Who flies here, why landing at Busselton beats the three-hour drive from Perth, and the hire-car fine print that is hard to find on the booking sites.
Listed by the airport as a Regular Public Transport service. Passengers on Melbourne flights go through security screening. The airport says flight times can change at short notice and to confirm with the airline.
Listed by the airport as a Regular Public Transport service. margaretriver.com confirms Jetstar flies Sydney-Busselton 'several days a week'. Passengers on Sydney flights go through security screening.
The airport's static schedule lists Perth flights only as 'Closed Charter' services (Qantas, Virgin, Alliance/Nexus codes) for mine-site workers; the only services marked 'Regular Public Transport' are Jetstar's Melbourne and Sydney flights. Visitors arriving in Perth drive (about three hours) or take a coach.
Perth Airport is served by more than 20 international, domestic and regional airlines, so it has far more flights to choose from, but the Margaret River Region is about a three-hour drive from it (three to four hours allowing for stops) and the same again on the way back. Busselton Airport has only Jetstar's three-a-week Melbourne and Sydney services, but it is about 10 minutes from Busselton and 45 minutes from Margaret River, so you can be at a cellar door within the hour. For a short trip from the east coast the direct flight saves most of a day; if you need daily departures, come from overseas, or want to combine Perth with the South West, fly into Perth and drive the Forrest Highway and the new Wilman Wadandi Highway bypass. Busselton Airport to Margaret River is about 54 km, or 49 minutes; Perth is 227 km, about 2 hours 49 minutes.
Car hire at Busselton Airport works on pre-booked arrangements, with key drop facilities at the airport. The operators are Avis, Avraa Car Hire, Hertz, Europcar, Budget and Busselton & South West Rent A Car. Contact your operator before travel to arrange collection. Busselton & South West Rent A Car says it is based in the airport arrivals hall and is open for all flights, with bookings essential; Avraa lists Busselton Airport (BQB) and a Busselton town office as its locations.
Dedicated taxi and rideshare pick-up areas are directly outside the terminals and signposted; the passenger pick-up and drop-off zone is at the front of the departures terminal. South West Taxis (1300 68 16 16) covers Busselton, Vasse, Dunsborough, Quindalup, Yallingup, Cowaramup, Gracetown and Margaret River, and DiDi is listed as a registered operator. The airport is about 10 minutes from Busselton town centre and 45 minutes from Margaret River.
There are 600+ paid bays with short-term and long-term rates, plus a free pick-up/drop-off zone; parking cannot be pre-booked online. Short-term (2026/27): first hour free, 1-4 hours A$7.00, 12-24 hours A$13.00. Long-term: A$13.00/day for days 1-7, A$12.00/day days 8-13, A$11.00/day days 14-30, A$10.00/day from day 31 (7 days = A$91.00, 14 days = A$174.00). Payment is card only at the exit gates or at the pay machine in the arrivals terminal; a lost ticket costs A$240.00.
Free Wi-Fi covers the arrival and departure lounges. The cafe, Poppy and Pip 'On the Fly', opens around scheduled arrivals and departures for coffee, cakes, toasties, sandwiches and snacks; it is not licensed. There are a limited number of free luggage trolleys, accessible toilets and baby-change rooms, and signposted smoking areas outside. Pets are not allowed inside the buildings (service animals excepted).
Busselton Airport is a security-controlled airport: anyone flying to Melbourne or Sydney is screened (body scanner, carry-on x-ray and random explosive-trace tests), and the airport asks you to allow a little extra time. Check Jetstar's check-in cut-off for your flight. Airline baggage tags are available in the departures terminal.
Terms change; the booking page wins.
21 at all the airport's major brands, with a surcharge for younger drivers. Avis and Budget set the minimum at 21 and limit under-25s to compact through full-size cars and compact/intermediate SUVs, with a young-driver surcharge that 'may apply' (no amount published). Hertz and Thrifty require 21 and charge a Young Driver Surcharge for anyone 24 and under, advised at booking and capped at 7 days in every 30. Europcar's terms require 21 with a young driver surcharge for drivers under 25 on specific vehicles. Local operator Busselton & South West Rent A Car also sets 21. Every brand wants a full (not learner or provisional) licence held for at least 12 months.
