If you chat to other travellers on the road along Western Australia’s Coral Coast, chances are high they’ll mention Bullara Station as one of their highlights. This working cattle station and iconic outback station stay has built a legendary reputation in recent years, in part due to its famous burger night, legendary scones and unique outdoor lava showers.
After returning to Karijini National Park for a few days of adventure, my friend and I decided to add a detour to the Exmouth Gulf on our itinerary so we could experience the wonders of Bullara Station for ourselves.
Read on for what to expect when visiting Bullara Station, which I can now say undoubtedly offers one of Western Australia’s best outback station stay experiences.
Location, Location
What sets Bullara Station apart from the get-go is its primo location. Situated conveniently at about the mid-point between Exmouth and Coral Bay, the station is set on 250,000 acres of red sand and rugged outback landscapes.
On our last Perth to Exmouth road trip, I noticed the signs pointing to Bullara, just a short detour on the main highway en route to Exmouth, and regretted not calling in at the time.
Side note: the station welcomes day visitors to its cafe who want to experience a fresh out of the oven scone or piping hot pie. It’s only about a 5-minute detour off the main highway, so it’s worth stopping by on your way to Exmouth.
Pulling off the highway and entering the tall gates marking the station’s entrance, we drove slowly past a cattle pen where we got our first sighting of some of Bullara’s local cattle residents.
After checking in at reception, we headed to the campground host check-in point, where we followed a friendly worker cruising along on her bicycle to our campsite and home for the next few nights.
We were visiting in mid-April over the Easter break, just after Bullara reopened its doors for the 2025 season (they’re only open to visitors from early April to October each year). Temperatures were still quite warm in the low 30s, so she quickly proclaimed how lucky we were to snag a campsite with some shade cover from a few trees.
While setting up our humble camp set up on two swags and our camp table and chairs, we quickly realised that we were vastly outnumbered by other campers who seemed to strongly favour their caravans and campervans (maybe a sign of the times being that we were staying during school holidays with many families!).
Outback Luxe Facilities – with a twist
After setting up camp, we decided to go for a walk to get our bearings and discover some of the secrets of the station – from the well-equipped camp kitchen with its visitor book bottle tree adorned with signed bottle momentos from other travellers, to the many luxe and unique open air outback showers – including the instagram famous lava trees made up of a bucket delivering hot (yes, HOT) water from its position overhead perched in a leafy gum tree.
Despite the number of campers and being completely booked out over Easter, we never had to wait to grab a shower, though the quirkier lava trees definitely were more popular than the regular, modern showers.
Honestly, I barely felt like we were camping – the facilities were very luxurious given our remote outback location. Other creature comforts included the laundry, cafe and well-stocked bar. After camping for four nights in the remote and rugged Karijini National Park, we felt very spoiled!
Accommodation Options
The bush camping sites at Bullara have powered and non-powered options – we opted for the latter.
However, if camping isn’t your thing, or you are following my Perth to Exmouth itinerary and staying in accommodation along the way, you can still book a couple of nights’ stay at Bullara, as they have a range of accommodation options.
The newest addition is the luxe safari huts – my choice for my next stay! The secluded safari tents are nestled in the bush away from the main campground and are fully self-contained, with a queen and double bed. For a simpler option, book a stay under the stars in one of the bell tents – with a few extra luxuries over regular camping, including a queen bed.
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For bigger groups or families, check out the Kapock Cottage, a classic 3-bedroom cottage or Hale Hut, a more modern option that also sleeps 6.
Near the campground, you’ll discover the Shearers Lodge, which has six individual rooms with a shared kitchen and lounge area, as well as a private garden for guests.
While Bullara allows well-behaved pets, pets aren’t permitted in the accommodation, only in the campground.
Bookings can be made directly on the Bullara Station website.
Dining at Bullara
After cooking our food in the camp kitchen in Karijini for the previous four nights, we felt a tad spoiled when we got to Bullara and timed our trip so we didn’t need to cook for a single evening of our three-night stay.
Pizza Night
Arriving on a Thursday, we settled into our campsite before treating ourselves to a wood-fired pizza for dinner, put on most Thursdays and sometimes Saturdays too by the visiting pizza van Doofwired Pizza. It was washed down nicely with a few wines from the outback bar.
Burger Night
On Friday night, we headed to the Woolshed with our camp chairs and plates in tow to grab a spot amongst the many other campers and watch on as the hard-working team furiously cooked up nearly 500 burgers for the iconic Burger Night, held each Friday.
