Travelling through Western Australia by 4WD invites you into parts of the country that aren’t designed for crowds. Places that still run on the rhythms of the land, where pastoral stations double as working properties and quiet accommodation. These aren’t resorts with outback décor—they are the outback.
For anyone planning an inland route to the Coral Coast regions, three station stays stand out: Wooleen Station, Warroora Station, and Bullara Station. Each offers a distinct experience, shaped by its history, environment, and the people who run it. These destinations can all be experienced on the Proudback Outback Adventurer tour—a curated journey designed for travellers looking to combine rugged exploration with considered, hosted travel. They also feature on some of the most memorable 4WD tours Western Australia offers today.
Wooleen Station – Murchison country, restored
Wooleen Station is set deep in the Murchison, around 700 kilometres northeast of Perth. It covers over 375,000 acres, most of it semi-arid mulga shrubland. The station has been running since the late 1800s, though its more recent chapter has taken a different path. Under the care of owners David and Frances Pollock, Wooleen has become known for its commitment to land restoration and the slow work of repairing overgrazed country.
Guests stay in the original homestead, camp alongside the river, or the totally private rocky outcrop like us. The atmosphere is quiet and spacious. Walks, ecology tours and seasonal wildflowers make up much of the daily rhythm, along with long views and soft evenings. There’s a clear sense that this is a property being managed with purpose.
Wooleen Station is best suited to travellers who are open to learning as they go. It’s a place that asks you to pay attention—without performance or pretense.
Warroora Station – Cattle and coastline
Just south of Coral Bay, where red earth meets the Ningaloo Reef, sits Warroora Station. It covers 265,000 acres and includes nearly 50 kilometres of wild coastline. Warroora began as a merino sheep property over a century ago and remained so until the mid-2010s, when growing numbers of wild dogs made sheep farming unworkable. It now runs Droughtmaster cattle, with a focus on low-impact, sustainable management.
The Horak family has owned Warroora since the early 1990s. They’ve opened up parts of the station to visitors while keeping the property functional and unpolished. Accommodation is simple—camping near the beach, restored shearers’ quarters, and the original homestead—but the setting carries it. Travellers use Warroora as a base for fishing, stargazing, exploring the remote coastline, or simply slowing down.
Warroora Station is a valuable addition to any 4WD self-drive tours Western Australia travellers plan along the Coral Coast.
Bullara Station – Red dirt and good company
Where Wooleen is meditative, Bullara is magnetic. Tucked between Coral Bay and Exmouth, this working cattle station has become an icon for its laid-back hospitality and vibrant community feel.
It’s not polished—and that’s exactly the point.
Bullara Station offers a variety of stays, from powered campsites to glamping tents and self-contained cottages. The showers are open-air, fed by artesian bore water. Nights are spent around a communal firepit. And depending on the season, there’s a casual kind of rhythm to the place: damper cooking over coals, morning coffee at the Woolshed Café, kids feeding goats, and the occasional strum of a guitar as the sun drops out of view.
But what truly surprises many guests is the food.
The Bullara Station Café offers seasonal meals, and during peak travel months, guests can also book a spot at The Table—an intimate, in-house dining experience featuring regionally inspired dishes. It’s not uncommon to find a long table set with fresh, locally sourced food, enjoyed under string lights with strangers who quickly feel like neighbours. Bookings for The Table are essential and available only to in-house guests. The café has built a reputation not just for great flavours, but for creating a warm, intimate setting in the middle of nowhere.
On a Proudback journey, Bullara is a soft landing. It marks the shift from remote self-reliance to casual comfort. It’s where stories get swapped, gear gets dusted off, and the last stretch of the journey starts to feel a little more like home.
Visit all three on The Outback Adventurer Tour with Proudback
Wooleen Station, Warroora Station, and Bullara Station are all featured stops on Proudback’s Outback Adventurer tour—a guided small-group 4WD journey that starts in Perth and extends all the way to Ningaloo Reef.
This 12-day expedition is designed to connect travellers with remote Western Australia in a way that balances adventure with comfort. The tour covers roughly 2,500 kilometres of inland and coastal terrain, reaching places most travellers never see on their own.
The Outback Adventurer is part of Proudback’s series of 4WD guided self-drive West Australia experiences. Travellers drive their own vehicle in convoy, supported by an experienced guide and a fully equipped lead vehicle. All accommodation, meals, permits, equipment, and logistics are arranged.
The itinerary includes:
- Two nights at Wooleen Station, where guests learn about land regeneration, water systems, and outback ecology.
- A stay at Warroora Station, with time to explore remote beaches and camp under the stars near the Ningaloo coast.
- A stop at Bullara Station, where dinner at The Table offers a relaxed end to the day.
This is not a tag-along tour, nor is it a solo rental trip. Proudback’s approach blends independence with guidance, offering access to parts of the country that are otherwise difficult to experience safely or meaningfully. For those seeking 4WD adventures in the outback, it’s a rare mix of authenticity, capability, and care.
Planning your route
Each of these stations is a working property and operates seasonally, generally between April and October. Booking ahead is essential—particularly if you’re interested in staying in homestead or lodge accommodation rather than camping.
If travelling independently, be aware that many of the roads are unsealed. High-clearance vehicles and off-road capability are required. Fuel stops are limited. Travellers who prefer a supported experience can consider joining Proudback’s 4WD guided self-drive West Australia tour—The Outback Adventurer—which takes care of all transport, gear, and planning so you can focus on the journey itself.
Why include station stays?
Many people cross Western Australia chasing its better-known icons—Kalbarri, Karijini, Ningaloo. But station stays like these offer a different kind of insight. They show how people live and work in places that still feel remote. They introduce the country without packaging it.
Wooleen Station, Warroora Station, and Bullara Station are not museums or stage sets. They are part of a living landscape. For travellers who value real experience over curated polish, they’re not to be missed.
Ready to experience Western Australia’s most remarkable station stays for yourself? Join Proudback’s Outback Adventurer—a fully guided 4WD self-drive tour that takes you deep into the heart of Wooleen, Warroora, and Bullara Stations. Explore with confidence, travel with purpose, and let the journey speak for itself.