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Albany to Bremer Bay |
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It is only about 185 kilometres from Albany to Bremer Bay but there is quite a lot to see along the way. Although the trip can be done in one day, if you have extra time then you will enjoy it more.
From Albany you head out along Chester Pass Road until you reach the Jerramungup turn off where you go right (east). The first main area of interest will be reached from Homestead Road that goes south from the South Coast Highway before you reach Manypeaks. There are three separate locations, East Bay and Betty's Beach plus Normans Inlet and beach. The road in is unsealed and may sometimes be a bit corrugated but it is suited for 2wd vehicles. Campsite details.
East Bay looks out across the lovely Two People's Bay but all locations are very picturesque.
Back on the main road you pass the tiny settlement at Manypeaks. The next point of interest will be Cheynes Beach and Waychinicup.
Cheyne's Beach is a small coastal settlement that is popular with caravanners because of the caravan park and beautiful bay. The turn off to Waychinicup (west from the Cheyne's Beach Road) takes you on an unsealed, winding, sometimes rather rough, road to a beautiful inlet. This area is National Park so no pets are allowed and the usual National Park rules and fees apply.
There are a number of campsites for tents at Waychinicup but those with small motorhomes (campervan sized) may just manage to fit in as well.
Once you are back on the main road you will be passing through, probably unaware, one of the most oddly shaped National Parks in the state.
The Hassell National Park encompasses a thin strip of land each side of the road from Cheyne's Beach Road to Mettler Road. Most people are completely unaware that this small park even exists.
Keep heading north east along the highway to Wellstead. This is a handy toilet stop and if you need fuel or a bite to eat the roadhouse can supply both.
There is another turn off here heading south along an unsealed road to Cape Riche. Cape Riche is a well known campsite with good facilities including toilets, showers and a place to beach launch boats. It does tend to be very crowded during peak periods but in the off-season you may find only one or two other campers here. Fees are charged for camping and dogs are not allowed.
Back once again onto the South Coast Road the next stop is Pallinup River. This is a large rest area on the north-western side of the Marra Bridge. If you are travelling in a motorhome or caravan this might be a good spot to over-night.
It is only a few kilometres further on to the Bremer Bay turn off. There is still one more spot to check out before getting to your destination.
Millers Point Reserve is another campsite and is a few kilometres south of the Bremer Bay Road. There was once a caretaker on this site but both the caretaker's house and the caretaker have apparently gone. Fees are still charged (when the local ranger turns up) and there is a long-drop toilet. Apart from a couple of fishing shacks, there isn't much here but the inlet and some nice shady trees.
We had heard that there are quite a few bream inhabiting the inlet and when we dropped by in February 2015 we saw evidence that they are certainly still around.
We know from experience that there can be more than a few mosquitoes at this site and it can also be crowded and noisy during peak times.
Finally we arrived at Bremer Bay and as we were having a fairly rare 'luxury trip' we were booked into Bremer Bay Bed and Breakfast.
Located a bit out of town on Point Henry Road, the B and B is a lovely quiet location with excellent views of the ocean. We spent a pleasant evening relaxing on the balcony looking out to sea and woke in the morning to the same wonderful view.
Jeni and Drew were very friendly and are full of information about the local area. The cooked breakfast was great but our plans had unexpectedly changed and instead of two nights, as we had planned, we had to head back to Albany.
Before heading off we wanted to see exactly what Bremer Bay was all about and made time to look at the most easily accessible beaches, the town and the inlet.
The beaches and coves along the coastline are very beautiful. It is no wonder so many people come down to relax and fish in this area.
Since the publicity about the offshore 'Bremer Bay Canyon' many people are being drawn to the area to view the killer whales that are seasonal visitors to the waters in this area. Sadly we didn't have time to do this but it will keep for another trip when we have a bit more time.
This page is a bit limited for displaying all the pictures we took but you can see many more of our photos on our Bremer Bay page.
We managed a quick look around the small town, checked out the local lookout, saw the wind turbine on top of the hill and then went to have a look at the inlet. This was the only disappointing part of Bremer Bay and it must be some time since rains have flushed the system out. Unfortunately the water is unsuitable for any contact and signs around the inlet warm people to stay away from the water.
We felt a bit sorry for those whose homes border the inlet as the smell was pretty unpleasant.
There is obviously much more to do and see in the area including four wheel driving and the Fitzgerald River National Park.
We decided to head back to Albany via a different route. This took us up to Borden and then back down Chester Pass Road to Bluff Knoll and then south to Albany.
The drive up to Borden took us past the northern side of the Stirling Ranges. The drive is very scenic and there are plenty of photo opportunities along the way.
Borden is a fairly small town and a little to the north of our route back to Albany but we wanted to have a quick look around. There aren't many major buildings in town but it was a handy rest stop.
The last stop for the trip was Bluff Knoll. This is well known for the walk to the summit that takes around 4 hours. We had neither the time or the energy to attempt the walk and after snapping a few shots were were back on the road and heading into Albany.
Updated March 2015
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PLACES ALONG THE WAY
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