5 Day Road Trip Melbourne to Perth
Looking to make the road trip from Melbourne to Perth? This itinerary will get you there in just 5 days of driving. Keep in mind, each day of driving is on average 8 hours per day, you can of course make this itinerary longer based on your own needs.
I have also created a 15 day coastal drive from Melbourne to Perth, which is a slower, coastal drive with more stops along the way, and shorter driving days. The coastal route will bypass some of the most incredible beaches and towns of Western Australia, including Esperance, Bremer Bay, Denmark, Margaret River, Busselton and more.
This 5 day itinerary will take you across the Nullarbor (Ceduna - Norseman), before driving this trip, you should find out everything you need to know before crossing the Nullarbor.
Day 1: Melbourne - Adelaide
Day 2: Adelaide - Ceduna
Day 3: Ceduna - Border Village
Day 4: Border Village - Norseman
Day 5: Norseman - Perth
Day 1: Melbourne - Adelaide
Driving Time: Approximately 8 hours
Distance: Approximately 726km
Time Zone Difference: You will gain half an hour when crossing the Victorian/South Australian Border when travelling from Melbourne to Adelaide.
Things to do in between:
Sovereign Hill, Ballarat
Halls Gap National Park
Pink Lake, Dimboola
Bordertown stop off
Tailem Bend stop off
Mount Barker / Hahndorf
Day 2: Adelaide - Ceduna
Driving Time: Approximately 8.5 hours
Distance: Approximately 777km
Things to do in between:
Fill up on groceries in Adelaide (this will be the cheapest grocery stop until you reach Perth)
Visit Glenelg beach and town centre
Relax at Henley Beach
Explore the city of Adelaide
Visit Port Augusta
Relax in the caravan parks of Ceduna
Day 3: Ceduna - Border Village
Driving Time: Approximately 5 hours
Distance: Approximately 481km
Time Zone Difference: Border Village town has its own time zone of -/+ 45 minutes, separate from South Australian and Western Australian time zones, keep note of this when travelling and if you are setting an alarm to head off early the next morning.
Things to do in between:
Penong Windmills, Penong
Sand Dundes & Historic Stone Houses, Fowlers Bay
The famous Nullarbor Road House
Bunda Cliffs & Whale Watching, Head of the Bight
Blow Holes & Caves, Cocklebiddy, Caiguna & Murrawijinie Caves
Old Telegraph Station, Eucla
Iconic Road Signs, jump out and get a photo in front of the Nullarbor Plain sign, wildlife signs, and more.
Day 4: Border Village to Norseman
Driving Time: Approximately 7.5 hours
Distance: Approximately 721km
Time Zone Difference: depending on whether it is daylight savings time or not when you travel, you will gain approximately 1.5hrs when crossing the SA/WA border into Western Australia.
Things to do in between:
Mundrabilla Roadhouse
Madura Roadhouse
Fraser Range
90 Mile Straight sign
Cocklebiddy Roadhouse
Norseman Visitor Centre
Day 5: Norseman to Perth
Driving Time: Approximately 8 hours
Distance: Approximately 721km
Things to do in between:
Lake Ballard
Gwalia Ghost Town
For a more scenic option, you can take the coastal route from Norseman to Perth, via Esperance. This route will require more travel days, however will bypass some of the most incredible beaches and towns of Western Australia, including Esperance, Bremer Bay, Denmark, Margaret River, Busselton and more. If you would like to explore this route, here is a link to my 15 day coastal trip from Melbourne to Perth.
