From vineyards to forests of giant trees, dolphin-frolicked coastlines to spectacular red gorges, Western Australia defines the great outdoors. There’s nowhere better for wide open spaces, big skies and even bigger landscapes, and you can experience the grandest of natural wonders and unique experiences with AAT Kings.
AAT Kings provides the key to unlocking a Western Australian journey of a lifetime. Travel worry-free, having the logistics all taken care of (as well as the driving). Just sit back, gaze out the window, and soak up Western Australia’s incredible views at every turn.
Head south from Perth on a Western Wonderland or South Western Escape tour, for example, and the Margaret River Region showcases not just premium wine country but magnificently rugged coastlines too. At Cape Leeuwin, Australia’s tallest lighthouse offers windswept panoramas of wild beaches and turquoise waters.
Inland, forests loom like something from a fantasy novel; don’t miss the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, which takes you high into the canopy of the towering tingle trees. Of course, no adventure is complete without tucking into regional flavours, so you’ll also enjoy a winery lunch and tastings, sample handmade chocolates and learn about olive oil.
This is just the start of WA’s south-west corner. Albany sits on an extravagant harbour, is noted for whale watching, and is surrounded by national parks with spectacular rock formations. Further east, Esperance is fronted by peacock-coloured waters studded with islands; even kangaroos shuffle onto the white sand beaches to relax.
This is the way to travel: AAT Kings has done all the hard work, leaving you more time to simply soak up the scenery.
Everything in WA is big, and not just landscapes: gold rush town Kalgoorlie has its Super Pit, an open cut mine deep enough to fit a skyscraper. But nature always draws you back. Wave Rock, 15 metres high and streaked with black algae and rust-coloured iron deposits, is a must-see Aussie icon. And the drive through the Wheatbelt, studded with granite outcrops, is spectacular during wildflower season when wattles, grevillea and everlastings bloom.
The Coral Coast, north of Perth, is an adventurer’s delight along a highway that flirts with red rock and blue ocean. AAT Kings’ Western Wonderland and Untamed Pilbara & West Coast tours take you there. At Yanchep National Park, the landscape comes to life through the stories of Derek Nannup, who explains its significance to the Noongar people.
Further on at The Pinnacles, limestone outcrops rise from orange sand to create a spectacle of desert erosion. Kalbarri National Park flaunts rust-red gorges and sapphire-skirted coastal cliffs, and Shark Bay has gin-clear waters where dugongs, turtles and manta rays wander. At Monkey Mia you can encounter famously friendly bottlenose dolphins.
Further north again, the shallow waters around Exmouth are draped in Australia’s most extensive fringing reefs. Take a cruise in a glass-bottom boat to get insider knowledge about this magnificent environment. For yet another WA experience you won’t soon forget, swim with gentle whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef.
Inland lies WA’s remote Pilbara. In Karijini National Park, flamboyant red gorges are twisted through with white and purple minerals, sheltering fern-lined pools and waterfalls. Karijini Eco Resort is one of AAT Kings’ special stays, and its unique outback restaurant features traditional bush tucker ingredients for a true taste of country.
Broome is the jewel of northern WA. Explore the charms of Chinatown, indulge in a spot of pearl shopping and admire 125-million-year-old dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point. Then unwind on Cable Beach, where the fabled sunset is best enjoyed with a cocktail in hand.
AAT Kings’ Untamed Kimberley tour takes you between Broome and Darwin through Australia’s most majestic and remote corner. At Geikie Gorge orange cliffs are banded with white minerals.
The Bungle Bungle Range is an amazing sight, its purple and rust-red sandstone humps rising like giant Gothic cathedrals. A scenic flight over these beehive domes, or a 4WD excursion into them, is an awe-inspiring experience far beyond the ordinary, as bold and spectacular as everything else in Western Australia.
Untamed Pilbara & West Coast
Length:
13 days
Overnights:
Broome, Port Hedland, Karijini National Park, Exmouth, Carnarvon, Monkey Mia, Geraldton and Perth.
Hand-picked destinations:
Vlamingh Head Lighthouse, Ningaloo Reef, Cape Range National Park, Coral Bay, Murchison River, The Pinnacles and Yanchep National Park.
Price:
From $8651 adult twin.
Find out more at AATKings.com
Western Wonderland
Length:
15 days
Overnights:
Perth, Wave Rock, Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Albany, Margaret River, Fremantle, Geraldton, Monkey Mia and Kalbarri.
Hand-picked destinations:
Boddington, Cape Le Grand National Park, Lucky Bay, Stirling Ranges, Cape Leeuwin, Busselton, Yanchep National Park, The Pinnacles and Shark Bay.
Price:
Was $6570, now from $6270 adult twin (save $600 per couple).
Find out more at AATKings.com
The Wildflower Wanderer
Length:
7 days
Overnights:
Perth, Kalbarri, Geraldton and Perth.
Hand-picked destinations:
Dongara, Mullewa, Kalbarri National Park, The Pinnacles and Hutt Lagoon (Pink Lake).
Price:
Was $3090, now from $2940 adult twin (save $300 per couple).
Find out more at AATKings.com
Wonders of the Kimberley
Length:
11 days
Overnights:
Darwin, Katherine, Kununurra, El Questro, Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and Broome.
Hand-picked destinations:
East Point Military Reserve, Adelaide River War Cemetery, Nitmiluk National Park, Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, Lake Argyle, Ord River, Gibb River Road, Cockburn Ranges, Emma Gorge, Great Sandy Desert, Chamberlain Gorge and Geikie Gorge.
Price:
From $7601 adult twin.
