Western Australia Private Tours: 7-8 Days

Western Australia is the western third of the continent: a state the size of western Europe with barely two million people, most of them clustered in Perth. Everything else — the Pinnacles desert, the Margaret River vineyards, the quokka beaches of Rottnest, the red country around Broome and the Kimberley — sits beyond the city, often hours beyond it. A private car and driver turns those distances into a day out rather than a logistics exercise, and lets you set the pace from the moment you land.

Charter — car and driver

Charter means the vehicle and the driver are yours for the day, and the itinerary is yours too. Perth airport to the city is about 20 minutes, so a driver can meet you at arrivals and have you at Kings Park before the jet lag properly sets in. From there the car is a base: a morning in the city, an afternoon at Fremantle for fish and chips, a detour north to the Pinnacles — about 2 hours from Perth — timed so you arrive as the light softens over the limestone pillars. Because the driver knows the roads and the distances, you are not the one watching the clock or hunting for parking. Families with young children can stop when they need to; older travellers can keep the walking short and the driving comfortable. The car waits, the plan flexes, and nobody spends the day in the passenger seat with a map on their knees.

Private tour — the route planned too

A private tour goes a step further: we plan the route as well as provide the car. That matters in a state where the highlights pull in different directions. Rottnest Island is about 30 minutes by ferry from Perth, an easy half-day or full-day add-on. Margaret River wine country is about 3 hours south, which makes it a natural overnight rather than a day trip. Broome and the Kimberley are about 2 hours 30 minutes by air from Perth, so the north is a separate chapter of the trip, not a detour. We build the sequence around your dates, your interests and how much driving you actually want to do, then hand you a plan that holds together — wine tasting on one day, desert on another, a ferry crossing when the sea is calm. You get the structure of a guided tour without the crowd of one.

What to see

• Perth and Kings Park — the city's green heart, with views over the Swan River and the skyline.
• Rottnest Island and the quokkas, about 30 minutes by ferry from Perth.
• The Pinnacles desert, about 2 hours north of Perth.
• Margaret River wine country, about 3 hours south of Perth.
• Broome and the Kimberley, about 2 hours 30 minutes by air from Perth.

What to eat

Western Australia eats well and without fuss. Western Australian rock lobster is the local luxury, best taken simply grilled or chilled with a little butter. Margaret River chardonnay is the natural companion, and a drive through the wine country puts you within reach of the cellars themselves. In Perth, Asian food in Northbridge gives the city its late-night energy, a reminder of how close Australia sits to its neighbours. And at Fremantle, fish and chips by the harbour is the meal that needs no planning at all — order it, sit down, watch the boats. Tell your driver what you fancy and the day can be shaped around a long lunch or a quick bite, whichever suits the mood.

Getting there and around

Perth airport to the city is about 20 minutes by car, which makes the arrival pleasantly short. Perth to Rottnest ferry is about 30 minutes on the water. Perth to the Pinnacles is about 2 hours by road. Perth to Margaret River is about 3 hours. Perth to Broome is about 2 hours 30 minutes by air. Western Australia is a fly-and-drive destination: distances defeat a road trip from the east coast, so the sensible pattern is to fly between regions and use a private car within each. That is exactly how we structure charter days and private tours — short hops by air, comfortable drives on the ground, no wasted hours on highways that lead nowhere you wanted to go.

When to come

September to November and March to May are the sweet spots, with mild days and comfortable driving conditions across the south. Summer is very hot inland, so if the Pinnacles or the interior are on your list, plan those mornings early and keep the afternoons shaded. The north is best in the dry season from May to October, when the Kimberley roads and gorges are at their most accessible. If your trip combines Perth, the south-west and the north, we will sequence the regions so the weather works with you rather than against you.

Frequently asked questions

Is a private car suitable for families with young children?

Yes. The car is yours for the day, so stops, nap breaks and snack pauses are built into the schedule rather than squeezed around a group timetable. Child seats can be arranged when you book, and shorter driving days can be planned around Rottnest or Fremantle.

Can older travellers manage the itinerary without too much walking?

We plan the route with walking distances in mind. Kings Park, the Fremantle waterfront and the Margaret River cellar doors all allow for short, gentle strolls, and the driver can drop you close to each stop. Longer walks are optional, never compulsory.

How many days do we need to see the highlights?

Perth and Kings Park fit easily into a day, and Rottnest is about 30 minutes by ferry, so it can be a half-day or a full one. The Pinnacles are about 2 hours north and Margaret River about 3 hours south, so each deserves a day or an overnight. Broome and the Kimberley are about 2 hours 30 minutes by air from Perth and are best treated as a separate stay of several days.

