Broome to Darwin Road Trip Recommendations📋

Next leg of the West Coast road trip is driving from Broome to Darwin. We only had 4 days for this particular relocation, meaning we did it very quickly and only stopped at a couple places on the way. This blog will be my recommendations on where we stopped and stayed.

Stop 1: Broome

Spend two to three days here to explore the town and rest after your road trip from Perth.

Stay: Roey Backpackers Party Bar - £13 a night

Stop 2: Cable or Gantheum Beach, Watching Camels & Sunset

Spend the day at the beach in Broome, relaxing and soaking up the sun. If you have more time, spend a whole day at both beaches, however if not, split your day by going to Gantheum Beach first before going to Cable Beach in the afternoon. If you have a 4WD you can drive straight onto Cable Beach to have a picnic or bonfire in the evening where you can watch the camels tour at sunset.

Stop 3: Bike/ Drive around Broome

If you don’t have a car, hire bicycles from Broomecycles for the day and explore Broome that way. Stop off at The Good Cartel, a cute cafe for lunch before cycling to Roebuck Bay Pier. Do a circle tour of Broome, which takes you back to Cable Beach, where you can have food at Zanders overlooking the beach to watch the sunset again.

Stop 4: Gantheaume Point and Dinosaur Prints, Broome

Explore Broome town and stop off at the little cafes, shops and bars. Have brunch at The Aarli, an Australian and Asian restaurant, highly recommended by all the locals. Then make your way to Gantheaume Point to look at the Dinosaur Prints and Rock Pools for sunset.

Stop 5: Coconut Wells, Broome

Length: 25km / 23 minutes drive

Drive to Coconut Wells either whilst you’re staying in Broome or as your first stop on your road trip to Darwin. If you want to see the rock pools clearly, make sure to go at low tide, however, if you want to see the lagoon filled with water, time it for high tide. Coconut Wells is accessible throughout the day so its up to you when you want to go.

To get to Coconut Wells, once you’re at the car park, if you don’t have a 4WD, you will need to walk to the pools as it is along an unsealed sandy road and it is recommended not to drive down on a 2WD. The walk down takes around 20 minutes. If you do have a 4WD, you can drive straight down, just drive past the sign which says you need a 4WD and follow the dirt track to the end.

Stop 6: Fitzroy Crossing

Length: 400km / 4 hours 15 minutes drive

After Coconut Wells, stop off at Fitzroy Crossing. We stopped here to visit Geike Gorge, but sadly it was closed due to it being wet season. I would recommend going to visit this National Park if you have time. We hope to come back here and properly see it next year.

Stop 7: Lake Argyle, Kununurra (Sunset Tour & Campsite)

Length: 70km / 50 minutes drive
Cost: $130 per person (snacks & biscuits soft drinks, 2x alcoholic drinks each)
Time: 2pm - 6pm

Do a sunset boat tour around Lake Argyle with Discovery Parks Lake Argyle.

The sunset tour is another more expensive activity but definitely worth it for what you get. The tour sets off around 2pm and you get the bus to the boat. The bus does a 10 minute tour around the dam where you learn about the history of it and Lake Argyle. Once on the boat, you tour around the lake stopping at different spots to croc watch, see wallaroos, feed fishies and see all different islands and bird life.

The final stop is where you can go for a sunset dip in the natural waters of the lake. This was by far the best bit, floating in the lake with foam noodles and drinking whilst you watch the sun begin to set. The guides get you back on the boat so you get to watch the sun fully set whilst eating the nibbles provided, a delicious range of meats, cheeses, fruits, and biscuits, it was such a feast!

Night 2 & 3: Discovery Parks Lake Argyle Campsite - £27 a night

I would recommend staying in Kununurra as a whole for at least two to three days. Spend your first night at Discovery Parks Lake Argyle where you do your sunset tour before spending one or two nights in Kununurra town at their parter campsite, Discovery Parks Lake Kununurra. From town it will be easier to explore the sights of Kununurra rather than from Lake Argyle, as it’s a 51 minute drive from there.

Stop 8: Bluff Point, Lake Argyle, Kununurra

Length: 5km / 2 hour hike return

Bluff Point is a gorgeous hike that you must do when you’re in Lake Argyle. You can do the hike for either sunrise or sunset. We chose to do it for sunset and it didn’t disappoint!

The hike starts from Discovery Park Lake Argyle‘s campsite. Walk past the infinity pool, turn left and walk up the hill until you get to a red sign with a man and arrow on it. Follow the trail down until you get to another sign pointing ‘Bluff Point’. Keep following the graffiti arrows on the ground and the signs for ‘Homestead’ until you get to a metal sign post pointing the way to ‘Bluff Point’. Follow the trail and arrows indicated on the ground and you will make it to the top in time to watch the sunset.

During the hike across you can see amazing views of Lake Argyle from all different viewpoints. As we went for sunset, we didn’t stay for that long as we didn’t want to hike back in the dark. When you make your way back, make sure to stick to the trail, we tried to do a shortcut but ended up getting lost and having to go back!

Stop 9: Mirima National Park, Kununurra

Length: 70km / 49 minutes drive (from Lake Argyle)

Spend the day exploring Mirima National Park right in the centre of Kununurra. If you don’t have the time or money to visit Purnululu National Park, spending the day at Mirima is a great substitute. Here you will be able to see the mini Bungle Bungles, which are these natural rock formations. They are colourful layered rocks which were formed from sediments left by creeks and windblown sand. The Park has 4 walking trails which you can choose from, ranging from 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes.

Stop 10: Kellys Knob, Kununurra

Length: / 1 hour hike return roughly

Kellys Knob is another hike in the centre of Kununurra that you must do. The best time to go is either for sunrise or sunset where you can see spectacular views over the town and Mirima National Park, however, it is accessible throughout the day. Follow the sealed road from town to a carpark where there is a short path, which leads up to steep steps and different viewing points. Once at the top you can see 360 views over Kununurra. You also have the choice to walk along Kelly’s Knob to more expansive views in both directions, however, the hike can be a lot harder for some, so it’s completely up to you.

Stop 11: Pump House Restaurant & Lake Kununurra

Length: 4.1km / 5 minute drive

Have a meal at PumpHouse in Kununurra, which was originally a pump station but got converted into a restaurant. It is a popular dining destination offering a unique dining experience where you can sit in the middle of the iconic structure and equipment of the original Pump Station whilst overlooking the gorgeous Lake Kununurra.

Stop 12: Darwin

Length: 821km / 8 hours 32 minutes drive

Set off to Darwin from Kununurra. We loved it at Kununurra so much that we ended up staying an extra night instead of going to Katherine. If you have more time than us, I would recommend stopping off in Katherine on the way to Darwin and explore the National Park there to break up your journey. We ended up doing this on our way to Cairns with our third relocation camper. Check out the Darwin blog for my recommendations on what to do there!