Day 108 Cape Le Grand National Park

Cape Le Grand National Park in this ancient, rugged coastline there are large granite outcrops, and idyllic white beaches. Inland, rolling heathlands are home to pygmy possums, western grey kangaroos and a diversity of colourful wildflowers including dense thickets of showy banksia.

Orleans Bay Condingup is nestled on a peninsula, between Cape Le Grand and Cape Arid National Parks.
Duke of Orleans Bay is considered to be among the most picturesque and uncrowded coastal wilderness playgrounds in Australia. It’s affectionately known as ‘The Duke’.







Wharton Beach the one stand out feature we love about the south is the landscape with the clear azure blue beautiful water and huge rock surrounds. The two together are just something else! It is ranking No.2 in WA. I think these beaches have the most turquoise water I have seen, even more so that the Whitsunday Islands. The sand is white and fine, and squeaks when you walk on it. The water is cold but so clear and beautiful. All in all this area it is just a paradise to be in.








We drove up a 4WD track which we decided not to complete however there were many wildflowers along the way.












After returning to the main dirt road we travelled on to the Dunn Rocks, this beach was so dazzlingly white and magnificent, I had to squint to see as the white sand in the sun was almost blinding. The water so calm and inviting I really wished that I had brought my swimmers. We drove right down onto the sand and parked and had our picnic lunch taking it all in.

We then drove along the beach to Rossiter Bay, this was the first time for us beach driving and what a place to do it, I will never forget how amazing this was. It was a much quicker way to get to Rossiter instead of driving many kilometres back to the road and then down to the beach again.










Rossiter Bay is a secluded bay ideal for beach combing and exploring a natural bird sanctuary where flowering thickets attract a diversity of birdlife. Rossiter Bay was named by explorer Edward John Eyre after the Captain of a whaling vessel who came to his aid. In June 1841, suffering from a near-disastrous crossing of the Nullarbor, Eyre’s exhausted party had been heading for Thistle Cove where Captain Matthew Flinders had previously recorded freshwater. Eyre was relieved to find Rossiter’s ship, the Mississippi, anchored in the bay. Rossiter and his crew assisted Eyre and his Aboriginal companion Wylie so that they were able to recuperate and continue their overland journey to Albany.





Lucky Bay Beach another bright white beach the landscape changes from massive granite outcrops to freshwater pools with views over many islands. Voted no. 1 Best beach in the world in 2023.





Captain Matthew Flinders named Thistle Cove in 1802 after the ship’s master John Thistle. Exploring the southern coast in HMS Investigator, Flinders was pleased when Thistle discovered a source of freshwater here. Low-lying areas on the coastal plain are dotted with small freshwater wetlands which support a distinctive community of plants and animals. These freshwater sources were also important to Aboriginal people who camped here during seasonal journeys to and from the coast. Lovely blue waters and squeaky white sand and a sweeping bay just perfect. We walked to whistling rocks right next to car park then over the rocks to get down to the beach. Whistling Rock, a natural monolith which, depending on the strength and direction of the wind, whistles. During our time there was only a slight breeze, but in strong winds the whistle can be intense, we could see large rocks sculpted by the wind and the sea.













Frenchman's Peak in Le Grand Road Cape Le Grand National Park was named by surveyor Alexander Forrest during an expedition in search of good country for pasture in 1870. The peak’s shape was thought to resemble the hats worn by French troops in the 1800s. A large cave near the summit is thought to have formed by wave action and underwater currents during a period some 40 million years ago when sea levels were at least 300m above their current level and the peaks of Cape Le Grand were largely submerged. The Aboriginal name for the peak is Mandooboornup and it is an important place in local Aboriginal culture.




Hellfire Bay is one of the most beautiful bays in the park thought to have been named after St Elmo's fire – a bluish flame-like electrical discharge that sometimes occurs above ship's masts. Hellfire Bay like all others is quite spectacular. It had a long curved white expanse of sand and rocky walls and outcrops at one end that dip down into the blue green water. We decided to do the 40 min return walk down to Little Hellfire which was just stunning and we were all alone.