Capes, caves and the beaches in between

The most popular beach in Meelup Regional Park: a north-east-facing cove of white sand and calm turquoise water sheltered by Geographe Bay, backed by shady grass and peppermint trees. It is the classic family beach day near Dunsborough, with easy swimming, snorkelling and picnics. The Wadandi name means place of the moon rising, because on a few nights a year the full moon appears to rise out of the sea here.

Car park, change rooms, toilets, showers and picnic areas; the foreshore is wheelchair accessible. No dogs in the regional park. The Meelup coastal trail runs along the shore in both directions.

Yallingup's beach has two personalities: left of the main staircase a reef-ringed lagoon of calm, clear water that families use for swimming and snorkelling, and right of it a beach break and reef where surfers ride Indian Ocean swells. The town's name means place of caves in the Wardandi language, and it sits in a tiny valley between the sand and Caves Road. Rabbit Hill, just north, has a car park and lookout over the famous surf break.

Car park, playground and barbecue facilities at the beach; dogs allowed north of the Dawson Drive access. The surf side is unpatrolled with rips and quick-changing conditions, so keep small children in the lagoon. Yallingup is 34 km west of Busselton.

Season: Lagoon swimming is a summer activity; winter brings big surf for spectators.

A long sweep of white sand just south of Yallingup that stays quieter than its neighbours because the crowds split between them. It is known in the surf world for Supertubes, a break that holds very large swells, and at its southern end the Aquarium, a small granite-protected lagoon popular for snorkelling. Walkers like it for the space and the turquoise water in winter.

Beach car park and holiday resort behind the dunes; Smiths Beach Surf Lifesaving Club patrols in season (check the club's roster). Dogs allowed before 9am and after 5pm from 1 December to 28 February, and all day the rest of the year. The Aquarium has no toilets and its south end can be exposed to swell.

A long, calm white-sand bay right up near Cape Naturaliste, sheltered from most prevailing winds and used for swimming, snorkelling, fishing and lazy umbrella days. It has a rare combination of untouched bush, a car park with showers and toilets, and a beachside cafe. The 3.6 km Bunker Bay loop trail connects it to the lighthouse headland, and tiny Shelley Cove next door has granite boulders rising from the water.

Car park with showers and toilets, cafe at the beach; the north part of the beach is dog friendly. Unpatrolled.

A sandy beach between rocky outcrops south-west of Margaret River, well known for its surf break and for the 1876 Georgette rescue, when stockman Sam Isaacs and 16-year-old Grace Bussell rode their horses into the surf for four hours to pull passengers from the sinking steamship. It is a handy trailhead for the popular Redgate to Conto Road stretch of the Cape to Cape Track and a fine place to watch the sun go down.

Sealed car park with accessible bays and a wheelchair-accessible toilet; 2WD access via Redgate Road (3.5 km from Caves Road). Unpatrolled with dangerous rips; lives have been lost, so swim only in calm conditions and obey the signs. Special-purpose surfing zone in the marine park.

A remote crescent of white sand beneath tall limestone cliffs at the end of a few kilometres of orange gravel road off Caves Road, where you can usually find a stretch to yourself. Rock pools and boulders keep children busy, a small point break suits relaxed surfers, and a loop walk from the car park takes in a vivid piece of the Cape to Cape Track. Four kilometres back up the road, Conto Campground is the national park's big, shady peppermint-woodland campground and the main camping base for the Cape to Cape.

300 m sandy track from the beach car park, with a grassed picnic area; Conto Road beyond the campground is unsealed and rough but open to 2WD. Unpatrolled beach. Campground has about 120 sites across several loops (tent-only and vehicle loops), fire rings, gas barbecue shelters and toilets but no guaranteed drinking water; book online up to 180 days ahead.

Season: Swimming in summer; walking in the cooler months.

Note: Access to Conto Beach was reported reopened after bushfires in the area (margaretriver.com listing, checked 2026-10-28); check DBCA park alerts before driving in.

A granite headland at the end of Castle Bay, a calm turquoise cove on the east side of Cape Naturaliste between Dunsborough and Meelup. The payoff is the Lookout Circuit, a steep rocky scramble up from the coastal trail to a 180-degree view over Geographe Bay from the spot where Wadandi people, and later the 1840s Castle Bay Whaling Company, watched for whales. The bay below is good for swimming, picnics and a sheltered surf break when the west coast is too big.

Castle Bay has gas barbecues, picnic tables and wheelchair access; reach Castle Rock along the beach or the Meelup coastal trail. The lookout spur is grade 3 (steep and rocky, care required). Watch for snakes in spring and summer; no dogs.

Season: Humpback and southern right whales seen from the lookout September-December; spring orchids and wildflowers on the trail.

A chain of granite-gneiss outcrops about 4 km south of Yallingup where the sea has carved a narrow channel between the rocks. A wooden footbridge spans part of the canal so you can stand above waves surging through the gap. The Noongar name is Winjee Sam and DBCA describes it as an open-air museum of the ridge's geology.

