Car Rental Paraburdoo Airport

Paraburdoo sits close to the western point of Western Australia, a nearly 16-hour drive away from the state capital of Perth. Paraburdoo is one of the gateway towns to the stunning Karijini National Park. Karijini is Western Australia’s second-largest national park and is just a short drive northeast of Paraburdoo. It is around a 5-and-a-half-hour drive to reach the northern coast and towns such as Karratha and Port Hedland. In this vast region of the world, attractions are typically spread out, so having a rental car is a must. Most will choose to fly into Paraburdoo and rent a car from the airport rather than driving to the town itself. Paraburdoo Airport is just an 8-minute drive from the town’s CBD.

Paraburdoo is a small mining town surrounded by classic Australian wilderness and stunning national parks. Around the area, you will find many rivers, creeks and waterholes, some with stunning Aboriginal rock art and carvings. The first nations people have lived in the area where Paraburdoo resides for over 40,000 years. You will find many Aboriginal cultural sites dotted across the landscape. 

Paraburdoo is on the doorstep of the Great Sandy Desert, Australia’s second-largest desert after the Great Victoria Desert. But around Paraburdoo, there is plenty of lush vegetation leading to Karijini. Many tourists flock to the region during certain times of the year to see the famous Western Australia wildflower bloom, with the start of the blooming season typically coinciding with June and extending until the end of December.

Take a Drive to Karijini National Park in Your Rental Car

If you want to see Karijini, then the best way is to fly into Paraburdoo Airport, the closest airport to the national park, and take your rental car the rest of the way. You can reach the perimeter of the park in less than an hour, with the heart of Karijini around an hour and a half by car from Paraburdoo. Karijini National Park is expansive, to say the least, covering over 625,000 hectares. To see the best of the park, driving by car is a must. Karijini is famous for its geography, with stunning gorges and cliffs leading to quiet swimming pools and creeks. Some of the chasms in the park can be over 100 metres deep, with waterfalls crashing down onto the multicoloured rocks. 

Karijini has unique vegetation due to the hunting and land management techniques of the traditional owners. Karijini is the ancestral home of the Kurrama, Banyjima and Innawonga tribes, who have occupied the land for at least 30,000 years. The firestick management of the land has led to unique vegetation, and its effects are still felt through the land today.

Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool is the must-visit location of the park. You will find this stunning site inside the Dales Gorge, with a staircase and handrail leading to the pool for easy access. The iron-rich rock has led to lush vegetation surrounding the pool, giving it an almost otherworldly feel. It is regarded as one of the most picturesque places in the park, and some think, all of Australia. The spring-fed pool is available and suitable for swimming and makes for an unforgettable experience. The walk to the pools is also stunning. During certain times of the year, you will see different wildflowers bloom, turning areas into vibrant shades of yellow, red and purple.

Some More Top Spots to Take a Car Hire

Paraburdoo has more to offer outside of Karijini National Park. Take in the stunning size of the mining sites, as well as waterholes and lakes in the surrounding region. Drive out to the Resilience Sculpture, a short 3 kilometres outside of town, created by sculptor Alex Micke, along with the local community. The sculpture weighs more than 9 tonnes.