D’Entrecasteaux National Park is one of the less popular national parks, stretching for 130km along the coast between Augusta and Walpole in the south-west of Western Australia. A lot of people haven’t even heard of it, let along visited it. Yet, it is a gem, waiting to be discovered. It is a place full of secret spots, unspoilt raw natural beauty, rich flora and fauna, rugged terrain – all of this offering a place of respite, tranquility and also challenging (think about some of the best 4WD tracks!) yet very rewarding experiences. Pronouncing the name of the park is a challenge in itself 😊. It is actually in the French language, because the park was named after the French Admiral Bruni D’Entrecasteaux who was the first European to sight the area back in the 18th century.
4WD adventures
The majority of D’Entrecasteaux National Park can be explored with 4WD vehicle only. Being remote, isolated, pristine but very beautiful makes it such an attractive place for an avid explorer. It quickly became our favourite national park in Western Australia.
Black Point
Black Point was our first stop in D’Entrecasteaux National Park. It is in the northern part of the park, near Lake Jasper. To get to Black Point, you would need to travel on a rough sandy 4WD only track. We used Black Point track, which is about 10-12km long and is summer access only and is not suitable for towing.
Do not stop to take pictures when driving on sandy tracks!
The Black Point 4wd track is quite picturesque and you also see a lot of wildlife there, which can be a problem if you are into photography. We stopped to take a picture of the kangaroos (and there were plenty of them on the track) and got bogged.
Stepping Stones at Black Point
One of the most impressive sites at D’Entrecasteaux National Park is Black Point. It is named after spectacular hexagonal-shaped black basalt columns formed by volcanic lava flow 135 million years ago. They are best seen at Stepping Stones, which is less than 1 km walk from Humpback Hollow campground where we stayed (you can also drive there). Those black basalt column look impressive at any time of the day or at any weather. We saw them in the afternoon, when the setting sun enveloped them in a soft glow.
We also saw them in a gloomy and stormy weather, watching the waves wash over the stones, revealing their texture, shape and intense colour contrasting the waves.
Surfers Cove (below) is within walking distance (or short drive) from Humpback Hollow campground at Black Point and is quite picturesque.
Breakfast Holes (below) is another interesting place to see as you hike around.
Lake Jasper
Lake Jasper in D’Entrecasteaux National park is the largest permanent freshwater lake in the south-west of Western Australia. Unlike many other lakes and rivers in the south-west, Lake Jasper has very clear water. This is due to lack of tannins in the water, so it is sometimes called “white water lake”. It is a great place to go kayaking and bush walking. There are picnic tables, shade, toilets, non-portable water. There is also a small campground with just 3 sites, operated on a first come, first serve basis ($11 per person per night).
To get to Lake Jasper was an adventure in itself. It is a 22km 4WD sandy track from Humpback Hollow campground at Black Point in D’Entrecasteaux National park. The track is rough and goes up and down hill at some parts. It is a moderate difficulty track and is very enjoyable.
Not a single other traveller during our nearly 2-hour drive, except for just one person with a small caravan at the beginning of a track who got bogged and had to turn back. We helped him out by lending our recovery boards.
Jasper beach
Jasper beach is 8km from Black Point along the same sandy track that leads to Lake Jasper. It was a totally isolated but breathtaking beach where we spent some time, having our lunch and soaking up the beauty as we walked on a white squeaky sand.
Yeagurup Dunes
Yeagurup Dunes is a popular destination for lovers of 4wdriving. We saw at least 25 vehicles deflating and inflating tyres, traversing the sand dunes, going up and down hill. The dunes themselves are a massive area of soft mobile sand, rising meters above the karri forest and moving slowly inland, thus changing the landscape over years. The track starts at Yeagurup Lake. It is a sandy track through the forest but it is an easy drive for 1.5km.
To get to the dunes you would need to climb a reasonably steep hill.
Then it just soft white glaring sand for many kms. It is easy to get lost, so the track is marked with pegs and if you follow this 10 km track, it will take you to the beach (this will be our future adventure). The track is moderate difficulty (the ascent is probably the hardest) and very enjoyable.
Being surrounded by so much sand, 360 degrees around, gives you an awesome feeling of being in a nature wonderland.
Yeagurup Lake
Yeagurup Lake adjacent to Yeagurup Dunes (and the place where the 4WD track to the dunes starts) is a one of the many fresh water lakes in D’Entrecasteaux National Parks. You can go for a short walk around the lake, have a picnic (before or after heading to the dunes) and you can also camp at nearby Leaning Marri campground. There are clean drop toilets, rain water tank and shelter with picnic tables at the lake.
Broke Inlet
Broke Inlet, approximately 40 km west of Walpole, is a large, shallow estuary, linked to the Southern Ocean by a narrow seasonally open channel. It can be accessed via gravel Broke Inlet Road from the highway or by the 4WD only Fisherman’s Track from Banksia Camp (summer access only). We chose to get there the hard way and had the most rewarding and fulfilling experience.
The Fisherman’s Track to Broke Inlet was sandy and at time rough but nothing we couldn’t manage with low tyre pressure, correct 4WD gear usage and experience. Fisherman’s Track continues all the way to Broke Inlet Beach. Closer to the beach, there are some parts with overgrown vegetation (yes, your vehicle will get “tiger stripes”).
But the views are absolutely superb!
The beach was rough, with strong currents and huge waves, but very beautiful with its crystal clear water.
