These limestone pillars date back 25,000 - 30,000 years and create a mysterious, out of this world landscape for us to explore. The raw material for the limestone of the Pinnacles came from seashells in an earlier era that was rich in marine life. These shells were broken down into lime-rich sands that were blown inland to form high mobile dunes. However, just how this then turned into the majestic columns we see today is the subject of debate. Three major theories have been proposed:

​Whichever theory you choose, the Pinnacles truly are a magnificent sight and a special stop on our tour.

We recognise and acknowledge Yued people as the traditional custodians of Nambung National Park

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The flat, calm, crystal-clear waters of Monkey Mia - just waiting for those dolphins to come along!

​I have always had a hankering to visit Western Australia and, as I have a friend who lives in Albany, a very good excuse to do just that. Now we are two ladies of a certain age who never experienced a gap year or had an opportunity to go backpacking like the youngun’s do nowadays. So with this in mind and a desire to experience all the WA had to offer, my friend Jill started the search to find a company that could take us to all the best places at a reasonable cost and she found Red Earth Safaris which seemed to be everything we needed. There was a question we had to ask just to make sure this tour would be suitable for us and that was – is there an upper age limit? And guess what, there wasn’t!

I know that others have written here (and most interesting they have been too) but I thought the best way to blog about our trip would be to pick out two major highlights. Yes, we visited Monkey Mia and wildlife parks and Kalbarri national park – all of which have been described at length by others – and we met all sorts of wonderful wildlife – but I would like to talk about the outback station and The Drift and along with way tell you all about our wonderful guide, Jarred.

We were a small group of 6 ‘guests’ –  Anna from Portugal, a dolphin trainer and two lovely students from Germany, Theresa and Emilia who are 19, and the only guy, Nalli from Sweden and bringing up the rear, myself and my friend Jill.

We had driven for ages along this bit of red dust road and arrived at the cattle station at Warroora which Jared described as basic - he was not wrong. However, he failed to mention what an awesome place this was. We were deep in the bush but a short Ute ride from the beach where we watched the sun go down. Before we did this, we dragged our beds outside ready for later then, having made sure the hot tub was at the right temperature, headed down to the beach. Jared stayed behind to prepare the BBQ.

The station is run by two guys - Rick and Marty (all I could think of was Rick and Morty!) - who allow the team at Red Earth to have the run of the place. Then after dinner it was time for the hot tub. I probably spent the best part of an hour and a half in the warm water, drinking a beer and enjoying the peace and utter quiet. We were joined by a number of grey Kangaroos (not in the water obviously) but fortunately no nasty bugs or beasties. Then it was time for bed, lying in a cocoon of bedding looking up at the stars. Once the moon set, they got even brighter and quite magnificent. I felt so small but also so blessed to be able to experience this wonder. We all woke at sunrise where for a bit of light relief we sang the sunrise song from the Lion King.

After a breakfast of pancakes no less, Jared drove us to what I can only describe as the most wonderful beach in the world. Turquoise Bay is world renowned for a number of remarkable features. Firstly, it's possible to walk out to hard corals just 50m or so off the shore, in crystal clear waters (the colour is in the title). Secondly, there is a rip from left to right that passes directly over these corals so it's possible to swim out and let the drift take you over these with minimal if any effort. As it happened the morning we were there was almost low tide meaning that the larger waves were spent on the outer reef and the bay where we were swimming was almost totally flat calm. ​

Turquoise Bay Drift Snorkel is considered to be one of the best snorkel sites in the world – it was just like swimming in an aquarium and it was just a shame we didn’t bring the GoPro. We would have quite happily spent all day here, as it was we did the drift three times, each better than the last. At one point the coral was so close to the surface I felt I had to breathe in to avoid touching it. The only very small caution was that you have to be quite a good swimmer to kick back to the shore to avoid being taken out to sea!
So if you are considering a trip to WA and the north (and why wouldn’t you) you could do no better than booking with Red Earth Safaris and if you’re lucky, have Jarred as your guide to this most magnificent of places.

[If after reading this you are keen to read the rest of my blog, head over to Candy's Blog]

Back in 2016, I travelled from my small rainy village in Wales, UK, to Perth in Western Australia. Having saved up enough money to scrape me through 6 months of travelling in Australia and New Zealand, I landed in Perth and was ready to explore! 

​Staying with a friend in Cottesloe in Perth, I wrote down everywhere I wanted to visit during my time in Western Australia. Number one on the bucket list was to swim with Whale Sharks in Exmouth. With over 1200km between me and my goal, and with no car and a small budget, I was looking for value for money and after hitting Google hard, I found the website of Red Earth Safaris and booked myself in for a tour to Exmouth! 

​We were picked up by Darren (a.k.a. Booz) from central Perth and our first stop was to Yanchep National Park on the outskirts of Perth, to spot some kangaroos and koalas! At this point I was starting to get to know the group better. As a 25 year old travelling on my own, it was really important to me to meet new people and going on this tour was the perfect way to do that. Amongst the other travellers were Lindsay and Sam, a couple from England, the StLouis family from Canada, Theodora, another single traveller from Romania and Gerald and Cora, a father and daughter from Perth. So we were a very mixed group and it turned out to be a lot of fun! 

