There are a massive number of 4WD’s in Perth, and many of them get used as often as possible. Whilst the best places are usually quite a drive away, there are plenty of great Perth 4WD Tracks, where you don’t have to drive more than a few hours away.
It’s vital that you are aware of where you are allowed to go though, as there is water catchment areas, national parks, shires that prevent 4WDing and private property which you want to avoid.
In saying this, Perth 4WD tracks ranges from rocks and mud right through to soft beaches, water crossings and more mud in the winter!
If you’re looking for a complete list of WA 4WD tracks, we’ve got you covered there too.
I will just do a short post which introduces some of the 4WD Tracks and if you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.
I would kindly ask the Perth 4WD community to keep to tracks that you are actually allowed on; otherwise they will continue to be closed off, and this just makes it difficult for everyone to have fun.
I have already written a post on a large majority of these 4wd locations in Perth, and if not then I will do soon. For more information on each place, just click on the links and it will take you to a previous post I have already done on that topic.
Perth 4WD Tracks within an hours’ drive:
Mundaring Powerlines Track
The Mundaring Powerlines Track is probably the most well known 4×4 track in Perth. It incorporates a bit of sand, but the majority of the track is rocks and dust (and a lot of mud in the winter).
The track has gotten quite a bit harder in the last few years, but can still be done with a little experience. A number of 4×4 tours start off at the Mundaring Powerlines Track, as it’s a great place to learn.
In the wet, unless you have mud terrain tyres you will really struggle through much of the track. I would personally suggest that you need to be relatively confident to attempt the Powerlines track after heavy rain. It is however, one of the best tracks around Perth.
You can do it in about 5 hours, if you do the whole track (and providing nothing breaks and you don’t get stuck!).
White Hills
White Hills is a nice beach just south of Mandurah, where many cars drive up and down each day. There is some good fishing and snorkelling too, if you pick the right day. This is the main reason that people go to White Hills.
There are penalties if you don’t let your 4WD Tyres down, as it damages the beach. The sand is soft, and it’s hard going unless your tyres are at around 15 PSI. You are allowed to camp on the beach, but don’t go into the dunes or you will get in trouble.
To get there, just go over the Mandurah Cut Bridge and continue to drive along the road. White Hills has a big sign on the right hand side.
The road to White Hills is not very smooth; you are best to let your tyres down a little or find a speed where the bumps aren’t so noticeable. You can drive south from White Hills to Preston Beach, and then Myalup Beach but make sure the tide is low and the sand is in decent condition!
Tims Thicket
Tim’s Thicket is much like White Hills, in that it is a nice beach to drive on, with good snorkelling and fishing. Again, letting your tyres down will make the beach driving much easier, and doesn’t dig the beach up as much.
Tim’s Thicket is just a couple of km north of White Hills, and can occasionally be accessed along the beach at low tide.
A lot of the time though, the rocky headland prevents you from driving across the 2 beaches, unless you want to drench your 4WD in salt (which is really not a good idea!). Both of these places are well worth a visit if you are into fishing, or you just want to try some sand driving.
They are also the closest Perth Beach Driving options south of Perth.
Wilbinga
Wilbinga is a great place to go four wheel driving, and it is only 40 minutes north of Perth. There are some great tracks along the beach, through the bush and up sand dunes. There are often a lot of motorbikes riding around this area however, so you need to watch out.
A lot of them will come around corners quickly without looking, so be prepared to stop quickly!
Again, you can camp at Wilbinga, as long as you aren’t doing any damage to the dunes or beach. Wilbinga has plenty of fish to catch as well, and is very popular on weekends and school holidays.
Perth 4WD tracks over an hour away:
Lancelin
If you want some real dune driving, then Lancelin is the best bet. It has some epic sand dunes, and a lot of great beach to play on. You can drive to Wedge Island too, which is not too far away. The dunes are popular for all sorts of off-road vehicles, including a huge number of four wheel drives.
There are a number of people that have been seriously injured or killed in the Lancelin Sand Dunes, and this shows that it can be dangerous if you are not careful. Before you drive down a dune, check that it’s not too steep, and not angled the wrong way.
Many four wheel drives roll at Lancelin and its easy enough to do even if you have driven in dunes many times. They change regularly and many of the dunes can be dangerous with side angles.
