Last month we decided to take a little day trip to Jurien Bay which is a popular coastal town just over 2 hours north of Perth. It is funny how you can travel to the other side of the world, but there are still so many places on your doorstep that you have never been to!

We started the day early at 7am and headed about 45 minutes north, stopping for breakfast near Joondalup. We then continued on for about another hour and stopped in Lancelin. Lancelin is a small fishing town known for good surfing and sandboarding.

We walked up to the Lancelin Lookout and then over to the beach to stretch our legs. There were already a lot of people out and about enjoying the beach before 10 am.

After another hours drive and we reached Jurien Bay. Our first stop was the Bay Bakery where they had a huge selection of treats as well as coffee if you need fueling up.

We then went down to the Jurien Bay Jetty where lots of people were enjoying the sunshine and clear water. The jetty is very short so it doesn’t take long to walk around. The water is crystal clear and would be amazing to swim in!

There happened to be some markets on while we were there so we had a look at the stalls before walking back to the car.

For lunch we stopped in at the Murray Street Bar and Grill. It is more of a restaurant than a bar but the staff were very friendly and it was nice to get inside away from the midday sun! I ordered a pumpkin, feta and pine nut salad which was delicious.

After lunch we decided to start the drive back, and headed over to have a look at Cervantes. We drove past the massive caravan park which looked to be jam packed full of people enjoying their weekend.

We then headed over to The Pinnacles which is a tourist attraction located in the Nambung National Park, just slightly inland from Cervantes. It costs $15 per car to enter and there is a driving loop or a walking loop, as well as a small gift shop/information centre.

The drive is one-way on compacted sand so most vehicles should be fine to do this drive. There are multiple areas to pull over and park the car while you take some pictures. You are free to walk around but it is requested that you don’t climb on the Pinnacles. It kind of feels like you are on another planet for a moment! If you are lucky you might also catch some emus.

All up we spent less than an hour doing the drive and looking in the gift shop, but I am sure you could spend a bit longer especially if you wanted to do the walking trail.

We headed back south on Indian Ocean Drive, stopping at the Nilgen Lookout which gives amazing 360 degree views of the coastal plain. We also stopped in briefly at Ledge Point and Seabird to have a little look around. These are both very small coastal towns with only one or two shops and a caravan park but there are some great places to stop and watch the waves roll by.

As you start heading back into Perth there is the Ocean View Tavern right on Wanneroo Rd, so we stopped in for dinner. There is heaps of seating and they had live music when we arrived. After a plate of nachos we were ready to go home!

We got back just before 7pm so overall it was a 12 hour day, which would be easy to do over a weekend or to add onto your Perth trip. We didn’t take our bathers with us but I am sure you could easily fin in an extra hour or two for a quick swim in any of the towns, and is something I will consider for next time.

Have you taken a day trip from Perth?