Essential Australia – Cape Range

To our dismay, when we lived in Australia for 12 months we never got to experience Cape Range National Park. The reason for this was that it is situated halfway between Perth and Broome on the Western Coast of Australia (1,000 km from either). It is literally in the middle of nowhere!

We rectified this recently on a campervan tour on the Western Coast, and it was the best decision ever! Cape Range fights it out with Broome as our most essential place to visit in all of Australia… So why the high praise?

Well Cape Range is isolated, an hour’s drive north of Exmouth which really adds to its authenticity. There is to our knowledge a single public building in the park which houses a beautiful visitor centre. No hotels, no restaurants, no bars – there is simply the natural environment and yourself – what a rare find these days.

The National Park covers nearly 50,000 hectares of natural landscape, including valleys, gorges, caves, rivers and some of the most beautiful coastline we’ve ever witnessed. The majority of the park is inaccessible by car, with only a small portion having a paved road. The road itself runs parallel to the sublime coastline which is due to the parks proximity of the Ningaloo Reef. Which is without a doubt one of the most stunning reefs we have ever witnessed. The reef provides the park with crystal clear beautiful turquoise waters and stunning white sand. The only negative is that the coastline is sometimes subject to strong winds and very dangerous currents.

 

There are a huge number of beaches, all that boast beautiful sandy beaches, however the crowning glory is the sublime Turquoise bay which deserves its name. This beach houses a small cove which is  ideal for safe swimming (away from the dangerous currents and rip tides), and an essential place to cool off. Further along the beach is a beautiful drift snorkel which needs to be respected, but can be very fruitful with sealife galore.

Towards the end of the road there is a sublime valley and beautiful river named Yardie Creek. At the Creek you can catch a river boat up the eroded gorge for more intoxicating natural scenery. There are also a number of hiking tracks which can be used to reach other valleys and canyons in the park. Unfortunately the temperature is always a factor here, as it ranges from 10 degrees to nearly 50 degrees… So being fully prepared is essential in itself!

It wasn’t all about the beaches, reef and landscapes but also the natural wildlife. It so isolated that the natural world flourishes, Emus, Kangaroos, Eagles, Ospreys and Wallabies are a common sight.

I am not sure my words are doing the Cape justice, but to summarise it’s simply a magical place, natural beauty at its best and so devoid of any commerciality, I hasten to say heavenly. If you are looking for peace, tranquility and just sheer beauty, don’t overlook this absolutely amazing location. I would even contemplate flying directly here next time we want to visit – it left us speechless.

• Please see the Essential Australian series on A Wandering Memory below:
  • Essential Australia Part One 
  • Essential Australia – Part Two
  • Australia – Where to Start

   

• Further Information
  • Essential Australia – Fraser Island
  • Essential Australia – Broome
  • Essential Australia – Uluru 
  • Essential Australia – Cape Range 
  • Essential Australia – The Great Ocean Road
  • Essential Australia – Kalbarri