​Next stop was at Lancelin Sand Dunes to try our hand at some sand boarding down sheer dunes of perfect white sand. The scenery at the top of the dunes was stunning - very space age. A lot of fun, even if I spent the rest of the day picking sand out of my eyes! That night we went to The Pinnacles for sunset, an incredible eerie place, steeped in aboriginal history.

Did you know there is an independent country within Australia?! I didn't until this tour. The next day we visited Hutt River Province, where we had our passports stamped and even met the Prince! He asked for my number but I won't think too much of it as he was well over 80 years old! We also got the chance today to visit a wildlife park and cuddle some orphaned kangaroos. We finished the day at the Kalbarri coast, admiring the scenery and watching whales passing by.

​The next day was jam packed with visits to incredible spots; Kalbarri National Park where we got our pictures taken at Nature's Window and hiked down into the canyon. We visited the stromatolites at Hamelin Pool, living fossils that I'd only read about before in a Bill Bryson book! Then we entered the Shark Bay World Heritage site and paddled on Shell Beach before heading to our hostel for the night. Tonight was our chance to visit the most Westerly pub in Australia, which we gladly took! It just happened to be karaoke night, so we spent the evening scaring the locals away with our rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody! 

The next day involved sad goodbyes with the other travellers who were stopping at Monkey Mia. We watched the dolphins together and then the three of us that were continuing our journey to Exmouth were collected by Nicola, Darren's partner. Australia is huge and at times there are looooong distances between places. This wasn't a problem when I was travelling with Nic- at one point we didn't stop talking for 6 hours! 

​This evening was one of the most special moments of the trip. We were staying at an outback sheep station in the middle of nowhere and it was beyond beautiful. We jumped in the back of a Ute (Ozzie pick up truck!) and drove through the bush to a deserted beach to watch the most stunning sunset (with beers of course!), then headed back to the accommodation to light a fire. With no light pollution, the night sky was spectacular- I've never seen the milky way so clearly. The rooms were basic but this was honestly no hardship when the place was so special. And I hear they even have a hot tub there now! It's worth going on the Red Earth Safari tour just to see this special place. 

​The next day we arrived at the stunning Ningaloo Reef. This is one of the most pristine coral reefs you will find in Australia and we spent the day snorkelling from the shore and spotting fish and turtles, before bedding down in Exmouth for the night. If you are lucky, you'll arrive on one of the nights the bar near the hostel is turned into a club for the night- all the locals and travellers come along for a dance and it's a lot of fun. 

​The next day we explored the Cape Range National Park, spotting Rock Wallabies and sunning ourselves on the incredible Turquoise Bay beach. At this point, I chose to stop in Exmouth for a week to explore, soak up some sun and swim with Whale Sharks! Nic headed back to Perth (where we later met up for tea to continue our long chats!) but I stayed on to jump on the bus back to Perth with Darren again the following week. During the week I stayed at Exmouth I met some lovely people in the hostel, explored the national park some more and my dream came true when I got to swim with not one, but four Whale Sharks.

​I had an amazing time on my tour of Western Australia and I can't express how lovely the guides Nicola and Darren were and it is testament to this that we are still in contact two years on! If you are looking to take a tour from Perth to Exmouth, I recommend this one - it's a lot of fun and the best value for money. 

Red Earth Safaris started its adventure in 1995.  Currently owned and operated by Darren and Nicola, we continue the personal service Red Earth is known for.  Being a small, family-run company working from our home, we can show you the best of what the West Coast has to offer on our backpacker tours in Western Australia, between Perth and Exmouth, while still keeping prices reasonable. 
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We provide tours which operate from Perth to Exmouth and return. Taking the time to show you all the points of interest on the way up and making sure we see them at the right time of the day to appreciate the full splendour that Mother Nature has to offer.  Our tour is designed not to be rushed, so we start early to ensure you can spend the time needed to absorb all that is around you - prepare to see and experience a lot, without feeling hurried.
Our fun loving guides pride themselves on their local knowledge of the 2.5 million square kilometres that is, Western Australia.

Meet the Team!

Darren, aka Booz, took an odd route to where he is today.  Born and raised in Perth, he started his working life in a bank, and then the Post Office.  In 2008, tired of the 9-5, he quit and found his perfect job as a tour guide for Red Earth Safaris.
Almost eight years later, when his boss decided to sell up and retire, Booz grabbed the opportunity to be self-employed and continue the good work of Red Earth.  He still guides tours every other week, there's no keeping him off the road and in an office!
Passionate about WA, he loves showing off his backyard, and is full of stories and interesting information for you. 

Nicola, or Nic, is originally from the UK. Travelling has always been a passion, and she spent years working as an English teacher in Japan and Italy, before visiting Australia on a Working Holiday Visa.  She fell in love with the West Coast and all its diversity - not to mention Booz - and in 2005 moved here permanently.
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Nic spent 12 years as the Assistant Director of Studies teaching English at a local language school.   Working full time and running the office side of Red Earth for 2 of those years kept her busy, but being able to help people achieve their dreams, whether that's through learning English or travelling, was well worth it.  With the arrival of their daughter Maisie, and then Eliza, something had to give, so Nic now works on Red Earth from home as well as being a fulltime mum to Maisie, Eliza and Jazz the dog, who completes our family.

We'd love you to join us on one of our tours, everyone welcome, we're excited to show you the best of Western Australia! 

​Contact us