Len Howard Conservation Park on the shores of Peel Inlet in Mandurah is a great place for bush walking and bird watching.
There is a 2km loop easy walk trail, which can be extended further and done as a 6 km return trail. It goes through the bush and wetlands along the inlet. A few benches are along the way to sit down and rest, while appreciating nature. The park is part of Peel-Yalgorup Wetlands, that support quite a number of water birds, as well as migratory birds.
Australian Pied Oystercatchers were the highlights for me during this walk. Apparently, they feed on worms too, not just oysters!
Toilets and picnic facilities are available at this location and you can take your dog on a leash for a walk.
Len Howard Conservation Park is located in Mandurah, 1 hour drive from Perth. It can be included as part of your day trip to Mandurah. Alternatively, it is a short drive from Herron Point campground, if you like nature based camping.
Myalup beach is one of the 4WD beaches along the 60km stretch (between Tims Thicket to the north and Binningup to the south). It is a beautiful beach with soft white sand and spectacular colours of the ocean.
The sand dunes separate the ocean and Lake Preston running parallel to the coast for many kms. From the bird’s eye view, this looks quite amazing. The access to Myalup beach is very easy, right from the carpark.
Lake Preston near Myalup beach
Lake Preston, just north of Myalup, is an usual lake. Stretching for 30 km, it is the longest lake in Yalgorup National Park. It is also the closest to the coast. The lake is shallow and very saline, providing favourable conditions for salt-loving halobacteria to flourish which makes the water turn pink. Looks amazing from above!
Herron Point campground is a basic nature-based campground on the shore of Harvey Estuary in the Peel region, only an hour drive from Perth. It is a prime spot to go crabbing, enjoy wildlife, photography or just relaxing. Being so close to Perth and easily accessible, it is a very popular place.
Facilities and costs
Facilities are very good and include flushing toilets, bins and non-drinking water. The only inconvenience we found was related to the layout of the campground and the actual sites. Caravan sites are literally next to each other, with no privacy at all. So, we booked a tent site, which had more privacy, better views (sites A to D) and some shade.
The issue with the sites is the barrier that separates the actual site from the parking lot. As we rely on our vehicle for all our cooking and kitchen needs, we needed it close to the tents. It took a few maneuvers every time to park as close to the barrier as possible and we did plenty of exercise jumping over the barriers every time we needed to go from one side of the vehicle to the other (maybe, hundred times a day? 😊).
Apart from that, it is a nice campground with a caretaker on site, who looks after the campground. The price is also very reasonable, being $20 per site per night, for up to 4 adults and 4 children on each site. And you can bring your dog there too. Being so easily accessible, it goes without saying, that it is a very popular place, especially during the holidays and the crab season. We stayed there over Australia Day long weekend and saw hundreds of people (campers and day users alike) go blue swimmer crabbing. The campground is managed by the Shire of Murray and must be booked online in advance.
Crabbing is popular day and night
Shallow waters of Harvey Estuary are ideal for catching blue swimmer crabs. And they are in abandunce there! Despite the number of people crabbing day and night there, there is still enough (but make sure, you know the rules!)
Photographer’s paradise
“Photography is about discipline”, Brian said, and I dragged myself out of the swag at 5.30am and didn’t regret. Scenes like these ones feed my soul and nourish me. Early morning is the time when nature awakens and is full of energy. It is the time to connect with it, so that it can fuel you for the rest of the day.
Sunrise at Herron Point
Herron Point is a popular place with photographers. It is no surprise – sunsets and sunrises are amazing there! All you need to do is to be there at the right time :).
Sunset at Herron Point
Having a go at astrophotography with just a phone, while trying to photograph a windmill (the icon of Australian outback):
Abundance of wildlife
Flocks of pelicans, seagulls, egrets, cormorants, terns and are putting quite a show every morning as they fly over Harvey Estuary.
Off the shore you can see Carnaby’s black cockatoos, Splendid Fairy-wrens and Common Bronzewing among others.
Welcome Swallows are very quick when they fly but sometimes they do sit and pose nicely :).
If you are lucky, you can spot a Bandicoot. We were lucky :).
To sum up
There are so many good things about Herron Point. Although, we prefer much quieter and more remote places, as a quick getaway from home, Herron Point is a good choice. And if you are into crabbing, or photography, this place is definitely worth visiting.
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