I first visited Australia in 2019 and, while I did make it to the west coast, on that trip I visited Perth and then headed northward all the way to Exmouth. I knew that when I planned to return down under with my partner in 2025 to drive "the lap" in our campervan around the entire country, that exploring the southern part of Western Australia was absolutely a must-do.
We visited Perth again, primarily to watch James Blunt in concert, one of the best we've ever been to!
→ Check out my complete guide to visiting Perth!
On our way south from Perth, heading towards the Margaret River region, we stopped in at Bunbury. Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after Perth and nearby Mandurah, home to about 75,000 people. The Wardandi Aboriginal Australians have lived on this land for thousands of years before any Europeans arrived. Throughout its post-European settlement history, Bunbury has been a military post, whaling activity point, timber port and mining and mineral processing centre.
We primarily visited Bunbury in order to walk through the mangroves here, but I've included what else we did in Bunbury including food recommendations and where we free-camped nearby in our campervan.
By flight: The closest major airport is in Perth, a two-hour drive north. Most visitors to Bunbury and Margaret River will arrive in Perth if coming by air.
→ Check out my complete guide to visiting Perth!
There is also a smaller regional airport at Busselton Margaret River offering public transport routes to Sydney and Melbourne and a host of private charter routes. This airport is a 45-minute drive from Bunbury. South West Coachlines also offers a coach service between Bunbury and the airport.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to Bunbury is with your own wheels.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Perth.
You might want to start in Perth as your base for renting a campervan to explore Australia.
→ Rent a campervan in Perth with Apollo, Camplify, Indie or Juicy.
By bus: You can take a bus from Perth down to Bunbury with South West Coachlines who run a daily service every morning.
By train: The Australind train by Transwa runs from Perth to Bunbury and back, a journey of about two and a half hours each way.
Our campervan at Capel near Bunbury
Bunbury is Western Australia's third largest city, but don't be deceived by that ranking! It's home to only about 75,000 people, so relatively small.
We found it not a very walkable city as it is stretched along the coast and so having a car was really helpful. If you don't have a car, there are 12 bus routes servicing the city with TransBunbury to help you get where you want to go!
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Perth or Bunbury.
We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. As with the rest of Australia, Western Australia permits freedom camping on designated sites. These sites can vary greatly; some offer a variety of facilities such as toilets, trash bins, picnic tables, outdoor cooking stations and others have none of this and might simply be a pull-out on the side of the road.
The best way to find legal freedom camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
We used Wikicamps to find a free camping spot in Capel, which is actually where we based ourselves while exploring nearby Cape Naturaliste as well as there is not much else free camping in the area!
If you're looking for a place to stay in Bunbury, you'll find something to suit your budget and accommodation type from cute backpacker spots to high-end resorts and everything in between.
→ Check out places to stay to suit your budget and accommodation type.
Free camping in Capel
We had just one meal in Bunbury but can really recommend it! With a gorgeous location right on the beach overlooking the ocean and with a prime sunset view, you should definitely stop for dinner at Backbeach. My partner loved the calamari and I had a yummy vegetarian burger.
The main reason we stopped in at Bunbury was for a bite to eat and to see the Mangrove Boardwalk. Situated on the Leschenalut Inlet in East Bunbury, this beautiful white mangrove is actually the southernmost occurrence in the entire state. This is considered special as the white mangrove is normally found about 800 kilometres north up in Shark Bay so being this far south is rare. These mangroves protect microfauna, the coast and migratory waterbirds.
The Mangrove Boardwalk is free to visit and only about 200 metres long so definitely worth a visit. I can also recommend it at golden hour when the whole area is cast in a golden glow.
Many people also come to Bunbury to spot the bottlenose dolphins of the area.
View from the Koombana Bay Lookout
Entering the Mangrove Boardwalk
Finishing the walk back at the Koombana Bay Lookout
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
