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Voykit pocket guide · Australia

Onslow

Go only if you want Mackerel Islands diving or fishing: 2 nights, self-sufficient, own car, fuel before you leave town.

Onslow is a small Pilbara port town of about 850 people, 1,373 km north of Perth, used as a base for the Mackerel Islands and little else. There is one supermarket, one fuel station, a handful of hotel rooms and no dive shop. Come with a car, a full tank and your own gear, or skip it and stay in Karratha.

Aberdeen, New South W…AdaminabyAdelaide RiverAdelaideAireys InletAirlie BeachAlbanyAlbury-WodongaAlice SpringsApollo BayAraratArdrossanArkaroolaArmidaleOnslow1,000 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Australia
Best months
Apr–Oct (dry season, ferry running)
Avoid
Nov–Mar (cyclone season, extreme heat, ferry not running)
Stay
2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
AUD
Money
Currency is the Australian dollar (AUD, A$). Contactless cards and phones are accepted almost everywhere, including public transport in the big cities; some small cafes are card-only.
Daily spend
Budget A$120–180 excl. bed · Mid A$180–280 excl. bed · High A$280+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Telstra has the widest outback coverage; Optus and Vodafone (TPG) are cheaper and fine in cities and along highways.
Emergency
Police, fire, ambulance 000 · From mobiles 112
Plugs
Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Angled two- or three-pin Type I, shared with NZ, Fiji and China; sockets have their own switch — turn it on.
Tipping
Cafés and casual meals: Nothing; a tip jar is optional.; Restaurants: Not expected; 10% for very good service in a nice restaurant if you wish.; Taxi / rideshare: Round up or nothing.; Tours and guides: Optional; A$10–20 for a great day guide.; Surcharges: Weekend and public-holiday surcharges of 10–15% are legal if shown on the menu.
Water
Tap water is safe in cities and towns; in remote places use signed drinking taps. Carry plenty on any outback drive or walk.
Toilets
Free public toilets in parks, beaches, shopping centres and petrol stations (servos); the National Public Toilet Map app lists them.

What things cost

ItemPrice
Coffee or takeaway snack at the fuel stationA$5–12
Pub meal at a hotelA$25–40
Beer at a hotel barA$8–12
Goods Shed Museum entryA$2
Mackerel Islands ferry, adult returnA$120
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekA$20–40

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

ONS · Onslow Airport
5 km (3.1 mi) south of town; Virgin Australia from Perth about 2 h, three days a week, Qantas about once a week. Car hire is based in town and will meet you here.

Typical fares

Onslow Airport → town centre, 5 km
taxi or pre-booked transfer, about A$25–35
Cane layby → Onslow, 80 km
pre-book Onslow Bus & Taxi, price not included in the coach ticket
Mackerel Islands ferry, adult return
about A$120, 45 min each way, Apr–Oct Tue and Fri
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

Get around

The town centre is walkable, but everything else — Old Onslow, the termite mounds, the Wheatstone turn-off, Beadon Creek — needs a car. Avis and Europcar have desks in town. The Mackerel Islands ferry runs Apr–Oct, Tuesday and Friday, leaving Thevenard Island at 10:00 for a 45-min crossing to Beadon Creek and returning around 14:00; it is set up for island staff coming to town, so you cannot use it as a day trip out from Onslow.

See and do

Known for

  • Mackerel Islands diving and fishing
  • Staircase to the Moon viewing
  • Old Onslow ghost town
  • Wheatstone gas project tours

Day trips

WhereHowTime
Old OnslowDrive south-west on the Old Onslow road, about 15 km (9.3 mi)About 30 min each way
Thevenard Island (Mackerel Islands)Mackerel Islands ferry from Beadon Creek, 45 minHalf a day or more
KarrathaDrive east on the North West Coastal HighwayAbout 3 h
Wheatstone project tourDrive 12 km (7.5 mi) west, tour by arrangementAbout 2–3 h

Sleep

Second Avenue (town centre)
Hotels, supermarket, fuel station and the visitor centre within a few minutes' walk; best if you have no car.
Beadon Creek Road
Caravan park and cabins near the creek and ferry landing, 3–4 km (1.9–2.5 mi) north-east of the centre; needs a car.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
Where is the fuel station?Where's the servo?
I have a bookingI've got a booking
How far is it?How far's that?
Can I pay by card?Can I tap?
Is there phone signal?Any mobile reception out here?
ThanksCheers

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake or 'G'day' / 'How are you going?'; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; long answers to 'how are you'
  • Rounds: Buy your round ('shout') when drinking in a group; avoid: Leaving before your shout
  • Queues: Queue patiently; sitting in the front seat of a taxi when alone is common; avoid: Pushing in — it is noticed
  • Country: Listen to Welcomes and Acknowledgements; use local place names when offered; avoid: Touching artefacts or photographing ceremonies without permission
  • Beach: Swim between the flags; respect lifesavers' instructions; avoid: Swimming at unpatrolled beaches alone
  • Humour: Expect teasing and understatement; laugh along; avoid: Taking dry sarcasm literally or boasting
  • Walking and driving: Keep left on footpaths and escalators; wave thanks to drivers who let you in; avoid: Stopping on the road to photograph kangaroos

Scams and watch-outs

  • Don't leave town with less than half a tank: the fuel station at 23 Second Ave is open daily 06:00–15:00 only.
  • Mobile coverage is patchy: Telstra may work in town, other carriers often don't, and there is no signal on the highway approach.
  • The bus drops you at Cane, a layby 80 km south of town on the Onslow Road turn-off; you must pre-book the Onslow Bus & Taxi connection separately.
  • Cyclone season runs roughly Nov–Mar; check forecasts before driving the coast road.
  • Direction Island cabins and its ferry were not operating in recent seasons: confirm before planning around them.

Onslow is a small, quiet town and personal safety is not the issue. The real risks are heat, distance, fuel and phone coverage: carry water, fill up early and tell someone your route.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Onslow yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Mackerel Islands diving and fishing
  • Staircase to the Moon viewing
  • Old Onslow ghost town
  • Wheatstone gas project tours

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Onslow

Can you take me to this address, please?

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

  • Police, fire, ambulance000
  • From mobiles112

No consulates in Onslow; the nearest are in Perth. US, UK, Canadian and other embassies and consulates-general are in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth (check the current list).

Fuel 06:00–15:00 daily, supermarket 08:00–17:30 daily.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/onslow). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.