Perth to Phillip Island by motorbike: MotoGP 2026 route

This is a Perth to Phillip Island motorbike route for MotoGP 2026 (the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, 23 to 25 October). The first four days are the Nullarbor and Eyre Peninsula, about as straight as riding gets. The last two are the opposite: the Grampians, then the Yarra Ranges and the hills of Gippsland, so you arrive at the circuit awake.

For the race weekend itself, see the event notes in our Brisbane to Phillip Island route. The ride home towards Omeo is here.

Perth to Phillip Island: the seven-day route

Day	Leg	About
1	Perth to Kalgoorlie, via Northam, Merredin and Southern Cross	591 km
2	Kalgoorlie to Cocklebiddy, via Norseman and Balladonia	631 km
3	Cocklebiddy to Penong, via Eucla and the Nullarbor Roadhouse	692 km
4	Penong to Port Augusta, via Ceduna and Kimba	543 km
5	Port Augusta to Bordertown, via Port Wakefield and the Adelaide Hills	580 km
6	Bordertown to Ballarat, via Goroke, Natimuk and the Grampians	386 km
7	Ballarat to the circuit, via Daylesford, Healesville and Korumburra	407 km

Distances are measured along the routes we planned. Days 2 and 3 are the big ones. If you have a spare day, split day 3 at Eucla or Border Village.

Day 1: Perth to Kalgoorlie

The Great Eastern Highway is a fuel-and-coffee day. Northam and Merredin are the easy breaks, Southern Cross has fuel, and Coolgardie is worth ten minutes for its old gold-rush main street. Fill up properly in Kalgoorlie. It is the last big town before the Nullarbor.

Day 2 and 3: the Eyre Highway

From Norseman, the crossing is about 1,200 km to Ceduna, with 13 fuel stops from 12 to 191 km apart. The longest gap is the first one: Norseman to Balladonia at 191 km. Then Caiguna, Cocklebiddy, Madura, Eucla, Border Village and the Nullarbor Roadhouse, all within roughly a tank.

Things worth knowing:

• Eucla runs on its own time. The clocks go forward 1 hour 45 minutes there, so a roadhouse that looks open at 5 may already be closing.
• Border Village is the quarantine check when you enter South Australia. No fruit or vegetables across the line.
• Wind changes your fuel use more than you expect. Fill at every roadhouse and carry extra if your range is short. Our fuel range guide covers the maths.
• The SA upgrades are finished. The state transport department says the Eyre Highway works between Port Augusta and the WA border are complete. It also lists roadside maintenance near Bookabie on 20 and 21 October, so check its works notices on the day.

Free and cheap camps

Rider posts and travel blogs name these as free camps. None of them is a promise of a bed:

• Cocklebiddy, on the tracks near the roadhouse, with room for plenty of rigs.
• Balladonia, at the Afghan Rock rest stop, a few minutes from the roadhouse. It is small.
• Border Village, on the dirt tracks by the Bight, with whales in season.
• Penong, at the old Cohen school site, off the highway noise.

Riders in the Facebook groups also rate Madura, Eucla and Fraser Range. Roadhouses take campers too, with fuel and showers on site. Ring ahead in race week, because the same roads are busy with riders heading east.

Day 4: Penong to Port Augusta

Ceduna is the last big town and fuel stop before the Eyre Peninsula. Then Wudinna, Kimba (the Big Galah) and the long run to Port Augusta. It is a sealed, steady day, and a good one to rest in.

Day 5: Port Augusta to Bordertown

South along the gulf to Port Wakefield, then the Adelaide Hills at Mount Barker, which is where the road starts to bend again. After Tailem Bend and Keith it is flat to Bordertown, the gateway to Victoria.

Day 6: Bordertown to Ballarat

This is the choice most riders ask about: the Western Highway, or something quieter. We route you off it. Riders who know the area suggest Frances, Goroke and Natimuk instead, and it is the direct quiet way to Horsham country. Then Halls Gap and the Grampians, where the bends start, and Ararat and Ballarat.

If you do pass through Horsham, note that the Western Highway, Henty Highway and Golf Course Road junction is being rebuilt. The state says major works run Monday to Saturday, 7am to 6pm, with 40 km/h limits and single-lane closures, and some nightworks, until about the end of 2026.

Day 7: Ballarat to Phillip Island for MotoGP 2026

Daylesford and the old goldfields roads first, then Healesville for the Yarra Ranges. Take the Black Spur early, before Sunday traffic. Gembrook is a fuel stop, then the hills of South Gippsland through Korumburra and across the bridge to the Island. Gate traffic backs up for an hour on race mornings, so leave early.

Plan Perth to Phillip Island in the app

The whole thing is set up in MotoRidez as one seven-day ride from Perth to the circuit, with the towns as named stops and the camps in the notes. Split it differently, drop the bits you do not need, or swap the Western Highway for the back roads. On the way home, the Omeo ride covers where to stop.

Fuel distances, camp names and roadworks are from public sources read on 16 October 2026: the SA Department for Infrastructure and Transport, Transport Victoria, Nullarbor guides and rider posts. Roads, fuel and rooms change, and nothing here promises a bed or a full tank. Check before you ride.