Perth to Broome by campervan: the Coral Coast and the Pilbara

Perth to Cervantes is 200km. Cervantes to Kalbarri is 350km. Kalbarri to Shark Bay is 380km. Shark Bay to Coral Bay is 480km. Coral Bay to Exmouth is 150km. Exmouth to Karijini is 620km. Karijini to Port Hedland is 480km. Port Hedland to Broome is 610km.

The 480km and 620km days are the ones to plan around. Both are doable but both leave no margin, and fuel stops are further apart than on any east coast route. Fill up at every town even if the tank is half full.

The Pinnacles at Nambung are a two hour drive from Perth and worth a morning. Kalbarri for the gorge and the coastal cliffs — Nature's Window is the walk everyone does and it earns the hype.

Shark Bay and Monkey Mia for the dolphins, and Francois Peron National Park if you have a 4WD. In a two-wheel-drive van, skip Francois Peron — the sand tracks will stop you.

Coral Bay is the easiest reef access in Australia: you walk off the beach and the coral is right there. Exmouth and Cape Range give you Turquoise Bay and Oyster Stacks, plus the whale shark tours between March and July.

This is the part of the trip to slow down. Three nights minimum at one of Coral Bay or Exmouth, and preferably both.

The inland run from Exmouth to Karijini is 620km and it is the emptiest drive on the route. Karijini itself is a national park of gorges and rock pools that rivals anything in the country — Dales, Hancock, Hamersley, Joffre.

The access roads to the gorges are largely sealed now, but the last sections to some trailheads are not. A 2WD gets you to the main car parks. A 4WD opens up more.

The Perth to Broome highway route is sealed the whole way and a standard campervan handles it. The 4WD question is about detours: Francois Peron, Cape Range's unsealed tracks, Karijini's rougher access, and the Gibb River Road beyond Broome. If those are the point of the trip, book a 4WD camper. If not, save the money and the fuel.

May to September is the only sensible window. From October the Pilbara gets brutally hot and by December the north is in cyclone season with many roads closed. Broome in July is the peak and the fleet sells out months ahead.