Do we need to fly within Western Australia?

For the north, yes. Perth to Broome is about 2 hours 30 minutes by air, and driving that distance would consume days. For the south-west and the Pinnacles, the car is enough. We combine flights with private driving days so the trip stays efficient.

Can the tour be built around food and wine?

Absolutely. A Margaret River day can centre on chardonnay and long lunches, a Fremantle afternoon on fish and chips by the water, and an evening in Northbridge on Asian food. Tell us your preferences and the driver will fit the meals into the route.

What happens if the weather turns very hot?

Summer is very hot inland, so we front-load outdoor stops into the morning and keep the middle of the day for air-conditioned drives, cellar doors or the city. In the north, we plan around the dry season from May to October. The itinerary is adjusted before you travel, not after.

How much does a private tour in Western Australia cost?

A private tour in Western Australia is quoted by days, party size and vehicle class. The fee is built from the vehicle and driver, the licensed guide, and the hotel nights inside the itinerary. Flights, visas and personal spending sit outside it. Because the vehicle and guide are shared across the group, the per-person figure falls as the party grows.

Western Australia private car charter cost

Charter — vehicle and driver only, your own stops — is quoted separately from a guided tour. It is the cheaper of the two when you already know where you want to go and do not need commentary. The price moves with the number of days, the vehicle size, and whether the driver waits overnight in a remote area.

Guide cost: private guide versus driver

A driver handles the road; a licensed private guide handles the explanation, the tickets and the timing. Most routes in Western Australia can be run either way, and the difference in fee is the guide day. If the itinerary is mostly scenery and free time, a driver alone is enough. If it involves temples, museums, history or a language barrier, the guide is what makes the day work.

Do you need a private guide in Western Australia?

Not always — but on a first trip the guide usually pays for itself in time saved and in the places you would otherwise miss. Ask us and we will tell you honestly which days on your route need one and which do not.

Western Australia incentive travel: private tours for company reward trips

Incentive travel is the trip a company gives its staff, dealers or partners as a reward. We run it as a private tour rather than a seat-in-coach package: the whole group travels on one itinerary, approved by the company before anyone books, and the same driver and guide stay with the group from the first pick-up to the last drop-off.

Four things work differently from an ordinary private tour. Procurement runs to the company's process — a written quotation first, then an invoice the finance team can book, with the trip name and cost centre on the paperwork. Departures can be split into batches: the same route can run over several weeks so not every team travels at once, with the same standard of vehicle and guide each time. Activities are built around a company moment — a welcome dinner, a prize presentation, a half-day meeting — and the driving plan is ordered around it rather than fitted in afterwards. And the budget is agreed per head before the route is fixed, so the itinerary is designed to the number instead of adjusted after it.

We do not publish incentive prices, because they depend on the number of travellers, the days, the vehicle class and the activities arranged. Tell us the headcount, the dates or the month, and what the company wants to happen on the trip, and we will quote the route section by section.

Western Australia corporate group tours

Companies book Western Australia with us for department trips, management offsites and client hosting. The structure is the same as a private tour but built around the business purpose: one vehicle per team so groups can split, a fixed daily schedule that leaves room for a meeting or a factory visit, and a single invoice covering transport, guide and hotels. We run the whole group on one itinerary so nobody is waiting for a coach to fill.

Western Australia incentive travel

Incentive trips reward a team that hit a target, so the itinerary has to feel earned: better hotels than the standard route, one signature dinner, and an activity the group will talk about afterwards. We plan these around the award night rather than around sightseeing, and we keep the budget lines separate so the company can see what each element costs.

Western Australia family private tours

Families with children or grandparents need a slower rhythm than a standard route: shorter drives, a hotel with rooms that connect, meal times that fit, and the freedom to drop a stop when someone is tired. Because the vehicle and guide are exclusive to your party, nothing is fixed to a group schedule — the day can be shortened or reordered on the spot.

Western Australia hotels: city hotels, five-star hotels and hot-spring hotels

City hotels

Central, walkable to dinner, close to the station we leave from in the morning — the right base when the itinerary moves every day.

Five-star hotels

Room size, service and a view worth paying for. On longer routes we use one or two nights rather than every night, so the budget stays with the experiences.

Hot-spring hotels

Where the water is the point: dinner served in the building, the bath as the centre of the stay, and a deliberately slower pace. We book the ones that accept a single night and can handle dietary requirements.

Compare Western Australia hotels on Trip.com · or send your dates and we quote hotels inside the tour price.