SOUTH WESTERN WA TOUR
Premium Tour

Ex Port Lincoln Deposit upon Booking $370
Ex Adelaide Deposit upon Booking $390
Deposit Non Refundable
Balance due 5 weeks before tour departure

Welcome on board with EP Bus Charters. Sit back, relax and meet some of the fellow travellers as we head to Elliston. This really is a stunning area, particularly the appropriately named Great Ocean View – a section of cliff stop roadway with some remarkable views of the Great Australian Bight and Waterloo Bay. Once in Elliston, we stop for a morning break before travelling to Murphy’s Haystacks, these are ancient wind-worn pillars and boulders of pink granite estimated to be over 1,500 million years old. Set in the middle of a wheat field and surrounded by mallee scrub, they are one of the most popular and photographed attractions on the Eyre Peninsula so this is where we stop for a photo opportunity before we arrive into Streaky Bay for lunch. Our final stop for the day is where we rest overnight in Ceduna.

(Breakfast and dinner at the motel, Lunch in Streaky Bay)
** Adelaide guests return flights Adelaide to Pt Lincoln are included**
Ceduna Foreshore Hotel – 08 8625 2008

Following breakfast, we have an early start as we travel across the head of the Great Australian Bight where we will stop to enjoy the spectacular views from the high cliffs to the ocean below. We travel onto the Yalata Aboriginal Reserve to Twin Rocks for exceptional views of the Bunda Cliffs – where the flat plain drops some 80 metres to the sea below. In spring, Southern Right Whales migrate from Antarctica to the warmer waters of the Great Australian Bight to mate, give birth and raise their young calves. Don’t forget your cameras as the views are sensational. With time to enjoy this wonderful area with our picnic lunches we continue west, across the Nullarbor Plain, to our destination of Eucla. Eucla is located just 13 kms over the West Australian border.

(Breakfast and dinner at the motel, picnic lunch provided)
Eucla Motel Hotel, Eucla – 08 9039 3468

We have a travel day today driving through the town of Cocklebiddy completing our crossing of Nullarbor Plain at Norseman. Here, a statue of the horse Norseman is located in the main street. The horse allegedly pawed at the ground and unearthed a nugget of gold that started the Norseman gold rush. We will stop to stretch our legs and enjoy our picnic lunch along the way. Our accommodation and dinner this evening is in Norseman.

(Breakfast and dinner in the hotel, picnic lunch provided)
Norseman Eyre Motel, Norseman – 08 9039 1130

We leave Norseman this morning for the picturesque town of Esperance. Esperance is located on a beautiful heart shaped bay called “Bay of Isles”. There are many natural attractions on display, particularly the coastline with pure white sandy beaches, massive granite outcrops and sheltered beaches. We have some free time in Esperance today to purchase lunch before visiting Stonehenge! Well, the only full size replica of the original in the United Kingdom. This display appears as the original would have looked around 1950BC. Off shore, there is approximately 100 islands form the Archipelago of Recherche. This afternoon we explore the Cape Le Grand National Park – just to the east of Esperance. It is one of the most accessible of the many National Parks of the area and one of the most spectacular, with coastal headlands, abundant wildlife and some of the best beaches in the world. A visit to the Pink Lake and time to browse the town centre complete our day.

(Breakfast and dinner at the motel)
Best Western Hospitality Inn, Esperance – 08 9071 1999

This morning we travel west, via the historic gold and copper mining town of Ravensthorpe into the Stirling Range National Park. This is one of Western Australia’s few mountain wildernesses and a place of contrasts. We see Bluff Knoll rising to 1095 metres above sea level, making it the highest peak in south-western Australia. Our destination today is Albany and we should arrive slightly later to purchase lunch. Next we head to Mt. Clarence where we visit The National ANZAC Centre. This impressive structure located within the Princess Royal Fortress precinct of Albany Heritage Park will be a touching and memorable visit. We hear the stories of some of the 41 000 Australians and New Zealanders that left Albany in 1914 bound for the First World War. During our visit we assume the identity of one of the 32 Anzac related characters and follow their personal experience from recruitment through training, ship-board life and on to conflicts and post war – for those that returned. After a touching visit we check into our accommodation where we are greeted warmly for our two night stay. After a wonderful day we top it off with a delicious meal before retiring for the night.