Source: avis.com.au, budget.com.au, budget.com.au
The national brands allow one-way hires within Australia, but a one-way fee usually applies and it is quoted at booking. Hertz says one-way rentals are permitted within Australia subject to availability and location restrictions, with the fee paid at pick-up (and not allowed on 4WDs). Budget charges either a predetermined One Way Fee shown on your rental document or A$2.28 per kilometre if you drop elsewhere without telling them. Europcar's terms say a one-way fee may apply, and Avis promotes discounted one-way deals on selected cars. Ask the operator for a Busselton-to-Perth quote before you book; the fee can rival the daily rate.
Source: images.hertz.com, budget.com.au, europcar.com.au
Yes. Hertz offers infant and child seats on all vehicles but you must reserve them when you book and pay locally. Local operator Avraa charges A$20.00 per booster seat and A$40.00 per convertible baby seat (0-4 years) for the whole hire, with professional fitting A$40.00 per seat; seats fit its cars and SUVs but not every campervan. Busselton & South West Rent A Car will fit baby seats before you arrive or supply them for you to fit. Budget and Europcar list child restraints as hireable accessories in their terms without publishing a price. Under WA law children under seven must be in an approved restraint, and the hire companies make fitting it your responsibility.
Source: avraacarhire.com, avraacarhire.com, images.hertz.com
Yes, from the two local operators. Avraa Car Hire (Busselton Airport and Busselton town) rents cars, premium SUVs (Kia Sportage, Suzuki Vitara, Mitsubishi ASX and Outlander) and 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-berth campervans, with SUVs from A$57.00 to A$87.00 a day depending on length of hire and campervans from A$130.00 a day on 15-day-plus hires. Busselton & South West Rent A Car, in the airport arrivals hall, lists a Toyota RAV4 SUV (A$69/day), a 7-seat Prado 4WD (A$120/day), a 12-seat HiAce minibus, a 2-berth HiAce campervan (A$180/day) and a Prado rooftop camper, with 200 km a day on 1-6 day hires and unlimited km from 7 days (not 4WDs). Avraa's campervans have travel zones and extra insurance is needed to cross more than one zone.
Source: avraacarhire.com, avraacarhire.com, avraacarhire.com
Standard rates include basic damage cover with an excess you pay per incident; reducing it is optional. Avis's published table puts the standard Loss Damage Waiver excess at A$5,900 for small to large cars and A$6,900 for 4WD and luxury groups, with optional Excess Reduction cutting that to A$1,500 or A$2,500 and Zero Excess taking it to nil (not on commercial vehicles). Hertz builds Loss Damage Liability into the rate and sells optional protection to reduce it, while Europcar calls it a Damage Excess with optional Damage Cover products. Local operator Avraa advertises a refundable A$1,500 bond and 'zero daily excess' with full insurance included. Whatever you buy, driving on unsealed roads or other prohibited use voids the cover.
Source: avis.com.au, images.hertz.com, images.hertz.com
Car hire runs on pre-booked arrangements with key drop facilities on site; confirm collection details with your operator before you travel. Busselton & South West Rent A Car says it opens seven days, 365 days a year for every flight into the airport (6am until late), with prior booking essential. If your flight is delayed or you are returning before an early departure, agree the key-drop plan with the company in advance.
Source: busseltonmargaretriverairport.com.au, busseltonswrentacar.com.au, busseltonswrentacar.com.au
What catches out interstate and overseas drivers.
No. The Road Safety Commission says a normal SUV, sedan or hatchback is fine on sealed, well-maintained roads such as major towns and highways, and Tourism WA says to hire a 4WD only if you will drive unsealed roads. Most hire contracts back this up: Europcar bans unsealed roads unless it is a well-kept access road under 500 m to accommodation or camping at no more than 40 km/h, or you buy Unsealed Road Cover; Hertz and Thrifty list unsealed roads as a prohibited use (except roads under repair and access roads to camping or accommodation grounds), which means you lose damage cover and can be liable for the full value of the car. Budget allows properly formed sealed, metalled or gravel roads but bans beaches, sand, streams and fire trails. Stick to the bitumen and you will see all the main sights.
