Highlights

Indian Ocean Drive is the quickest and prettiest way to get from Perth to one of Australia's most unique landscapes, the Pinnacles Desert. Following its 286-kilometre path from Yanchep to Dongara-Port Denison, you can stop at stunning beaches, towering sand dunes, national parks filled with spring wildflowers, top fishing spots and surfing hotspots. Heading north from the centre of Perth, it takes less than an hour (30 minutes from the northern suburbs) to reach the start of the Indian Ocean Drive in Yanchep. Within an hour of Yanchep, you'll reach Australia's Coral Coast and the town of Lancelin - a windsurfing, diving, fishing, snorkelling and sand boarding paradise.

Now you're just another hour away from Cervantes and the other-worldly landscapes of the Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park, and the earliest life forms on earth, the stromatolites, at Lake Thetis. From here, the road hugs the coastline leading you to the colourful offshore reefs and playful Australian sea lions of Jurien Bay, and some of the State's most dazzling displays of coastal wildflowers in Spring.

The final leg enters a region of rich cultural heritage at the Central Greenough Historical Settlement, the twin-town of Dongara-Denison and the city of Geraldton.

Activities

• Scenic drive
• Sight-seeing

Facilities

There are numerous standard public facilities in each of the towns and points of interest along the way.