(Breakfast and dinner at the motel)
Ace Accommodation, Albany – 08 9841 2911

We join Albany Ocean Adventures for a two and a half hour cruise through King George Sound. Leaving from the marina we look forward to seeing the historic sights plus an abundance of wildlife as well as enjoying the natural beauty of the area. Morning tea is provided onboard and there is no-one better than our skipper to give interesting commentary about what we are seeing. After the cruise our next visit is to the Mount Romance Sandalwood factory. Here we are given lunch and a talk and shown the benefits of the Sandalwood plant as well as discover it’s fascinating history and traditional use as a medicine before antibiotics evolved. We will view the world-class technology used to process Australian Sandalwood oil, destined for some of the world’s leading perfume houses. We then return to the motel for a bit of free time and our evening meal.

(Breakfast and dinner at the motel, lunch Mt Romance Sandalwood)

Our first stop today is the area known as the “Valley of the Giants” in the Walpole National Park. We divert off the main highway and travel through this dense forest of unique hardwood tingle trees where we are booked for a Tree Top Walk – we explore the world-famous forest of gigantic tingle trees from 40 metres up in the canopy! This world-class tree-top walk soars gently upwards amidst the tingle foliage and opens up a world of birds and flowers that most people never see. The Ancient Empire boardwalk (on the forest floor) meanders around and, sometimes through, a grove of veteran tingle trees. It’s a peaceful experience with quiet spots to sit and reflect on the special nature of the tingle forest. Back on board we make our way to the Walpole jetty where we join WOW Wilderness Eco-Cruises for an afternoon luncheon cruise. This fascinating interpretative tour is a family run operation and takes us through the wilderness areas and waterways of Walpole’s National Parks. Back on dry land we travel through virgin karri forests to Pemberton. A “must see stop” is at the famous giant (61 metre) Gloucester Tree – reputed to be the tallest tree-mounted fire lookout in the world. Another magical day!

(Breakfast and dinner at the motel, luncheon cruise on WOW Wilderness Eco cruises)
Best Western Pemberton Hotel – 08 9776 1017

Departing after breakfast we have another interesting day in store. Firstly we take a look at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, which is 56 m above sea level, can be seen 25 nautical miles out to sea. Further north we arrive in Boranup to take a look through the Mammoth Cave complex. Mammoth is an impressive, gothic-like cave that could easily be described as the perfect home for a caveman. It wasn’t actually explored until experienced caver Tim Connelly made the first record in 1895. Tim was appointed caretaker and guide of the cave and he went on to conduct tours for the public by lamplight until 1904, when electric lighting was installed. After a guided tour here we stop at the Cave Works Interpretive Centre where we will learn more about the formation and history of caves within the region. Our lunch venue is the beautiful Leeuwin Estate where a seasonal meal has been prepared for us using only the best local produce. This will be our only chance to do a wine tasting in Margaret River but we have chosen an absolute gem to do it in!

(Breakfast and dinner at the motel, lunch Leeuwin Estate Winery).

We have a fairly relaxed day planned venturing to the Busselton Jetty which for a jetty has a lot to offer. The jetty at approximately 2 kilometres long is one of the longest in the world. To make the most of our visit we have included tickets to the Busselton Jetty Experience. This means we can board the Train and travel to the Underwater Observatory for a guided tour. Until recently, the privilege of viewing the aquatic wonders beneath the Busselton Jetty has mostly been limited to divers. Now, everyone can experience the jetty’s brand of unique magic – without getting wet! Our train trip is a return ride where we can browse through the interpretive centre. The rest of the day has been left at leisure to enjoy the afternoon however we wish. Our accommodation is situated ideally with the beach at its back door so a stroll in the sand could be the ideal plan for the afternoon?

