South Coast Highway is in Western Australia. It is part of Australian National Route 1, and travels along the south coast of Western Australia between Walpole and Esperance. The area around Albany is known as the Great Southern Region.

Understand

Map of south-western Western Australia with South Coast Highway highlighted in red

Although it is called 'south coast' the highway tends to be inland of the coast between Esperance and Albany. The section of the highway west of Albany to Walpole is closer to the coast with easier access.

The Albany to Esperance section does have roads and tracks to access parts of the coast, and many of these are well made roads. This section that goes inland also travels through the drier south eastern parts of the wheatbelt region.

Prepare

If based in Perth or Albany, the highway is well catered for travellers and tourists, west of Albany. However distances between service stops between Albany and Esperance are further apart.

Get in

• Accessing the Highway from Perth is usually by the South Western Highway via Bunbury
• Albany can also be accessed from Perth by the Albany Highway and the Great Southern Highway

Drive

• Walpole
• Peaceful Bay
• Denmark
• Albany
• Two Peoples Bay
• Jerramungup
• Bremer Bay
• Fitzgerald River National Park
• Hopetoun
• Stokes National Park
• Esperance

Stay safe

• If driving, at sunrise and sunset on most rural roads in outback Western Australia might have kangaroos as a potential collision issue. Take any warning signs of Kangaroos on the road very seriously

• If any signs indicate active/open mining sites near the road, always be on the lookout for large trucks.

Go next

• Travelling from the east, as this is part of Highway 1 - it changes into the South Western Highway at Walpole and moves northward through south west forests on the way to Bunbury

• Travelling from the west, this part of route number 1 - changes into the Coolgardie - Esperance Highway to Norseman where when it moves east, it becomes part of the Eyre Highway to Adelaide