Wildlife sightings very depends on your luck. There were kangaroo sightings at Perth airport and inside the carpark on level 2/3 before.

Btw Albany isn't really doable as a daytrip. Its about 4-5 hours drive 1 way, unsure about how long much via Kattaning. I'd suggest going via 1 route and returning via different route. Can see the greenery change 2-4 times depending on the route you take.

Also you may encounter wildlife on the roads during night and especially at dusk/dawn when the roos are most active. Have had a few close encounters myself and know several people who've hit them. So I'd suggest staying overnight for this safety reason as well, especially if you've not been out of Perth city before.

If you're interested and have the time, check out Valley of the Giants at Denmark

Lucky you haven't encountered them. Just be extra vigilant in CBD and nearby surroundings on Friday/Saturday nights. Especially the train station.

We're planning to drive right before sunrise (I assume it is 7am there?) so we reach Kattaning for early lunch
then continue down to Albany to meet my cousin there and visit her house.

If it's safe to drive straight back at night back to Perth after dinner, we'll reach Perth around midnight.
If not, we'll follow your suggestion and look for a cheap hotel to bunk in.
We just wanna road trip, there's not much to see and do in Albany.
Most of the time, we will be at her home eating and chatting.

Denmark is a far place bro, maybe one day.
I did most of EU pre COVID.
Maybe it is time now to head north.

I've stayed in Northbridge for a week.
It was really fun to be honest, although it was 40C during the day
There's a bar 3 storey high near where we hangout, not far from the museum area
And it was Fringe festival all month

The train station is where?
Is it the one near the shopping district with the underground entrance?
Or is it near where all the junkie is queuing to get methadone from health worker's van

Best to research more on driving at night before making your decision. I've encountered heavy fog with ~20m visibility at night but this was driving up north and during autumn. Unsure if winter can create these conditions.

You're right Albany doesn't have much. Denmark is about 45mins west of Albany, not EU's Denmark. If you're going via Katanning , it'd be the red line. Hence why I suggested Denmark for different route (blue line) back to Perth. Time permitting of course.

When I road trip I tend to stop randomly anywhere I feel nice. Depends what interests you otw. I found a random pink lake nearby Denmark before.

Then you'd know how rowdy Northbridge can be at nights. Seen shit like Aboriginals using cross junction as boxing ring there

Train station is between CBD and Northbridge. The tracks are literally the north border of whole CBD. Yes its almost beside that underground entrance.

thanks, good info.

I'll probably follow your advise.
Seems like the pink lake is worth a scenic drive.
Go follow red line, back follow blue line

I've driven for long hours in NZ and
i think OZ is the same regarding rest stops and petrol stations.

You need to stop at towns because rest stops are non existent, right?
I was in South Island and we have to call the gas guy at 8pm because his station was closed.

yeah, that's the spot where junkies all line up for methadone.
I often use the elevated bridge to cross over to CBD

Yeah, I saw police handcuffed one Abo in Northbridge in front of me.
Its not that bad for me, we used to go to this Churro cafe near the empty space with big screen at night.
And GuzmanyGomez is along that road.

Drove in NZ as well and yes fairly similar in OZ depending on route. I think blue line may have more stops than red but I usually stop in the small towns instead of standalone stops (not many iirc)

Busselton has a famous long jetty if you're interested for a detour.

thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

Got money, everyday is great in Australia other than facing subtle racism by the whities there. Its granted, and understandable as its their country being infiltrated by Asians leeching the country's wealth.

They are pretty much okay with Malaysian
but most of the stuffs I heard are for the Vietnamese,
they are the troublemakers there