(Breakfast and dinner at the hotel)

The coach is ready to head directly north into the “big smoke” today. Having spent some time in remote areas we will change the scenery with our first stop in Fremantle where we visit the Fremantle Prison. We take a tour stepping inside to explore the prison with its con-vict origins in the 1850’s until its closure as a maximum security gaol in 1991. We discover how time was passed in the yards while taking in original prisoner works of art. Our enter-taining guide will be able to show us a lighter side of prison humour also. The visit is sure to have something of interest for us all. There is time to take a wander around the interesting shops and cafes that fill Fremantle before we embark on the Captain Cook Cruise taking us along the Swan River to Perth this afternoon. We wave goodbye to our coach who will meet us in Perth as we disembark at the other end. We have chosen a modern city based hotel as our base for the next two nights.

(Breakfast and dinner at the hotel)

We spend the morning discovering the unique charm of Perth City, featuring the main city block with its unusual combination of skyscrapers and colonial architecture, including Parliament House, St Mary’s Cathedral, Government House, Barrack Arch and London Court. Our touring also includes the Perth Mint. Today it only produces collector’s coins and other one off things like the 2000 Olympic Medals. A gold pour is conducted in the same way it was when the building was first constructed. Our afternoon will be spent at Kings Park for spectacular views over the city, South Perth foreshore and the river. Paths meander all through the gardens giving us ample time to explore at leisure before we meet back at the coach to return to our hotel for the evening.

(Breakfast and dinner in hotel)

After our early breakfast we hit the road, we have chosen to stop near Hyden to see one of the wonders of nature being Wave Rock. This is a natural granite rock formation that is shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave. Until we are standing right beside this amazing phenomenon it is difficult to perceive the size. We have time while we are here to pick up some lunch from the kiosk before we reboard the coach for our afternoon drive to Kalgoorlie. It will be early evening before we check in to our accommodation but dinner will be waiting for us in the hotel when we arrive.

(Breakfast and dinner at the hotel)
Best Western Hospitality Inn, Kalgoorlie 08 9021 2888

This morning we travel to the small town of Balladonia, made famous when US Skylab disintegrated and showered the town with debris. From here we commence our journey across the Nullarbor, a vast limestone plateau, to the tiny settlement of Cocklebiddy for our overnight stop.

(Breakfast and dinner at the motel)
Wedgetail Inn, Cocklebiddy 08 9039 3462

We wave goodbye to Western Australia this morning as we cross the border into South Australia. We do begin to see some lovely scenery to the right of the coach today though as we pass the Great Australian Bight. We check in to our accommodation for the final night on tour.

(Breakfast and dinner at the hotel)
Ceduna Foreshore Hotel – 08 8625 2008

Today we head for home stopping along the way for convenience breaks and to purchase lunch. We arrive home early afternoon with many wonderful memories and new found friendships made along the way.

(Breakfast in motel)
** Adelaide guests return flights Adelaide to Pt Lincoln are included**

What’s Included?

• Complete charter
• 14 nights accommodation
• 14 cooked breakfasts
• 14 dinners
• 6 lunches
• Visit National ANZAC Centre
• Morning Cruise, Albany Ocean Adventures
• Visit and Lunch at Sandalwood Factory
• Visit Tree Top Walk, Valley of the Giants
• Luncheon Cruise with WOW Wilderness Eco Cruises
• Visit the Gloucester Tree
• Guided tour Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse
• Guided tour of Mammoth Cave
• Visit Cave works Interpretative Centre, Margaret River
• Lunch at Leeuwin Estate Winery, Margaret River
• Underwater Observatory and Train ride, Busselton Jetty
• Guided tour at Fremantle Prison
• One way cruise Fremantle to Perth, Captain Cook Cruises
• Visit Perth Mint
• Visit Wave Rock