Located 70km east of Esperance, Membinup beach is one of the lesser known (but quite popular with locals). It offers free camping with no facilities. The beach and the campground is accessible via rough 4WD track from Daniels Road. There are a few camping areas (although not all clearly marked), so it is a matter of finding one suitable to your liking and also depending on how far your vehicle is able to travel. Some tracks are very soft sand which are not possible to drive on past certain point.
We managed to find a spot for ourselves which was sheltered by the dunes, had some privacy, was flat enough and only a 5-minute walk from the beach. We did have to climb up a very steep slope each time we went to the beach. But once on top of the slope, the view of the ocean was so mesmerizing, that it made us forget the hard work of climbing. And who can complain? We tend to get fitter every time after returning from our camping trips – mostly due to increased movements.
While some sites are soft sand, others, like the one we found, was dry earth, which turned into muddy glue with just a quarter of a bucket, which made taking shower a bit difficult. Imagine this place getting rain for 15 minutes – that place would become a mud plain.
We spent 4 fulfilling, relaxing and memorable days at Membinup beach, including Xmas Day. The beach itself is very much like the one at famous Cape Le Ground ,minus the crowd. It is just white squeaky firm sand, crystal clear turquoise waters, plus some rocky pools.
Tiger snake at the inlet
The more we travel, the more we see and learn about snakes. This time we’ve encountered Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus), which is dangerously venomous and aggressive. Tiger snakes are most common in coastal and wetland environments, living primarily around swamps and inlets where they catch frogs. Tiger snakes when threatened, raise their head off the ground, like cobra. We saw this tiger snake near the inlet at Membinup Beach.
Driving on beach
Driving on the white squeaky firm sand on the beach is so much fun! Although first you need to get through a narrow single line track with bushes either side, scratching the vehicle 😊.
Sunset
There is something so mysterious in those sunsets – the colours, tranquillity and a sense of something very majestic…
The nights in the outback are amazing! Millions and millions of stars were our companions.
Taking showers in the bush
Taking showers in a bush is a luxury. We only took showers every second day and even less often in colder weather. While we do have hot water system to enjoy hot shower, the need to save water meant that each person had about a liter of water. But there is nothing to complain here. Camping in the bush with limited water taught us to appreciate so many things we would otherwise have taken for granted – like proper hot shower!
The white squeaky firm sand at Membinup beach is amazing. Take the kids to this kind of beach and they will find their own entertainment! Even before they got to the beach, fun began….
Photography
While beach is always the main attraction and entertainment for us, there are other interesting things to discover and observe on the beach, other than waves and white sand. The wildflower season on the south coast of WA lasts well into summer, so you can still find a number of pretty wildflowers.
Membinup beach also offers an opportunity to watch the birds, including shore breeding birds Sooty Oystercatcher and Hooded Plover.
We walked on the beach, we drove on it, kids dug sand and built sandcastles. But mostly, we just relaxed gazing endlessly into the ocean, feeling splashes of the waves on the bare skin and hearing the roaring of the ocean at night. Magnificent!