Wedge Island
Wedge Island is just a few kilometres north of Lancelin. You can drive there either along the inland track (which is sometimes closed as it goes through an army reserve area) or you can drive along the beach (or take Indian Ocean Drive, which is a bitumen road going right passed the island).
Driving along the beach is not always possible, depending on what the tide is doing.
Some days the beach is rock hard and wide, whilst other days it is soft and very hard to keep out of the water. If in doubt, just take the inland track.
The island itself is fun to spend a day at, but if you have motorbikes you can only use them in the Lancelin off-road area. The ranger will kick you out of Wedge Island if you are riding them along the beach.
Grey
Grey is another settlement of shacks, which is very similar to Wedge Island. You can drive onto the beach here, and head all the way north to Cervantes. The beach is often significantly impacted by seaweed, which you need to be cautious of!
Harvey
Collie and Harvey have some very impressive tracks, but some are private property, and some are national parks, where you are not allowed to drive through. The mud down there tends to be very sticky, and makes for a time consuming and difficult recovery should you get stuck!
The ranger there will be sure to guide you in the right direction, but most of the tracks start in Harvey, and go through to Brunswick. See Brunswick 4×4 for more information.
Logue Brook
Logue Brook is a popular dam in the south west for water skiing, fishing and swimming. There is a 4WD track that starts at Logue Brook Dam, heads past Hoffman Mill camp site and ends at Harvey Dam. The track itself is very basic, with minimal clearance required.
However, if you are looking for extreme four wheel driving, there are plenty of tracks off the main one that will have you grinning from ear to ear.
Dwellingup
Dwellingup has many tracks to test your car on, and they tend to be short. Many of the tracks are difficult, especially in the wet. The Hill Climb’s become especially difficult after a lot of rain, and the tracks tend to get more and more chopped up with lots of mud! Considering it’s only a 1.5 hour drive south of Perth, it’s a great place to check out.
There is also a great river to swim and canoe down, along with downhill mountain biking tracks and plenty of places to camp.
Cervantes
Cervantes has a number of beaches that are accessible, and you can drive north to Hill River, which has been a popular camping location in the past, but has since been banned.
This is well and truly worth a day trip; you can call into Lancelin, Wedge Island, Grey, Cervantes and then Hill River.
Hill River
As mentioned above, Hill River used to be a favourite camp grounds for many, but camping has recently been banned there. There are plenty of 4WD tracks around the area, along the beach, the river and inland.
I’d highly recommend not driving north of Hill River, as the sand is the softest I’ve ever encountered. I’ve seen a number of four wheel drives give it a go (and tried twice myself) and haven’t been able to make it more than 500 metres down the beach!
Sandy Cape
Just north of Jurien Bay lies Sandy Cape, a well known camp ground. You can access Sandy Cape off Indian Ocean Drive, or you can 4WD your way up from Jurien Bay.
The tracks around the area take you from beach to beach, but are often tight and will result in pin striping of your vehicle!
Captain Fawcett Track
The Captain Fawcett Track is a relatively straight forward track which starts just out of Dwellingup, and ends in Quindanning.
The first 35km meander along the river, and take the longest part of the trip. The rest of the track is mainly gravel and bitumen roads. In the wet, this track is a whole different story. Even bigger vehicles struggle to make it, and the track will get closed from time to time due to inclement weather.
Julimar
Julimar is another great 4WD location not too far out of Perth. It starts on Julimar road, and heads into Julimar State Forest.
The tracks are a bit of a challenge in the dry, and very difficult in the wet. There are hill climbs, descents, mud runs and various rock/mud work.
Preston Beach
Preston Beach is very similar to White Hills; its a lovely beach south of Perth which can be accessed off the new Forrest Hwy. It takes about an hour and 20 minutes to get there. There is a petrol station/general store with accommodation options and a beach that you can drive on for a long time!
If you head north, you will get to White Hills (after about 30 minutes of beach driving). If you head south, you will eventually get to Myalup Beach.
Myalup Beach
Myalup is another of Perth’s beaches that is accessible by 4WD. There is also a general store and accommodation options, although not as many as Preston. You will easily find a place to fish and relax at Myalup!
Waroona Dam
Not only is Waroona Dam (or Lake Navarino) an awesome place to camp for a few nights, but it has some great 4WD tracks, ranging from basic gravel tracks through to gnarly mud runs and decent hill climbs
