Hello, planning a trip with my wife and then 20 month old son in South Western coast of Western Australia in end April/Beg May.

I plan to rent a car and explore the Southwestern coast for 5-7 days ; then spend the last 3 days for Perth / Freemantle / Roxney's (?) Island.

1) Will it be difficult finding accomodations if i don't reserve in advance during this time of the year ? I plan to just drive thru the coast and stop at places that we like, if it's possible.

2) Any recommended "Special accomodations" unique to the place ? Farm stays / bed & breakfast / etc ?

3) Any thing not in the usual guide books / websites that I shouldn't miss when I get there ?

Cheers

Eric

Hi Eric -

We just returned from our third trip to WA. By SW coast, are you referring to the Albany/Denmark area? If so, you've made a great choice - it's beautiful down there and April/May should be nice and cool. We were in Albany during a heatwave and had a hard time of it - we were there to hike - and it's no fun to hike when it's that hot (40c). We had wonderful weather on our two previous visits in July, and we did finally get a break the second week of our March trip.

You shouldn't need to book accommodation in advance down south unless you're visiting during a public holiday or long weekend. Keep in mind that accommodation tends to fill up on weekends in wine growing regions (like Margaret River and possibly Pemberton), but otherwise, you should be fine just winging it.

Perth and Fremantle could easily fill several days (depending on your interests of course). We have yet to make it to Rottnest, so can't help there.

I might be able to make a few accommodation recommendations - where specifically do you plan to go?

Hi MelnQ8

THanks!

Planning to get a car in Perth and drive along the coast eventually reaching ALbany. THen drive back inland. All in all, probably 6 days drive (not including Perth, Freemantle,
Rottnest (!)).

Stopping along different parts of the coast for further exploration...not yet sure which places to use as base for overnight stays.

I'd appreciate suggestions on which places to use as base for a few days before Margaret River...there are a few options (t0 see the dolphins, hike the forests, etc). Then, stay a night or two in Margret River or nearby ; then end up in Albany and/or Denmark.

I'm looking for accomodations that are preferably less than AUS$100 per night, hopefully with perks like breakfast or unique experiences like staying in a farm or having a great sea view. Though I'm open to staying in even cheaper places which are NOT boring motels. WE've stayed in a wonderful, century old stone cottage on Kangaroo island, Southern Australia for about Aus$60 a few months ago!


Thank you!

Eric

You might find these sites helpful in your research:

http://www.west-oz.com/regions/southwest.asp

http://www.denmarkwa.com.au/

http://www.albanytourist.com.au

http://www.lookatwa.com.au/Accommodation/index.html

http://www.australiassouthwest.com/e...on/default.htm

Hi Eric -

My accomm recommendations won't help much, because they're in the A$135-185 range, but the sites I just posted might have what you need.

I can recommend M2000 for reasonable car rental though. Bayswater car rental has also been recommended by a regular poster on this forum and I think they're even cheaper. Be aware of the excess (deductible) when booking a car in OZ.

As far as possible stopover spots, you might consider Bunbury or Busselton and Augusta in addition to Margaret River.

We loved Pemberton, which you could do on your return from Albany/Denmark. It's the type of place you can pass through and not think much of, but a little research will uncover loads of things to do in the vicinity.

Northcliffe, which is about 20 minutes from Pemberton is a tiny township with some awesome coastal scenery - this was an unexpected surprise for us - we never would have considered it were it not for the advice of a friendly local. About 26 km from Northcliffe you'll find Windy Harbor, Salmon Beach and some gorgeous cliffs - all part of D'Entrecasteaux National Park. Lovely spot.

Thank you very much!! I will definitely look into your suggestios in my planning!

Eric

Eric -

I'm slowly posting a trip report from our latest trip to WA - it's under the heading "Yank winos invade WA" which pretty much says it all.

I have two other WA trip reports posted here that may give you some ideas:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34838163

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34657096