PERTH – For many Singaporeans looking for a reprieve from our city’s bustle, Perth and its surrounds in Western Australia (WA) can be an easy option. Located a five-hour flight away, the Australian state offers a welcome change of scenery – think vast open land dotted with cellar doors and vineyards, cosy farm stays and expansive coastal views.

All that is part of the reason my husband and I return yearly, even after we spent five years living in Perth pre-Covid-19.

The state’s highlight reel of crowd favourites – including Margaret River’s wineries and child-friendly farmstays and cafes – is well known and draws numerous Singapore travellers, so much so we are WA’s top Asian visitors. According to the latest figures from Tourism WA, 124,000 people from Singapore visited in the year ending September 2025, nearly a 20 per cent increase from the previous corresponding period.

WA comprises five tourism regions: the North West, the Coral Coast, Destination Perth (or Perth City), the South West and the Golden Outback.

Of these, the urban area of Perth can be comfortably explored in a few days. The outskirts, specifically the South West – itself divided into four sub-regions, Bunbury Geographe, Margaret River, Southern Forests and Valleys, and the Great Southern – are what draw my husband and me back time and again.

From our various trips over the years, here is a five-day South West road trip that works well as a complement to any WA itinerary.

Set off from Perth and head towards the Bunbury Geographe region, the gateway to the South West. Busselton Jetty is a popular pit stop for those headed this way. Stop for lunch at one of the restaurants along the shore (we like The Goose), then take a stroll along the 1.8km jetty that extends out to sea, with an underwater observatory at the end.

Farther south, at Dunsborough, hop on a whale-watching charter for a few ...