Car park, boat ramp and small jetty at the end of Canal Rocks Road; a short walkway leads to the first rock. Rocks are exposed to big swells and people have been swept off and drowned here (deaths in 2010 and 2014), so stay off wet rock and behind barriers. A small unpatrolled beach lies on the sheltered side.

Season: Most dramatic in winter swell; calmest in summer.

A natural rock pool at Wyadup Rocks, on the southern end of Injidup Beach, where swell pushes through gaps in the granite and churns the pool like a spa. People visit to sit in the foaming water on calm days and photograph the waves on rough ones. Injidup Beach itself is a long, uncrowded surf and fishing beach named after the red pea flower that grows on its cliffs in spring.

Unsealed car park at the end of Wyadup Road (4 km along Caves Road), no toilets; reach the pool by a rough rocky path south of the car park. DBCA warns this is an unpatrolled coast with dangerous rips and freak waves where lives have been lost; only enter the pool in low swell and never turn your back on the ocean. The Cape to Cape Track runs 2.3-2.6 km from here to Injidup Beach.

Season: Safest in summer and autumn calm; often unusable in winter swell.

The grassy headland at Prevelly, 9 km west of Margaret River town at the river mouth, overlooking Main Break, the heavy reef wave that has hosted the Margaret River Pro on the world professional tour since 1985. Tiers of lawn make a natural amphitheatre for watching surfers and sunsets, with plaques telling how the break was discovered, and a food truck on summer evenings. It is also a reliable whale-spotting point and a windsurfing and kiteboarding venue in the shoulder seasons.

Large car park, toilets, lookouts and lawn; accessible paths. The break is for experienced surfers only; swim at Gnarabup Beach just south instead. Prevelly's chapel of St John the Theologian commemorates the Cretan monastery that sheltered Australian soldiers in 1941.

Season: Whales June-December; the Pro is usually held in autumn (April in the years cited).

A modern state-run harbour on Flinders Bay, opened in 2014 at Flat Rock about 5 km out of Augusta on the road to the lighthouse, and the only safe short-term boat haven on the 430 km of coast between Busselton and Albany. For a visitor it is the departure point for Augusta's whale-watching cruises, a place to buy seafood straight off the boats at the service jetty, and a pleasant spot for a picnic with harbour walks and a whale-viewing platform.

Public toilets, barbecues, grassed picnic areas, shaded pavilion, walking trails and an accessible pontoon; four-lane boat ramp and 40 pens if you are trailing a boat (pens in high demand, book ahead). Open 24 hours. Contact (08) 9216 8200.

Season: Whale-watching platform used June-September; Blessing of the Fleet and market day on the June long weekend.

Begun in 1865 and stretched to 1.841 km, this is the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere and Busselton's signature attraction, five minutes from Busselton Airport. Walk the length, ride the solar-powered jetty train, descend 8 m into the Underwater Observatory to see coral and fish through eleven windows, or visit the Marine Discovery Centre that opened in 2024. It survived closure to shipping (1972), Cyclone Alby (1978) and a fire (1999) thanks to the local community, and is state-heritage listed.

Open daily, typical hours 8.30am-5.15pm (check the extended-hours calendar); observatory tours and train rides are bookable year-round and sell out in peak periods, so book ahead. Train round trip 45 minutes, hourly, wheelchair accessible; prams and large bags are not allowed on the train or in the observatory. Foreshore parking is busy in peak season. Prices are on the jetty's admission page.

Note: Marine Discovery Centre open since 2024; the earlier Australian Underwater Discovery Centre project was shelved in 2022.

A 577-hectare A-class reserve managed by the City of Busselton that runs 11.5 km along the coast from Old Dunsborough to Bunker Bay, taking in Castle Bay, Meelup Beach, Point Picquet and Eagle Bay. Its north-east-facing coast is unusual in WA and gives it sheltered granite coves, turquoise water and bushland rich in wildflowers, kangaroos and black cockatoos. The 7 km Meelup coastal trail (class 3, 3-4 hours) is the way to see it, with sealed road access at several beaches so you can walk shorter legs.

Trail starts near Hurford Street, Old Dunsborough and ends at Riedle Park, Eagle Bay; narrow dirt track with rocky sections beyond the accessible Meelup foreshore. Toilets, barbecues and water at the main beaches. No pets; snakes active December-February; clean boots at dieback stations.

Season: Whales from the trail September-December; wildflowers in spring.

A shell-and-limestone homestead that Alfred Bussell began building in 1857 for his wife Ellen, tucked behind a huge coastal dune in the national park on a Wadandi summer camping ground called Mokidup. The National Trust restored it after 1979 and reopened it in 2019; the stories inside cover both the Bussell daughters who ran the farm and the Wadandi people who built and worked here. A short walk from the house leads to Meekadarabee, a waterfall and cave that is especially significant to Wadandi women.

