The best things to do on your next road trip to Rockingham (2024)

Looking for something a little different to do around WA?

A little less run-of-the-mill. A little…Rockingham? Summer is the perfect chance to get down to this cruisy, coastal city and explore some pretty special gems.

Kids are back at school and this beachside haven is yours for the taking – read on below for a bunch of suggestions on what you can do in and around our southern coastal cousin:

Get hearts racing on the sea and in the sky

If you really want to set some hearts aflutter, why not get the adrenaline pumping with some high octane action on the beach? Jet Ski Tours Perth run a couple of different tours – a cruisier Eco Tour spotting dolphins, or the 1.5hr Blast Tour heading out to Carnac and Garden Island, with a high likelihood of spotting sea lions, dolphins and more. If that’s not high octane enough for you, take to the skies on a tandem skydive with Skydiving Perth, offering unparalleled views of Rockingham’s stunning coastline.

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Take a surf lesson at Secret Harbour or wind surf Waikiki

Prefer a different speed of transport when on the water? Secret Harbour is one of the metro regions most popular surf spots, with some kind of waves at most times of the year. This makes it a great spot to learn to surf, and there’s plenty of operators in the area to get you up and riding in no time. Alternatively you can have a crack at kitesurfing at one of the best places in the world to do so – Waikiki.

Bond over locally brewed craft beers or curious cocktails

You’ve got the Whitelakes Brewhouse & Tavern (pictured, below) right on Lake Walyungup along with Azacca Kitchen in Safety Bay to choose from brewery-wise, while if cocktails are more your style, our Rockingham resident reckons Catalano & Co do some of the best in the west.

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Play around at Perth Aqua Park

While the aquatic playgrounds along the beaches of Rockingham are plenty of fun, inland at Baldivis’ Perth Aqua Park you can add a hefty dose of adventure as well. And while you could race your SO along the huge inflatable park with over 100 different interconnected obstacles, perhaps some cable ski fun or some wakeboarding will really get your hearts aflutter.

Coastal city means seafood delights, and you’ll find a couple of epic seafood platters at Golden Ponds in Baldivis (where you can even go fishing yourself), and Latitude 32 (pictured, below) overlooking the Rockingham foreshore. Rockingham is also home to quite possibly our favourite tapas restaurant in Western Australia, Rustico – make sure you do the degustation! If it’s a more casual daytime feed you’re after, Bayside Barista do the best brunches in town, while Caveman BBQ’s huge American-style smash burgers and grill will rattle your bones.

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Spend a day exploring the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park

This protected ocean park located on the coast of Rockingham is a marine biodiversity hotspot, home to penguins, sea lions, bottlenose dolphins and a variety of sea-faring birds. Pull up on a white sandy beach for a day of relaxing, or go diving, snorkelling, SUPing or kayaking in waters rich with marine life (there are plenty of places you can hire the latter). A little further north you’ll find another excellent aquatic playground – Point Peron and Cape Peron.

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Find true love on Penguin Island

Did you know that Little Penguins (the species found on Penguin Island) are highly monogamous with a separation rate of only around 20 per cent? If that incredibly romantic fact doesn’t get the juices flowing then a quick ferry over to Penguin Island to visit the cute little swimming birds of Rockingham surely will.

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Enjoy a picture perfect picnic

Rockingham is littered with prime picnic places perfect to take your better half. The obvious one is Rockingham foreshore, where a picnic on the lush green grass followed by an ice cream is basically a rite of passage. Outside of the foreshore Harrington Waters Reserve, Centenary Park, Lions Park and City Park are a few of many others kitted out with plenty of shady trees and barbecues for a romantic lunch.

Hit a hiking trail or two

If you’re chasing something a little more interesting and/or challenging, there’s a variety of great walking trails around Rockingham. Lake Richmond features a critically endangered thrombolite community, along with a variety of wild birds to spot along the 3km Anne Mueller Environmental Walk. For a full list of walking trails around Rockingham head here.

For more inspiration on what to do down in Rockingham head to the Visit Rockingham Website and start planning today.

The best things to do on your next road trip to Rockingham (2024)

FAQs

What is near Rockingham? ›

  • Discovery Place Kids-Rockingham. Children's Museums. ...
  • Rockingham Dragway. Auto Racing Tracks. ...
  • Castlewood Park. Parks.
  • Browder Park. Parks.
  • Lincoln Memorial Park. Parks.
  • Richmond County Parks & Rec. Parks.
  • Rockingham Building Inspection. Parks.
  • Belk. Department Stores.