In groups, we were called up to join the giant conga line, grabbing a freshly grilled Bullara beef patty that was slapped onto a bun, followed by salad and sauces, before sitting down to tuck into the burger while listening to live music. It was certainly an event to remember!
The Table
On Saturday night, we treated ourselves to a gourmet culinary experience at the Table, where head chef Toby Fisher created a menu featuring local produce. Seated around a communal dining table, chatting to other travellers, we started with freshly baked bread served alongside an intriguing smoked yoghurt dip.
For the main course, we tucked into the Ningaloo Reef and Bullara Beef, featuring Exmouth prawns on a fillet of Bullara beef, accompanied by piping hot hand-cut chips and greens before finishing with a decadent dessert of red velvet cake and chocolate mousse topped off with pistachio gelato – yum!
The Table dining experience is offered from Saturday to Wednesdays, featuring a different menu each night which varies with the seasons and local produce offerings.
While everyone raves about the Bullara burger night, it was the Table dining experience that caught our interest – and my friend Harriet made sure to book us in as soon as the reservations were released a month before our stay, so we didn’t miss out.
Woolshed Cafe
While Harriet was super excited for the Table, I was perhaps most excited to get my hands on one of the legendary scones that Bullara Station offers from its Woolshed Cafe.
Open daily from 7 am to 1.30 pm, order a freshly baked scone loaded with jam and decadently topped with cream, and enjoy it with a barista-made coffee in the rustic shed or gardens by the cafe.
Of course, scones aren’t the only treat on offer. There’s also the piping hot pies, made with thick, fresh, crusty pastry as well as a bunch of other baked goodies like sausage rolls and brownies on offer
Tip: the pies are available after 9 am!
Things to Do at Bullara
Due to the heat, we spent both of our two full days at Bullara relaxing by the beach at Coral Bay, a 45-minute drive away.
The main bay at Bill’s Beach is perfect for kids, thanks to its calm and crystal clear waters, or the more adventurous can jump into a 4WD to explore the Five Fingers Reef area. When we went into the afternoon, it was blowing an absolute gale, so best to head here earlier in the day!
Of course, Coral Bay is also famous for its glass-bottom boat tours and swims with the gentle giant manta rays.
If travelling 45 minutes to Coral Bay, or 90 minutes to Exmouth (where there’s a lot more to do and see!) doesn’t appeal, Bullara Station is a destination in itself with many lovely walking trails.
We ran out of time to do all of them, but I headed off on a sunrise adventure to explore Sunset Hill on our last morning.
If you have an off-road capable 4WD, it’s also possible to take the 4WD access track to explore the Exmouth Gulf from the Bullara property, or launch a tinny into the glassy water surrounding the mangroves.
And don’t forget to keep an eye out for the many local residents of Bullara – we spotted cattle, horses and a very friendly little goat named Billie who jumped on our swags and tried to eat our fairy lights (cheeky girl!).
Don’t be surprised if you come across the odd sheep wandering around the campsite, or the owner’s pudgy sausage dog named Indi, who is a known master scavenger (hence the pudge!).
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for an authentic station stay that offers creature comforts, comfortable accommodation, gourmet food experiences and an all-around banger vibe, Bullara Station is the spot for it. It’s pretty impressive what the third-generation owners, Edwina and Tim Shallcross, have done with the place to turn it into the bustling tourism hub it is today!
If you have a couple of nights to spare, I’d highly recommend booking your stay while exploring the wonders of the Coral Coast, or at least stopping by when passing through the area on the way to Exmouth for a yummy scone or fresh pie at the Woolshed Cafe.
Bullara Station is generally open from early April to October. Make sure to book in advance, especially if travelling during school holidays (April, July and September) or during peak season from July – August.
For more road trip ideas and things to do in the area, check out my other travel guides below, and happy adventuring!
Continue Planning your Road Trip along the Coral Coast:
- The Ultimate Western Australia Road Trip Guide – with Suggested Itineraries & Maps!
- A Complete First-Timers Guide to Exploring Karijini National Park
- An Epic Perth to Kalbarri Road Trip Itinerary
- Ultimate Perth to Exmouth Road Trip Itinerary
- 30+ Ideas for the Best Things to Do in Kalbarri
- Kalbarri National Park: Gorges Hiking Guide
- Best Whale Shark Tours in Exmouth (plus Essential Swim Tips)
- How to Visit WA’s Pink Lake: A Guide to Hutt Lagoon
If you found this free guide useful, you’ll love my new Western Australia Road Trip & Travel Guide eBook! It’s jam-packed with over 90 pages of useful destination guides, essential tips and custom day-by-day itineraries to make planning your Western Australia adventures a breeze. Check it out here.
