Perth (Australia)

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<map lat='-32.070938' lng='115.817871' zoom='8' view='0' float='right'/> Perth is the capital city of Western Australia. It's a great, chilled out alternative to the bustling cities of the east coast, with a great original music scene and some beautiful beaches. The travelers, gypsies and vagabond mecca of Perth is the small port city of Fremantle, located about 30km from the CBD on the coast.

Hitching Out

Getting out of Perth is easy. The people in WA are generally more relaxed, friendly and trusting than folks on the east coast, which makes it a great place to hitchhike. Whether it's a short trip around the South-West forests and beaches, a full blown stint across the Nullarbor to Adelaide or an escape north to Broome or Darwin for the winter, it is usually less than half an hour's wait until your first ride out of Perth. As with any city, the trick is to get as far out of town as you can using the local public transport (Perth has a train network that will take you to within cooee of all the good hitching spots). Once you're at the spot, it's usually just a hop, skip and a jump or the straight and narrow to your next destination. Check out Perth on the Hitchwiki Map for some good spots.

To Southwest Region (Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River, Pemberton)

To get down to the southwest along the coast, take the train from Perth to Mandurah (if leaving from Fremantle, catch the 99 bus to the Murdoch train station and go to Mandurah from there). Once in Mandurah, walk out of the station and cross the highway. Catch the 594 bus south (you can use the same ticket you had on the train) to the Miami Bakehouse (just ask the driver). They have really good pies, and there is a great hitching spot only about 500m south on the highway, with a big pullout onto some gravel.

  • Note: They recently opened the Perth-Bunbury highway extending from the freeway, which means there is less traffic heading through Mandurah, however I have hitched it since the opening, and still only waited 20 minutes for a ride!

South to Albany

Take the train all the way to Armadale. From Armadale train station, walk about a kilometre up the hill to the Albany Hwy/Southwestern Hwy junction (also a good alternative to get south to Bunbury via Pinjarra/Harvey along the Southwestern Hwy if you wanted). Walk about 200m up the Albany Hwy until you get to the small pulloff before the hill. See map for exact spot.

North

This will be a big hitch, no matter where you're headed. It can take 3-4 days to get to Broome in a car. Trucks will probably be a better option. Whether your first stop is Geraldton on the coast, or Meekatharra (I hope it isn't!) on the inland highway, it will be at least 5-6 hours, possibly more, before you arrive anywhere. Take plenty of supplies (food, water...etc) and be prepared to start out early, or not at all.

Take the train all the way to Midland. Then catch either the 310 or 311 bus and ask the driver to drop you at the big truck stop. These buses only leave early in the morning (around 8am), so make sure to check on the Transperth Website for the timetables and get there early so you don't miss them!

Plenty of trucks and cars fuel up at this stop, and there's even a good spot to stand on the road (if there is two of you, one can be asking at the servo while the other is thumbing on the road). You'll need to find out if your ride is heading up the coast (Brand Hwy), or inland (Great Northern Hwy), as these are two very different routes. If you just want to get north quick (to Broome or Darwin), try to get rides in trucks heading up the Great Northern, as this will cut a few hundred kilometres off the trip, however if you want to take the scenic route up the coast (Monkey Mia, Coral Bay, Exmouth) make sure to get in with someone heading to Geraldton.

Bear in mind that anywhere north of Perth is getting into desert country. Take plenty of water and know where you're going!