Camping at D’Entrecasteaux National Park
D’Entrecasteaux has a number of camp grounds, some are on the coast (Black Point and Banksia Camp) and some are inland (Leaning Marri, Lake Jasper, Crystal Springs). The campgrounds have excellent facilities and are very well maintained. Our first stop was at Black Point campground, which has total a of 30 camp sites (Humpback Hollow with 20 sites and Seal Cove with 10 sites). Only about half of them were occupied when we visited this place during Xmas last year. The cost is $15 per person and $5 per child per night (plus the national park entry fee) and the sites are not bookable. Facilities include clean drop toilets and rain water tank with non-treated water (which was very useful for us, since we couldn’t carry a lot of water with us). Some sites have picnic tables. We stayed at Humpback Hollow, which is a bit further away inland and walked to the beach (less than 1km).
Above: Humpback Hollow campground at Black Point.
Free camp in D’Entrecasteaux National Park
Our initial plan was to camp at Banksia camp but with only 7 spots, we missed out, considering that we visited this place early January, during the holiday season. Broke Inlet offers official free camping with no facilities but with the satisfaction guaranteed.
It is a pristine area (although we saw quite a number of vehicles camping at various parts along the inlet), heaven for birdlife and paradise for us.
Our kids absolutely loved running and playing in shallow waters of the inlet and I spent hours photographing birds.
D’Entrecasteaux 2WD accessible attractions
While the majority of D’Entrecasteaux National Park is accessible by 4WD only, there are a few places you can access by two-wheel drive vehicle.
Windy Harbour
Windy Harbour is a small holiday settlement (with a number of cottages, as well as a caravan park) on the south coast of Western Australia (27km south of Northcliffe). It is a popular fishing destination but it also provides a stunning view of the coast with some interesting rock formations on the beach. As the name suggests, it is quite windy there but it doesn’t prevent locals and visitors from swimming.
D’Entrecasteaux scenic drive
Windy Harbour is a start of 6km D’Entrecasteaux scenic drive with a few interesting stops along the route (Salmon beach, Tookulup, Point D’Entrecasteaux and Cathedral Rock).
Our first stop was Salmon beach, which is a picturesque sandy beach, great for walking or fishing. Due to strong rip currents, swimming is not advisable there.
It was so therapeutic to watch the waves crush against the rocks.
Point D’Entrecasteaux is where you can see amazing Nature’s Window (a “cousin” of a more popular version of Nature’s Window is in Kalbarry). It is a natural limestone bridge in the shape of a window into the mighty ocean below. To access Nature’s Window, park at Point D’Entrecasteaux lighthouse car park and follow the signs along the sealed pathway.
There are a few hiking trails that connect different parts of Point D’Entrecasteaux scenic drive. There is a short Pupalong Loop Trail where you can learn about the Noongar culture through the interpretive signs. Cliff Top Walk connects Point D’Entrecasteaux and Tookulup and is just over 1km long one way. There is also a longer (2,8km one way) Coastal Survivors Walk that links Point D’Entrecasteaux and Windy Harbour. More information can be found here.
Our last stop along Point D’Entrecasteaux Drive was Cathedral Rock. The beach had lots of seaweed, when we visited it early January, but the rock looked quite interesting.
Mandalay beach
Mandalay beach, 30 minutes’ drive west from Walpole, is another beach you can access by a 2-wheel drive vehicle. It is a stunning beach, which is too rough for swimming due to currents and rips, but great for fishing and walking. It offers spectacular views of mighty Southern Ocean and rugged coast.
From the beach you can see Chatham Island, which is 3km offshore, to the right.
And on the left, there are a couple of interesting rock pillars, like little islands in the ocean.
It is a long and wide white sandy beach with plenty of space to feel isolated. Interestingly, the beach got its name from the ship Mandalay, wrecked there in 1911 and occasionally parts of it could be visible above the sand.
Flora and fauna at D’Entrecasteaux
Rosenberg’s monitor lizard
We encountered this Rosenberg’s monitor lizard (Varanus rosenbergi) on our way to Lake Jasper. It did not want to move, even when we came out of the car and approached it closely. It is quite a large lizard, which grows up to 1,5meters, although this one was about a meter long.
Dugite snake
There is a short hiking trail at Lake Jasper. It is where I met two dugite snakes, one of which was not shy at all. It crossed my path and did not want to move for a good 5 minutes 😊. Dugite Pseudonaja affinis affinis snake is a highly dangerous and venomous snake if provoked.
Birds
Gulls are a popular bird species and you can see a lot of them along the coast. This is Pacific Gull, which we saw at Black Point.
Another bird which we spotted at Black Point, was Grey Fantail (below) – a small insectivorous bird.
Broke Inlet is a heaven for birds. We spend hours watching and photographing them. Pied Oystercatcher, Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Caspian Tern, Red-capped Plover,White-faced Heron and Silver Gulls .
Pied Oystercatcher (below) is a large bird that is often seen on sandy coastline, where it feeds on molluscs and also nests.
Little Pied Cormorants and Little Black Cormorants (below) are often seen together.
Caspian Tern (below left). Red-capped Plover (below right).
White-faced Heron (below left). Silver Gull (below right).
Intricate beauty of the wildflowers in the park
Hibbertia cuneiformis (Cutleaf Hibbertia) – below left. Billardiera fusiformis Australian Bluebell (below right).
Scaevola nitida Shining Fan-flower (below left). Jacksonia horrida (below right).
Drops of water on the leaves after the rain (below).
And this is us – Travel Nut family – at Broke Inlet camp.
Have you visited any parts of D’Entrecasteux National Park? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
