Beach & Forest Tag Along tour

Follow our experienced local guide in your own 4WD on a half-day adventure through Pemberton’s forests, sand tracks, Yeagarup Dunes and wild coastline.

This is a recreational tag-along 4WD experience for travellers who want to explore the Pemberton area with local knowledge, convoy support and the reassurance of travelling with others.

It is ideal for capable drivers who are comfortable behind the wheel but do not know the local tracks, sand conditions, national park access, beach environment or recovery considerations. It can also suit newer 4WD drivers wanting a confidence-building introduction to sand, forest and coastal tracks, especially during quieter periods when there is more space and less pressure.

This is not a formal accredited 4WD training course. It is a guided tag-along tour with practical tips, route guidance and local support along the way.

Tag-along tours usually run alongside our regular Beach & Forest Eco Adventure passenger tour. Guests travel in our guide vehicle, while tag-along participants follow behind in their own 4WD.

The route is generally the same as our passenger tour, but the experience is slightly different. Commentary while driving is more limited, as radio communication is focused on route guidance, safety, track conditions and practical driving support. At each stop there is time to talk with your guide, ask questions, learn more about the landscape and discuss the driving conditions.

The route can become more technical at certain times of the year, particularly in summer, after extended dry weather, during busy holiday periods or when sand conditions change. Where possible, we prefer to run tag-along experiences during quieter times so drivers have more space, less pressure and a better chance to enjoy the experience.

Standard departure is 9.00 am, returning at approximately 1.00 pm.

A 2.00 pm afternoon departure may be available by arrangement, returning at approximately 6.00 pm.

If your preferred date or time is not showing in the calendar, please contact us by email, phone or Facebook. We can often adjust times to suit your itinerary, passenger tour schedule and track conditions.

Your booking includes:

• guided tag-along 4WD route;

• experienced local guide vehicle to follow;

• UHF radio route guidance and practical driving support;

• national park entry;

• picnic lunch on the 9.00 am tour or afternoon tea on the 2.00 pm tour;

• commentary and interpretation at tour stops;

• local knowledge of the forest, dunes, coast and changing track conditions.

The base price is for either two people or a family of up to four people travelling in one vehicle. Extra passengers are welcome, but must be added under “Extras” when booking so we can cater correctly.

You must provide your own suitable 4WD vehicle.

Your vehicle must be registered, roadworthy and insured, and the driver must hold a current valid driver’s licence. The driver remains responsible for their own vehicle, passengers and driving decisions at all times.

Your vehicle should be suitable for sand and national park track conditions. Suitability will depend on the vehicle, clearance, tyres, recovery points and conditions on the day.

Pemberton Discovery Tours reserves the right to refuse participation if a vehicle is considered unsuitable, unsafe, unroadworthy or not capable of completing the planned route.

Departing from Pemberton, we begin with an interpretive drive towards Warren National Park, travelling through farmland and forest landscapes that tell the story of the Southern Forests region.

In Warren National Park, we explore towering old-growth karri forest and bush tracks surrounded by some of the most impressive forest country in Western Australia. Along the way, your guide will share local knowledge of the forest, wildlife, changing landscape and early settlement history.

Wildlife sightings vary, but the area is home to kangaroos, emus, reptiles, forest birds and red-tailed black cockatoos. As with all nature-based experiences, wildlife cannot be guaranteed, but the landscapes are always worth the journey.

We then continue towards D’Entrecasteaux National Park and the Yeagarup area, where forest gives way to sand country and coastal heath. You will have time to stop, stretch your legs and use the facilities before we continue towards the Yeagarup Dunes.

The Yeagarup Dunes are one of the largest inland mobile dune systems in the Southern Hemisphere. These vast moving dunes are slowly advancing through the forest, creating a striking landscape of sand, trees and open sky.

Together we cross sandy tracks and stop at selected locations for photos, interpretation and time to take in the scale of the dunes. This is a memorable part of the tour and a valuable opportunity to learn more about sand driving, tyre pressures, track awareness and responsible 4WD use.

From the dunes, we continue through coastal heath towards the Southern Ocean. In season, this area can be rich with wildflowers, especially from September to November. The coastline is wild, remote and powerful, with views across the beach and the mouth of the Warren River, which opens and closes depending on seasonal river flow and ocean conditions.

This area is also important habitat for coastal birdlife, including threatened shorebirds such as hooded plovers and fairy terns. We ask all guests to respect signage, nesting areas and guide directions to help protect these vulnerable birds.

On return to the lake area, enjoy a picnic lunch featuring local produce on the morning tour, or freshly baked cakes for afternoon tea on the afternoon tour, before we make our way back to Pemberton.

Morning tours usually return around 1.00 pm. Afternoon tours usually return around 6.00 pm.

Four-wheel driving involves inherent risks, including changing sand conditions, uneven tracks, overhanging vegetation, bogging, mechanical damage and recovery costs. Drivers are responsible for their own vehicle, passengers, driving decisions, insurance, recovery and any damage that may occur.

All drivers must follow guide directions, drive responsibly and respect national park conditions at all times.

This experience is not about proving how tough your 4WD is. It is about accessing an incredible landscape responsibly, with local knowledge, route support and the reassurance of travelling with others.

This experience is best suited to suitable 4WD vehicles only. If you are unsure whether your vehicle is suitable, please contact us before booking.

Graeme and Toni Dearle started Pemberton Discovery Tours in October 1999 and have helped thousands of visitors access the forests, dunes and coastline surrounding Pemberton.

Our guides bring local knowledge, practical 4WD experience and a strong respect for the national parks we operate in. We ask all participants to drive responsibly, follow guide instructions and help us protect these special places for the future.