What's the best road trip? ›

  • Blue Ridge Parkway – North Carolina. ...
  • Route 66 - Eastern New Mexico. ...
  • Black Hills. ...
  • Utah's National Parks. ...
  • Cape Cod. ...
  • Big Sky Country. ...
  • South Florida. ...
  • San Francisco to Lake Tahoe to Reno. California and Nevada feature a bevy of breathtaking sights and sounds.
May 14, 2024

How long is the perfect road trip? ›

Ideally your road trip should be four to six hours between stopping points, maximum. Sometimes your stopping points are along the way, so you might do two hours, then have an hour or two stop, then two more hours with an hour or two stop, then two more hours.

What is the biggest road trip? ›

The longest road trip covers a distance of 20,885 (33,612km) through Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Kazakhstan, Russia and then across Europe from Belarus to Spain. Then head over to north Africa and travel through Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and more.

What is Rockingham, NC famous for? ›

For the wildlife enthusiasts, fishing and hunting are popular sports. The area is rich in deer, dove, turkey and other small game. There are numerous hunt clubs located in the area with memberships available. The Rockingham Dragway offers year round events that bring thousands of people to our area.

Is Rockingham worth visiting? ›

With 37km of spectacular coastline, Rockingham is renowned for its safe, calm waters, pristine beaches, marine animals and abundance of aquatic activities available in the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park.

How can I waste time on a road trip? ›

Things to do on road trips
  1. Listen to podcasts.
  2. Play the “20 questions” game.
  3. Meditate.
  4. Play a travel game.
  5. Listen to an audiobook.
  6. Play the state license plate game.
  7. Learn a language.
  8. Learn about different cultures.

How do I make my road trip less boring? ›

Road Trip Boredom Busters
  1. Can-Do Cards. Don't underestimate the power of a deck of cards. ...
  2. Contest Craze. Hold an official family spelling bee or trivia contest using index cards to write down words or questions. ...
  3. Good Ol' Games. ...
  4. Journal Jotting. ...
  5. Make It Magnetic. ...
  6. Map Quest. ...
  7. Road Trip Box to the Rescue. ...
  8. Silence Is Golden.

How much money is good for a road trip? ›

If you're not planning on taking a long road trip, a good rule of thumb is to budget about $150 per day. Broken down even further, this budget per day would look like $20 for snacks, $30 for gas and $100 for hotel costs, according to Kroeger.

How long is the perfect trip? ›

Research says the ideal vacation length is 8 days.

How long should you stop on a road trip? ›

This is a good discussion to have before you leave home so everyone on the road trip agrees. It's often a good plan to estimate a 15-minute stop for every two hours on the road.

How many miles should you drive on a road trip? ›

“For a 14-day trip, you can reasonably do 1,600 to 1,800 total miles, and in some cases, 2,000 miles,” says Dunham. “For a shorter three-day trip, plan for 200 to 300 miles.” Journeys mostly traversing rural interstates can cover more total ground than those focusing on harder-to-navigate byways and side roads.

What is the best day to drive a road trip? ›

Research studies often point toward midweek as the safest period to be on the road. Wednesday, in particular, is commonly cited as a day with lower accident rates and reduced instances of aggressive driving.

What is the longest distance you can drive? ›

The longest named road in the world is the Pan American Highway which starts/ends in Prudhoe Bay Alaska and ends at the southern tip of South America. This roadway is interrupted by the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia, which has no roads. It is around 19,000 miles long.

What's the longest drive in the US? ›

The longest drive between any two cities in the contiguous United States stretches more than 3,600 miles from Cape Flattery, Washington, to Key West, Florida. That's according to the research team at World Geography website StudyCountry.com, which took this curiosity a step further.

What is Rockingham North Carolina close to? ›

Rockingham is situated in the south-central North Carolina Piedmont. It is located 61 miles (98 km) west of Lumberton, 61 miles (98 km) north of Florence, 70 miles (110 km) east of Charlotte, and 83 miles (134 km) south of Greensboro.

What is Rockingham County famous for? ›

Rockingham County has several important historic and natural sites. The Piedmont county boasts the first North Carolina theater with the capability to show sound movies: Rockingham Theatre. It is also home to the Penn House, a 12,500-square-foot dwelling.

Is Rockingham NC a nice place to live? ›

Living in Rockingham offers residents a sparse suburban feel and most residents own their homes. In Rockingham there are a lot of parks. Many families live in Rockingham and residents tend to have moderate political views. The public schools in Rockingham are above average.

What suburb is Rockingham in? ›

The City of Rockingham is located in Perth's outer southern suburbs, about 40 kilometres south-west of the Perth CBD.

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