The sands down under
Whether you’re a surfer, sunbather, wildlife or marine life fan, or just enjoy a stroll, Ronan O’Connell finds that Western Australia has a beach for everyone.
They are home to ‘‘elephants’’, are magnets for world surf stars, are so pristine they attract sleepy kangaroos, or so long that it’s hard to see where they finish. These are some of the diverse attributes of Western Australia’s 10 best beaches.
WA alone has more than 21,000 kilometres of coastline, even more than New Zealand’s 15,000km.
From flawless city beaches to isolated idylls and island paradises, this is a guide to the Australian state’s finest strips of sand.
Cape Leveque
The colours almost seem fake. Aqua blue water contrasts against pale sand and the rich red earth of lofty sea cliffs. If isolation and exotic locations inspire you, then Cape Leveque is the embodiment of your dreams. A 30-hour drive north of Perth, in the wild Kimberley region, the beach at Cape Leveque is gorgeous in many traditional senses – clear water, fine sand and calm conditions.
What makes it extraordinary are the 40-metretall deep-red sea cliffs that loom over the beach. You have never visited a beach like this.
Cable Beach
A train of camels walking along Cable Beach at sunset is one of the iconic images associated with Western Australian travel. At 22km long, Cable Beach is one of the country’s longest continuous stretches of sand. It is so vast many tourists choose to traverse the beach on the back of a camel, which is steered by local tourist operators.
Kayaking and snorkelling are the other key activities there, as is finding an empty patch to sunbathe and enjoy its beauty. You’ll need to fly from Perth to the resort town of Broome, which is more than 2000km north of the WA capital.
Shoalwater Bay
In a calm bay sheltered by reefs that teem with exotic fish, bottlenose dolphins frolic alongside tiny penguins and giant sea lions.
The government-protected Shoalwater Islands Marine Park is just 50 minutes’ drive south from downtown Perth, yet feels raw and untamed.
The beaches on the mainland there are equally as spectacular as those on Penguin Island, the star attraction of Shoalwater thanks to its colony of about 1000 little penguins, a rare species only about 40 centimetres tall and one kilogram in weight.
From mid-September to early-June, visitors can get a ferry across to this island to watch a live penguin-feeding session.
Hamelin Bay
Enormous, 1.5m-long stingrays were swimming calmly around my legs the last time I visited Hamelin Bay.
In WA’s deep southwest, 300km from Perth, the crystalline ocean at Hamelin Bay gives visitors a clear view of the stingrays that cruise right up into knee-high water, metres from the beach.
It’s not just one of the best places in Australia to see these fish, it is also a great spot for a walk due to its 5km stretch of beach.
Lucky Bay
It is very hard to upstage a beach as pristine as Lucky Bay. Yet that is just what has been achieved by its most famous residents – wild kangaroos.
This beach near Esperance, nine hours’ drive southeast of Perth, has a large population of kangaroos so used to posing for photos that many of them are comfortable in the company of humans.
The marsupials couldn’t have chosen a better home. Lucky Bay has some of the finest white sand and clearest water of any beach in the country.
Eagle Bay
At first glance it looks like a swimming pool. The water at Eagle Bay is so remarkably translucent that it’s hard to believe it is part of the Indian Ocean. This area, three hours’ drive south of Perth, has become one of the state’s top luxury holiday spots and for good reason – nowhere in the state is better for swimming.
Lapping against blindingly-white sand, the water at Eagle Bay is not just astonishingly clear but wonderfully calm, making it perfect for families with young children.
The Basin, Rottnest Island
Perth is blessed by many fantastic beaches, yet Rottnest Island is the popular choice for many Perth people when they want a sandy getaway.
The small island, 20km off the coast of Perth, is popular due to its unique fauna such as its
quokkas, and the beauty and untouched nature of its beaches such as The Basin.
On the north coast of the island, this beach is located in a small bay and has clear water and large patches of reef, which are brilliant for snorkelling.
Margaret River
Perhaps the most famous surfing location in Australia, Margaret River each year hosts a major world championship tour surfing event, where the planet’s best riders tackle monster waves up to six metres tall. Yet Gnarabup Beach, alongside that renowned surf spot, is often quite calm, and is a great spot for swimming, diving and snorkelling.
Or join the kids diving off its pier into the pristine ocean water.
Elephant Rocks
This is my favourite beach in all of Western Australia, and maybe the most unique, too.
Although this tiny beach is only 50m wide, making it minuscule in comparison to many on this list, Elephant Rocks is breathtaking due to the giant stone formations that inspired its name.
The enormous boulders rise out of the waters of this petite bay like rounded elephants.
Combined with the soft sand and green-blue ocean, this makes Elephant Rocks well worth the five-hour drive south from Perth.
Turquoise Bay
The name gives it away. Turquoise Bay has the most beautiful ocean water imaginable.
The peninsula area of Exmouth, about 1300km north of Perth, is famous for its stunning beaches but none can compete with Turquoise Bay.
Its alluring waters are calm and filled with marine life. That’s why it’s so possible with divers and snorkellers, who spend hours scouring the reefs of the bay.