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Cape Arid
Just east of Esperance are some excellent remote coastal areas. Connected by tarred roads you can easily get to the popular and spectacular Cape Le Grand. Venture a little further east though and the roads definately become 4WD. Well worth the effort!

This trek is located in the WA South Coast region.

Start Finish Distance Min Days Rating
Esperance Balladonia (on the Eyre Highway) 300 3 Trek rating 3 of 5 - Click for detailsTrek rating 3 of 5 - Click for detailsTrek rating 3 of 5 - Click for details
» Description
» Preparation
    Fuel Information, Best Time to Visit
    Permits, Supplies/Facilities, General
» Things to See & Do
» Environment
» History
» Driving Notes
» Related Shop Items
  
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Researched By ExplorOz - Michelle Jacka   Latest Update 15 Nov 2005

 Description


MUD MAP


Just east of Esperance on the Southern Ocean are some excellent remote coastal areas. Connected by tarred roads you can easily get to the popular and spectacular Cape Le Grand. Venture a little further east though and the roads become dirt, then sandy and then very soft as they head towards the very remote and rarely visited Cape Arid.

DRIVING NOTES

Leaving Esperance and heading east out of town turn right into Merivale Road. This main road will take you all the way out to Cape Arid, although the track condition deteriorates rapidly the further east you go.

Cape Le Grand beach has some excellent campsites, although during school holidays it is fully booked out. This is probably the most popular place in the Esperance area. Situated within the National Park boundary, camp fees are payable to the on-site ranger unless you have a WA Parks Pass. This area is tarred all the way from Esperance and so too are the tracks around this magnificent coastline. The views here are breathtaking - the ocean is like a glittering piece of torquoise and all around are wonderful bald rocks and islands surrounded by pure white sand. There are many walking tracks connecting each bay to the next and you could easily want to spend a while here.

Lucky Bay is another beautiful and very popular camping spot. Whereas Cape Le Grand is open beach, this area is protected by a little cove. All the camping is shaded and there is plenty of friendly wildlife to observe. In fact, this is one of the few places in Australia where you can see a kangaroo by the beach!

To continue heading east you need to backtrack up the Cape Le Grand Road and turn right onto Merivale Road again. As you drive along Merivale Road you will see a couple of tracks leading off to the right. Each one will take you to the coast although Duke of Orleans Bay Road is probably the best route to take here. At the coast you will come to a private caravan park and a little further on you can get down to the beach behind Hammer Head Point. This is an excellent place to drive your 4WD along the long stretch of white beach, find a quiet spot and stop for the day. The water is calm, clear and safe. You might even like to do some fishing. The entrance to this beach looks a little tricky with the bitumen slope ending abruptly at a rocky step down onto the sand. Take it slow and let your vehicle do the work. It's not as bad as it looks!

Backtracking up to Merivale Road the next turnoff is Daniel Road. If you want some great camping and excellent fishing skip this turn and take the next right into Alexander Road. This is 4WD only and is a little sandy and bumpy. The campsites are all tucked away behind the sand dunes, each one being a bay marked off with plenty of bushland in between. There's a small relaxed community of fishing people who live here so please respect their land, pay the $2 donation and use the toilet facilities. The bay faces south and there is excellent fishing either from a tinnie, boat or shore. Windsurfing is also very good here as the SW comes in clear and strong. The most popular beach fishing is done a long way up the east end of the beach - just follow the stream of 4WDs till you find the spot. Please keep your speed low as you drive along these beaches as there are often hidden dips and bumps. When we were here someone hit a bump too fast and rolled their ute. He was rushed to hospital in Esperance (well over an hour's drive). He was very lucky to survive.

If you haven't already got yourself a map of Cape Arid you're going to have to go down to the Ranger station at the Thomas River. To get there, backtrack up to Merivale Road again and continue on until you meet Tagon Road off to the right. (GPS 33° 48' 0" S, 122° 57' 15" E). It's an easy run down and is accessible by 2WD. Thomas River is a very pretty spot and has a choice of 2 camping areas; one run by National Parks and the other by the shire council ($2 per person/per night).

The western side of the Thomas River has a few tracks out to the beach but these are very very soft and narrow. There is no where to park your trailer along the track or at the beach so take our advice and leave it up the top near the main road. With conditions varying from soft sand on the beach tracks to the hard gravel of the Merivale Road you will definately require a good air compressor.

To continue east towards Cape Arid we suggest backtracking up Tagon Road and continuing up to Fisheries Road. Turning right into Merivale Road here you will encounter very soft sand and steep hills just past the junction of Grewer Road and Merivale. If you are towing a trailer this will be a particularly tiring experience. Fisheries Road continues east all the way to Israelite Bay but for some more good camping turn right into Baring Road and take it out to the coast. There is a choice of camps here: Poison Creek, Seal Creek, Jorndee Creek (the pick of them) and Thomas Fishery.

