Not Just a Driver. A Freo Local Who Happens to Have an 11-Seater.
Dempsey Manning has spent over 20 years on the roads of New Zealand and Australia, hosting groups who wanted something more than a seat on a tourist bus. Sun Up Charters is the business he always knew he’d eventually run — boutique, private, and built entirely around the people who climb into that van.
How Sun Up Charters Came to Be
There’s a specific moment most people in the tour industry have had. You’re driving a group through a beautiful part of the world and someone in the back says, “I wish we could just stop here for a bit.” On a big coach with 40 strangers and a schedule, the answer is always no. Dempsey Manning spent enough years giving that answer before he decided there was a better way to do it.
Born in New Zealand and drawn to Australia’s west coast, Dempsey has spent more than two decades on the roads of both countries — hosting groups, learning regions from the inside out, and building the kind of local knowledge that only comes from time. He’s driven the Swan Valley in every season. He knows which Fishing Boat Harbour spot is best before the tourist crowd arrives, and which one to avoid after 11am. He knows the family winery in the Swan Valley whose back shed has never appeared on a tour company brochure.
“Most tour operators drive people to places. I want to show them things — and there’s a genuine difference between the two.”
Sun Up Charters is built around one observation: groups of 8 to 11 people have almost no good options. A premium chauffeur car fits four at most, and costs accordingly. A large coach tour seats 40 strangers with a fixed route, a rushed itinerary, and someone else’s plan for your day. The gap between those two options — private, flexible, good value per head, genuinely local — is exactly where Sun Up lives.
The van is 11 seats. Small enough to fit down Fremantle’s West End heritage laneways, which larger coaches are physically prohibited from entering. Small enough to pull into a boutique winery driveway, stop at a Fishing Boat Harbour viewpoint that doesn’t appear on any map app, and spend an extra 45 minutes somewhere the group loves without anyone watching a clock. That’s the whole idea.
Freo is home now. Dempsey knows the light at the harbour in the morning, the market stallholders by name, and exactly where to take a group of eight Melburnians who want to feel like locals for a day rather than tourists on a conveyor belt. That local knowledge — specific, earned, and genuinely Freo — is what every Sun Up tour is built on.
🗒️ Dempsey at a Glance
Fremantle (Freo), Western Australia
Private 11-seater van — exclusively yours for every booking
20+ years hosting groups across Australia & New Zealand
Fremantle, Swan Valley, Perth Airport, Margaret River, Greater Perth
Fixed quotes for the whole van. Tolls & GST included. Zero surprises.
Call or message directly — no call centre, no hold music
20 Years of Roads, Regions & Stories
Sun Up Charters didn’t come from a business plan. It came from two decades of hosted tours, regional knowledge, and a clear-eyed view of what small groups actually need.
First Wheels
Started driving and hosting groups in New Zealand — learning regions from the road up, not from a brochure.
Australia Calls
Crossed the Tasman and built experience across Australian touring routes, from coast to countryside.
Fremantle Becomes Home
Settled in Fremantle and spent years learning every laneway, harbour spot, and local secret the place has to offer.
A Better Option
Saw the gap between luxury cars (too small) and big coaches (too impersonal) and decided to fill it with a boutique private van.
Sun Up Charters
Fully private group tours across Fremantle, Swan Valley, Perth Airport, and Margaret River — built around your group, every time.
The Philosophy Behind Every Tour
Every Sun Up tour is shaped by a few things Dempsey believes genuinely matter — not as marketing statements, but as practical decisions that show up in how your day actually runs.
Private means private. Not "mostly private".
When the van is booked, it’s yours. All 11 seats, all day. No stranger will sit next to your group and no one else’s itinerary will influence yours. That’s not a feature — it’s the entire point.
Specifics beat generics every single time.
The Fishing Boat Harbour at 8am is a different place to the Fishing Boat Harbour at noon. The Swan Valley cellar door on the back road is a different experience to the one on the highway that has its own carpark and gift shop. Dempsey knows these distinctions and builds tours around them.
Your pace, not the schedule's pace.
If your group wants to spend two hours at one winery instead of 40 minutes at three, that’s what happens. Sun Up has no fixed timetable to keep, no other groups waiting on the van, and no reason to rush you anywhere you don’t want to leave.
Honest pricing, always.
The number Dempsey quotes is the number you pay. Tolls included. GST included. There are no ‘convenience fees’, ‘toll supplements’, or ‘gratuity suggestions’ added at checkout. For groups trying to split a cost fairly, this matters a lot.
Freo’s heritage laneways — accessible only to smaller vehicles. The big coaches can’t get here.
The Van That Changes Everything
The 11-seater isn’t just a van. Its size is a genuine competitive advantage — and it’s the physical reason Sun Up can take your group places that every large tour operator in Perth simply cannot reach.
Passenger seats
Ideal group size
Private — no shared bookings
Hidden fees
The access advantage — in plain language
Fremantle’s West End heritage laneways, tight Fishing Boat Harbour access roads, and boutique winery driveways in the Swan Valley are all off-limits to large coaches. Prohibited, not just impractical. Sun Up’s 11-seater fits. That physical fact is the single biggest reason guests tell Dempsey they saw things they’d never have found on any other tour.
Great For Groups, Brilliant For Occasions
Sun Up Charters is built for groups of 4 to 11 people who want the whole van to themselves. Here’s who gets the most out of a day with Dempsey.
Milestone Groups
Birthday celebrations, hen’s parties, anniversaries, and reunions. When the day matters, the last thing you need is a cramped bus and a shared itinerary.
- Fully private — just your people
- Customised to your group's preferences
- Fixed pricing to split fairly
- Fremantle, Swan Valley, or custom route
Corporate Groups
Client entertainment, team days out, executive airport transfers. Dempsey presents professionally, communicates clearly, and makes your clients feel genuinely looked after.
- Professional presentation and punctuality
- Direct communication — no call centres
- Budget-approval-ready fixed quotes
- Experiences clients actually remember
Cruise Passengers
Limited time in port, maximum want to see. Dempsey picks up from the Fremantle Passenger Terminal and fits more genuine local experience into 6–8 hours than most people manage in a week.
- Terminal pickups and drop-offs
- Half-day and full-day options
- Fremantle + Swan Valley combinations
- Book in advance — popular slots fill quickly
What Groups Say After a Day With Dempsey
The best description of a Sun Up Charters tour comes from the people who’ve been on one.
“I just wanted to say thank you — the day was honestly better than I expected. We all agreed it was the best part of the whole Perth trip. The laneways you took us to in Fremantle, we would never have found those ourselves. That’s exactly what we were hoping for, and somehow more.”
Milestone birthday group of 9, travelling from Melbourne
Four Things Sun Up Never Compromises On
Privacy
The van is yours and yours only. No shared bookings, ever. What happens on a Sun Up tour stays between your group and the places you visit.
Local Knowledge
Every route, every stop, every recommendation comes from genuine years of living and working in Fremantle. Not a guidebook. Not Google Maps. Freo.
Transparency
Fixed pricing. No surprise fees at checkout. No toll supplements, no gratuity suggestions, no ‘administration charges’. The quote is the price.
Flexibility
If your group falls in love with a winery and wants to stay another hour, you stay. Sun Up has no bus schedule to keep and no other groups waiting.
Ready to Book a Day With Dempsey?
Call Dempsey directly and tell him about your group. He’ll come back with a fixed quote, no hold music, and no surprises. One conversation is all it takes to get your day sorted.
Fremantle tours · Swan Valley wine tours · Perth Airport transfers · Margaret River day trips · Custom group charters