Source: wa.gov.au, westernaustralia.com, europcar.com.au
Yes, especially at dawn and dusk. RAC says kangaroos were involved in 88 per cent of its animal-collision claims in 2023, with the riskiest times being early sunrise (5am to 7am) and nightfall (5pm to 8pm), and April to July the worst months. Its advice is to limit country driving at dawn and dusk and, if an animal appears, slow down but do not swerve. If you hit one: brake, sound your horn, and call the Wildcare Helpline on 9474 9055 if you injure a native animal. RAC's Margaret River guide specifically warns about kangaroos at dusk on the drive down.
Source: rac.com.au, wa.gov.au, wa.gov.au
If there is no sign, the limit is 50 km/h in built-up areas and 110 km/h on open regional roads; Main Roads WA confirms these are the state's default limits. Freeways default to 100 km/h, school zones and some shared areas are 40 km/h, and anyone towing a caravan or trailer is capped at 100 km/h. Signed limits override the defaults, so watch for 80 and 90 km/h zones through towns like Cowaramup and on Caves Road.
Source: wa.gov.au, mainroads.wa.gov.au
0.05 blood alcohol for a full licence; driving at 0.05 or above is illegal. A first offence between 0.05 and 0.08 can be dealt with by an on-the-spot infringement of A$1,000 and 3 to 5 demerit points, and higher readings go to court with fines and licence disqualification. The limit is zero for learners, P-platers and anyone driving a bus, taxi or small charter vehicle. Police run random breath tests and it is illegal to refuse one.
Only if it is in a mount fixed to the car and you do not touch it; set the route before you start. You may touch the phone only to answer or end a call when it is in a mount, otherwise calls must be hands-free via Bluetooth or voice. Holding, touching or resting a phone on your body costs A$500 and 3 demerit points; creating, sending or looking at a text, email, social media, photo or video is A$1,000 and 4 points, even if the phone is mounted. WA uses safety cameras to detect phone offences.
Yes. Visitors from overseas or interstate (tourists, business trips, temporary study or work) can drive on their current, valid home licence and must carry it while driving. If the licence is not in English you must also carry an English translation certified by your consulate or an International Driving Permit (IDP). Hire companies apply the same rule: Avis and Budget accept a non-English licence only with an English translation or IDP, and Hertz also wants to see your passport at pick-up.
Source: transport.wa.gov.au, wa.gov.au, wa.gov.au
You will not meet a toll between Busselton Airport and Margaret River, or on the drive down from Perth. Tourism Australia notes that many capital-city motorways are tolled, but Linkt, the national toll operator, covers toll roads only in Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland, and none of Main Roads WA's driving-in-WA pages mention tolls. If you drive your hire car interstate, tolls there are billed back through the hire company (Budget's terms include a Linkt rental service fee of A$3.30 per tolled day).
Source: linkt.com.au, australia.com, budget.com.au
Fuel is easy to find on the main route. FuelWatch, the WA Government's free fuel-price service, lists about 14 sites in Busselton and Vasse (BP, Shell Reddy Express, 7-Eleven, Ampol, Caltex, Liberty, Vibe, Geographe Petroleum, United Vasse); three in Dunsborough (Shell Reddy Express, 7-Eleven, BP); BP Cowaramup and Gracie's General in Gracetown; four in Margaret River (Shell Reddy Express, Better Choice, Geographe Petroleum) plus Vibe Witchcliffe; and one in Augusta (BP). Fill up before Caves Road or the Boranup forest, and use fuelwatch.wa.gov.au or the email alerts to see tomorrow's prices, which are published around 2:30pm and fixed for 24 hours from 6am.
Source: fuelwatch.wa.gov.au, fuelwatch.wa.gov.au, fuelwatch.wa.gov.au
Australia drives on the left; the Road Safety Commission suggests taping a note to the dashboard if you are not used to it, and taking extra care at intersections and turns. At a roundabout give way to vehicles already on it, indicate left from the left lane to turn left, indicate right from the right lane to turn right, and indicate left as you pass the exit before yours; failing to give way at a roundabout is a A$150 fine and 3 points. You must not turn left on a red light (there is no free left turn), and on multi-lane roads at 90 km/h or more you must keep to the left lane unless overtaking.
Every desk at the airport in one place. Book before you fly; keys are at the terminal.
Independent guide, not affiliated with the City of Busselton or the airport. Links to hire companies may be affiliate links; if you book through one we may earn a commission at no cost to you.