To continue east to Israelite Bay it is still best to head back up Baring Road to Fisheries Road. (GPS 33° 45' 0" S, 123° 11' 45" E). Turning right here it is 69.1km to Israelite Bay and the furthest east you can travel before heading up into the region that crosses the Nullarbor along the Great Australian Bight. (GPS 33° 37' 0" S, 123° 51' 45" E)

To head north up towards the Eyre Highway at Balladonia you now need to retrace your path along Fisheries Road for 17.3km to the junction opposite the track to Point Malcolm. You should see a sign: Balladonia via Tooklejenna Rock to your right. (GPS 33° 41' 15" S, 123° 43' 5" E). Travel 10.7km till you meet a sign: Cape Arid National Park and continue straight on. The track here becomes narrow and rough through a limestone section. 28km further on you will come to a T-intersection. (GPS 33° 27' 15" S, 123° 26' 15" E). Turn right into Balladonia Road and then right again after 200m into the access track to Mt Ragged - the impressive peak you've been approaching the whole time. There is an nice bush camp here with good views of the mountain. If you choose to climb to the peak keep in mind that you are in a very remote area and help is far away. The climb is very steep over loose stones and is not marked or signed. The peak is 585m high but you reach it in 45mins - 1 hour (depending on your level of fitness). The return walk is 3km. There is a visitor's book at the top with a handful of signatures. If you do make the effort you'll realise that you are one of just a few that do - and the views are amazing.

You are now towards the end of this great adventure but you still have a slow 4WD track ahead to reach Balladonia. From the top of Mt Ragged you would have seen the road snaking its way through the scrub for seemingly miles to nowhere. This is the track to Pine Hill which you reach 18.1km past Mt Ragged turn-off. There are graves of early pioneers here and rubble and ruins to explore. Another 11.8km and you come to a salt lake on the left where you could bush camp if you liked. Just don't walk on the saltpan - its not as hard as it looks! You have another 130km of rather slow travelling but there are various ruins off to the side for interest and progressively this area gets denser as you head towards Balladonia. The last 72km sees the road improve significantly from where you see the major Parmango Road entering on the left.

Balladonia is a little to the left off the Eyre Highway intersection. Turning right will take you east towards the Nullarbor where there is an enormous amount of exploring you can do in a 4WD.

 Preparation

Fuel Supplies

Only at either end

Fuel Required

6cyl Diesel 56litres, 6cyl LPG 46litres, 6cyl LRP 84litres, 4cyl ULP 80litres, 6cyl ULP 72litres - fuel used based on data stored in TrekFuel

Best time to visit

All year (can be impassible when wet)

Permits

Camping/entry fees at Cape Le Grand and camping fees at Cape Arid, Recreational fishing regulations apply

Supplies/Facilities

Esperance, Balladonia

General

There is no drinking water available in Cape Arid National Park.

 Things to See & Do

Southern Ocean meets Great Australian Bight, stunning beaches, rocky headlands, white beaches, 4WD tracks, kangaroos, wallabies, possums, bandicoots and many seabirds, good walking tracks, fishing, swimming, bush and beach camping.

 Environment

The environment in this region varies greatly the further inland you go ranging from sand dunes on the coast to the woodlands and heaths and then finally semi-arid woodland.

You will also find a wide variety of animals especially bird life. Whales can be seen off the coast during breeding time.

 History

Records show that Pieter Van Nuyts was the first person to discover the south western Australian coastline in 1627 when he sailed from Cape Leeuwin to islands near Ceduna, SA.

In 1792, several explorations were made in the Esperance region including those by Captain D'Entrecasteaux who was in charge of two French vessels, the L'Esperance and the La Perouse. Here he compiled the first collection of Western Australian flora in the world as well as making many scientific discoveries.

In 1802, Matthew Flinders was the first person to accurately map the Recherche Archipelago.

In later years, these waters became home to many whaling ships as they searched for Right Wales.

 Driving Notes

We need new driving notes for this trek note. See our How to Submit a Trek Note page.

 Related Shop Items

Outback & Regional
1. Goldfields & Esperance  $7.95 Add the item Goldfields & Esperance to your Cart
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Scale 1:750,000  2nd Edition  
Excellent, detailed map including camping areas, caravan parks, picnic areas and covers major towns and attractions. This map includes a regional map as well as towns maps and descriptions of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Coolgardie, Kambalda, Norseman, Esperance and Cape Le Grand.
Full Description (inc coverage) Member Reward Product Dimensions 230 x 170 x 2mm
ItemID E180 Weight 64grams
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