Wool Wagon Pathway

Wave up early for the first day of your Wool Wagon Pathway self-drive! Grab a quick breakfast and hit the road leaving Geraldton and heading east towards Pindar. You’ll be on the road for about 4 hours today, so make sure you’ve packed snacks and drinks for the journey. Depending on the time of year you’re travelling, this stretch of road boasts some incredible wildflowers from the months of July to September, so don’t forget to stop and grab some colour wildflower shots, we’re sure you’ll be blown away by the sight! When you arrive in Pindar, keep your eyes peeled for the mind-blowing wreath flowers that bloom naturally on the roadside.

After hitting the town of Pindar, it’s time to hit the red dirt road and make your way north to Murchison Settlement. This is where you’ll start to experience what the true outback colours really look like. The red, earthy tones will follow you along this track as you’ll feel immersed in the outback. You’ll pass extreme open landscapes, station country, historic homesteads, and plenty of wildlife.

You have a few choices for accommodation on this night. If you’re looking for a station stay, we recommend Wooleen Station with a variety of accommodation options from free camping to a night in the homestead. If you’re heading into Murchison Settlement, stay at the Murchison Oasis Caravan Park pairing motel style rooms and caravan facilities. There are also plenty of places to free camp along this pathway, so if you’ve got your tent or your swag and camping equipment, then spend a night under the stars.

The second leg of your journey takes you from Murchison Settlement to Gascoyne Junction. Spend your morning at the Murchison Museum (open April – November), constructed in the mid 1980’s from rammed earth. The museum collects, preserves, and maintains displays of items that are relevant to the history of the surrounding shires and towns.

You might be starting to feel the heat now, so jump in the car and continue north. Just under 2 hours into your journey you’ll come across Bilung Pool, a natural water pool that has water all year round, as well as picnic facilities to stop and have lunch at. This scenic oasis is a welcome break from the red dirt surrounds as you cool off in the water.

Arrive in Gascoyne Junction, nestled on the banks of the Gascoyne River. This charming outback town is used as a great base to explore the nearby Mount Augustus, and is a centre for mining, pastoral, and desert merino fine wool industries. If you want to know more about the history of the area, visit the Gascoyne Junction Museum which is housed in the original Roads Board Building – a tiny and quaint structure established in 1912. Here you’ll find a collection of historical artifacts including photos, signs, telephones, lanterns, saws and more.

After exploring the town and the nearby Gascoyne River, head to your accommodation at the Junction Pub & Tourist Park. Choose between the cabins, single rooms, caravan sites and camping sights. The pub is there to serve you all your favourites, as well as a cold drink, which will set your up for your longest leg of the journey tomorrow.

Wake up nice and early on day 3 to tackle the 7 hour journey from Gascoyne Junction to Exmouth. Jump into the car and set out on a quick 45-minute journey, where you’ll find the turn off to Kennedy Range National Park. Marvel over the incredible, giant gorges surrounding you, especially Honeycomb Gorge. If you’re wanting to split day 3 into 2, you can spend a decent amount of time walking around the hiking trails and exploring the ranges. This is also a fantastic spot to camp the night!

After a stroll around the gorges head back into the car and continue heading north. You’ll have a long 4-hour stretch here as you are once again traversing through station country, marvelling over the red dirt surrounds and rocky outcrops. Take note of just how much sky you can see, as the flat surface sends your eyes far along the land.

Head back onto the red dirt pathway for another around 4 hours once again marvelling over natural springs, cliffs, canyons and a wide variety of birds and wildlife. Pass by two station stays, Emu Creek Station and Bullara Station Stay. Both are great station experience with accommodation if you wanted to break up the journey.

Continue along another 2.5 hours from Emu Creek Station until you reach your final destination of the Wool Wagon Pathway, Exmouth. Exmouth is a popular tourist town on Australia’s Coral Coast famous for their whale shark swims and the Ningaloo Reef. The town has been voted Western Australia’s top town of the year, and Australia’s #8 town in Wotif’s ‘Aussie town of the year awards’ 2021. This is the perfect base to explore the national parks and coastline.