Homestead open Thursday to Saturday 10am-4pm, guided tour Sundays 10.30am; grounds open daily; closed Good Friday, Christmas Day and when 38C or more is forecast. Adult $10, concession $7, child 5+ $5, family $25, National Trust members free. The Meekadarabee walk is about 30 minutes return on a 1 km paved path and boardwalk with toilets. Entry 4 km along Ellen Brook Road from Caves Road.

Season: Closes on days forecast 38C or above.

The Wilyabrup Sea Cliffs are the dramatic granite walls on the Cape to Cape Track south of Moses Rock, used by rock climbers and abseilers and passed by walkers on the Moses Rock to Gracetown leg. Moses Rock itself has a clifftop car park with big coastal views, timber steps down to the beach, and the 3.8 km return Quininup Falls trail, which follows the track to a seasonal waterfall that spills onto the beach. Inland, Wilyabrup is the heart of the wine region's oldest vineyards.

Moses Rock car park is 4.3 km down Moses Rock Road from Caves Road at Wilyabrup (unsealed, no marked bays). Stay on the path at Quininup Falls, which is a cultural site, and do not climb the falls. The cliffs are unfenced: keep well back from edges, especially in wind. Climbing and abseiling only with proper gear or a guided operator.

Season: Quininup Falls flows late winter and spring only.

The westernmost stand of karri trees in the world, a cool green valley of pale-barked giants reaching 50-60 m between Caves Road and the coast, about 25 minutes south of Margaret River. The Karri Lookout on Caves Road frames the forest rolling over the valley, and the unsealed Boranup Drive loops through the trees past Boranup Campground to Boranup Lookout, which looks out over the forest to Hamelin Bay. Late-afternoon light on the trunks is the photograph everyone wants.

Boranup Drive has a hard limestone base suitable for 2WD but conditions vary; picnic tables and toilets at Boranup Lookout and campground (unsealed car park). 1080 fox baits are laid here, and no pets are allowed in the park. Entry free.

Season: Spring wildflowers (clematis, hovea, hibbertia) along the drive.

The national park that holds almost everything on this list, running the length of the ridge from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin: beaches, caves, karri forest, the Cape to Cape Track and both lighthouses. The good news for a hire-car visitor is that entry to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is free; you only pay for the operator-run caves and lighthouse precincts. Park passes matter if you add a Pemberton day trip, where Gloucester, Warren and Greater Beedelup national parks do charge.

Standard WA park entry where it applies is $17 per vehicle per day (concession $10, motorcycle $10). Passes bought online from the DBCA shop: Holiday Pass from $30 (5-day, 14-day or 4-week), All Parks annual $130 (concession $80), Annual Local $30. e-Passes must be printed and displayed in the windscreen. No dogs in the national park; 1080 baits are laid in some areas.

Season: Total fire bans and trail closures on extreme fire-danger days in summer.

Note: Park and Cape to Cape improvement project ran mid-2023 to about mid-2025 (DBCA, checked 2026-10-28).

A small village 13 km north of Margaret River and 36 km from Busselton that leans into its nickname Cowtown: 42 life-size fibreglass Friesian cows and calves have stood around the streets, parks and shopfronts since 2012, and in 2014 the town set a Guinness record for the most people dressed as cows (1,352). Kids hunt for the hidden Molly Moo Cow while adults browse the fudge, cheese, bakery and gift shops along the main street, and the golden cow sculpture nicknamed Rump on a Stump stands in Pioneer Park. It makes a natural stop between Busselton and Margaret River on Bussell Highway.

Free street parking on Bussell Highway; public toilets at Pioneer Park. Wineries including Vasse Felix are minutes away. Allow extra time if the kids insist on photographing every cow.

The region's hub town (population about 7,400) sits 48 km south-west of Busselton and 9 km inland from the surf coast, surrounded by vineyards, karri and marri forest. The main street has galleries, cafes, breweries and the Saturday farmers' market, while at the northern entrance Rotary Park sits on the river itself with the heritage steam engine Old Kate, a playground, barbecues and a footbridge to the Old Settlement buildings. From Rotary Park the Ten Mile Brook (Bunnitj Biddi) trail follows old timber tramways 7.3 km one way along the river to the Rusden picnic site at Ten Mile Brook Dam.

Rotary Park has toilets, shade, picnic facilities and an information bay; the trail is compacted gravel suitable for walking and bikes (class 3 walk, easy ride), about 3 hours each way or shorter out-and-back legs, with vehicle access at the dam if you only want to walk one way. The ford near the dam floods in winter, so use the signed diversion. No swimming in the dam (water catchment). Bike hire and a cafe sit beside the Rotary Park car park.

Season: Spring wildflowers and bush birds on the trail; winter flooding at the ford.