it’s perfectly placed, sitting between Margaret River and Perth, as it’s just a 55-minute drive from Perth’s CBD. Which is why we’ve put together your ultimate Mandurah guide.

Aerial view of Mandurah. — Plan your perfect coastal escape to Australia’s Top Tourism Town of 2023.

The best things to do in Mandurah

Wetlands and rivers, ocean and inlet; Mandurah’s laid-back lifestyle centres around the aquatic. Its waterways cover twice the ground of Sydney Harbour – measuring some 134 square kilometres in total – and form a unique environment for oceanic and estuarine flora and fauna to thrive.

In the city’s estuary lives perhaps the region’s most famed inhabitants – a resident pod of 100 bottlenose dolphins – and the inlet’s silty bottom is home to the prized blue manna crab. Spot the former breaching and playing on an hour-long dolphin cruise through the channels, or try your hand at catching the latter by wading through the estuary’s shallows with a scoop net in hand.

While swimming at the circular Kwillena Gabi Pool, chance encounters with the local wildlife aren’t uncommon. The sheltered estuarine pool takes its name from the traditional custodians of the land, the Bindjareb people, and directly translates to ‘dolphin waters’. Jutting out of the eastern foreshore, it’s enclosed by a ring of net-free floating pontoons, which allow the dolphins to swim freely through the attraction.

If that’s a little too close for comfort, book a kayak tour with Down Under Discoveries . The dolphins have been known to cruise beside the paddle-powered crafts, which are a fun, family-friendly way to explore the city’s inner waterways.

Dolphins swimming in Mandurah. — Watch dolphins glide by as you explore Mandurah.

You don’t have to be on the water to appreciate the coastal city’s aquatic beauty, with 600 kilometres of cycleways and scenic walking trails traversing Mandurah’s estuary, inlet and coast.

Follow the 30-kilometre coastal trail and you’ll come face to face with one of Thomas Dambo’s headline-making ‘Giants of Mandurah sculptures, Santi Ikto, along the way. There are five sculptures around Mandurah in total, hidden among gum-filled reserves or sitting sentry over the water.

Head to the Mandurah Visitor Centre to pick up a map to pinpoint their exact location and download the traveller’s companion to learn more about the sights along the way. Or join a three-hour e-bike tour from The Bike Kiosk and you’ll stop by two of the giants – Santi Ikto and Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone – as you sightsee central Mandurah.

The towering Santi Ikto, one of Thomas Dambo’s iconic Giants of Mandurah. — Meet Santi Ikto, one of the legendary Giants of Mandurah.

Where to eat in Mandurah

Mandurah’s culinary scene reflects its laid-back lifestyle, with large, honest meals and locally brewed beer. After visiting Lake Clifton’s 2000-year-old thrombolites, head to the peppermint and gum-shaded beer garden at Thorny Devil Brewery . Tuck into a platter of house-smoked meats and an ale pulled fresh from the tanks. Closer to town and right on the waterfront is Boundary Island Brewery ; here, woodfired pizza, pub-style seafood dishes and easy-drinking brews are centre stage.

On a Murray River Lunch Cruise , the focus is as much on the environment around you as the food you’re filling up on. Help yourself to the colourful salads and freshly cooked meats on the buffet as you meander up the winding, jarrah tree-lined waterway, stopping at the heritage Cooper’s Mill for a quick walking tour along the way.

Keep your eyes trained on the Creery Wetlands as you pass – you’ll spot much of the region’s migratory birdlife, and, as always, might see the playful bottlenose dolphins in the inlet.

The most memorable meals aren’t necessarily always the fanciest, and lunch aboard a self-skippered Mandurah BBQ Boat is a testament to that. All food and beverage prep is left up to you as you cruise through the canals, sausages and steaks sizzling away on the central hot plate.

If seafood is more your kind of fare, board the Wild Seafood Experience , where dolphin cruise meets long table lunch. Eight courses of crab, crayfish and scallops await.

A table filled with plates of crab, crayfish, and scallops. — Dine on the water with eight courses of ocean-fresh fare.

Where to stay in Mandurah

With so many waterways comes abundant waterside stays. Like the self-contained Seashells Mandurah on the shores of Comet Bay. The calm, oceanic outlook from the one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and villas is as close to Maldivian as Mandurah gets. Families especially enjoy the property, bouncing between the protected cove and the beachfront pool for endless hours of fun.

The Sebel Mandurah , just a hop, skip and jump from the Mandurah Ocean Marina, has a different outlook entirely, overlooking the estuary and lively foreshore on the other side. It’s also within walking distance of the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre , cinema and a swathe of waterfront bars and eateries.

But you can’t get any closer to the water than on a vessel from Mandurah Houseboats . You don’t need a skipper’s ticket to hire one, nor do you need comprehensive boating experience; just a full driver’s license and your undivided attention during the pre-departure tuition will do. Then you’re free to take to the estuaries and tributaries for a few nights of peaceful rest, surrounded by the very element that makes Mandurah so special.

A houseboat cruising in Mandurah along the river — Captain a houseboat to explore Mandurah at your own pace.

Plan your next WA getaway in Mandurah.

The best short break stays in WA