Category: Great Southern

The Great Southern region occupies the coastal area of approximately 250km in the south of Western Australia and extends north 200km. It is bordered by the South West region in the west and Wheatbelt in the north.

Bluff Knoll

Bluff Knoll, Stirling Range NP

Bluff Knoll is the highest peak of the Stirling Ranges, which are in Australia’s South West. The range stretches from east to west for more than 65 kilometres and is characterised by rugged peaks, awesome views and abundant and rare flora. At 1095 meters, Bluff Knoll is not only the highest peak of the Stirling Range. It is the highest peak in the southern half of Western Australia and is the most popular hiking mountain.

Climbing Bluff Knoll

Many years ago, there was no sealed road to the base of the mountain. It is about 6km (from memory) from the main road (Chester Pass Road). The road is steep and not suitable for caravans.

The trail to the summit is very well maintained. It starts as an easy paved trail through eucalypt woodland. It then gets rougher and exposed. The climb is quite steep for most of the time with the steps along the way. Due to this, it is very strenuous and is especially hard on the knees and you need to be reasonably fit. Many people climb Bluff Knoll every day but not everyone makes it to the summit. There are markers along the way, indicating the distance left.

Roughly, 1/3 of the way, there is a nice small waterfall where you can sit on the rocks, recuperating. Roughly half way, you can see some rare flora like the mountain bells, which only grow at higher elevations (We’ve written a whole post on the flowers at Stirling Range NP, including Bluff Knoll). The views also become very picturesque here. The whole trail is 3,1km one way and it takes a couple of hours or so to climb.

Summit

Climbing Bluff Knoll is an experience by itself and very rewarding. But reaching the summit and seeing the views like that is like an icing on the cake (that is, of course, if you love sweets, then the analogy would make sense :)).

The summit offers amazing 360 degree views of the surrounding area.

We spend nearly an hour on top of Bluff Knoll, enjoying the views, as well as having our lunch there. Many people were there too.

Now that the hard bit of climbing up was done, the summit reached and thoroughly enjoyed, (together with the lunch) it was time to go down. Going down was easier and faster but still it was hard work. We were also tired by then and had to stop a few times. But the views of the mountain ranges were gorgeous, and it kept us going.

Where is it?

Bluff Knoll is in Stirling Range NP, roughly 4,5 hours drive south east from Perth. It is easily accessible via sealed roads.

Bremer Bay

Attractions in Bremer Bay

Bremer Bay is a small fishing town on the coast between Albany and Esperance in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. It is located approximately 580km east of Perth. For us, Bremer Bay is all about some of the most beautiful beaches in Western Australia, many of which are 4WD accessible. There are so many beaches to the east and west of Bremer Bay. We have explored only some of them.

Bremer Bay is also a gateway to beautiful, biologically diverse Fitzgerald River NP. Many beautiful wildflowers can be found around Bremer Bay. It is also a hot spot for watching whales between July and September. We have only been to Bremer during summer months and have not seen any whales or a variety of wildflowers. There are going to be many more trips to this beautiful area during colder months in the future.

Beaches close to Bremer Bay

Blossoms Beach

Blossoms Beach is one of the nicest but also one of the most popular beaches in Bremer Bay. You can assess this beach by a normal 2WD or drive a bit further for a 4WD access all the way to the beach. There is just a small section of soft sand but otherwise, it is an easy and short 4WD track to the beach.

The beach itself is quite wide and long enough for find your own spot, with squeaky white sand, turquoise waters and beautiful waves. It is one of the best swimming beaches, popular with families. Beginner surfers will find a good wave there. The place is equally nice for just relaxing.

Little Boat Harbour

Little Boat Harbour Beach is a short beach (only 100 meters long), that is well protected from the winds. It is great for swimming and is also used for launching small boats. The beach is 2WD accessible but has a steep descent and tight turn around area, so not suitable for caravans. However, 4WDs can drive onto the beach.

Point Henry

Point Henry is a beautiful lookout. It is a short 4WD track, which is relatively easy. You will find some overgrown shrubs and also a few rocky areas along the way. The track splits half way, leading to 2 lookout areas.

The track on the left leads to a more spectacular lookout. It ends with a small turn around area (enough to park 2 vehicles only) and from there you just walk downhill for about 50 or so meters (wouldn’t recommend driving those last few meters as it is quite steep).

Aerial view of Point Henry in Bremer Bay, the Great Southern
Ute with a canopy driving to Point Henry at Bremer Bay

The cliffs and rock formations are amazing to watch, as well as the breaking waves.

The track on the right from the fork becomes quite steep and very soft closer to the end, so we chose not to drive all the way but walked instead.

Rough 4WD track to Point Henry at Bremer Bay
Point Henry near Bremer Bay lookout

Both points do not have beach access but quite beautiful and worth exploring.

Beaches further away

Reef Beach – where sand dunes meet the ocean

Reef Beach is one of the most spectacular beaches around Bremer Bay – this is the place where you see massive sand dunes backing into the ocean. The access is 4WD only. The beach, in fact, can be accessed from two different tracks, either side of the dune area. We used Reef Beach track, which is roughly 35km west from Bremer Bay, or 15km east from Millers Point Road. The Reef Beach track entry is just opposite “Rest area 1km” sign on Borden–Bremer Bay Road. The track is 9 km long and is of moderate difficulty. It starts as an easy dirt road up to the sign where it is advisable to stop to reduce your tyre pressure. Then it alternates between soft sand and rocky area, with some overgrown sections, with the last section near beach being the most challenging.

Reef beach is simply amazing with those massive sand dunes extending inland for nearly 5km and stretching along the coast for a few kms. The beach is quite long – over 8km long – and wide. It is fun to drive on.

The combination of huge white sand dunes, crystal clear blue water with big waves is fascinating.

Reef Beach near Bremer Bay

There is also a free camping area behind the dunes. There are no facilities, so it is important to leave the place clean and pristine so that we all can still enjoy it in the future.