The gear was packed and Andrew’s crew had put together a verrry rough plan; spend the next four days exploring Fitzgerald River National Park. Who needs solid plans anyway right?!

Highlights

  • Crystal clear water and white beaches
  • Off the grid National Park (your mobile won’t be ringing)
  • Breathtaking vistas
  • Ancient flora not found anywhere else in the world

Fitzgerald River National Park

Fitzgerald River National Park is located along the Great Southern Coast of Western Australia between Hopetoun and Bremer Bay. It has an incredibly diverse range of ancient flora species many of which are unique to the park, so budding botanists will be kept busy. There are multiple camping options to choose from with a selection of camping grounds at the east end of the park plus another at Point Anne to west of the park.

We decided to attack from the east, so arrived at Hopetoun, filled up with fuel and grabbed a few last minute supplies before entering the park. We set up camp at Wonjarup (near the Hamersley Inlet) only a 25km drive from Hopetoun.

Due to a recent injection of money, many of the facilities including toilets, lookouts, bbq’s and roads across the park have been upgraded. So much of the drive into the park was on a sealed road. However, there are plenty of dirt roads to navigate and if you’re after 4WD adventure, this place won’t disappoint with many challenging tracks to conquer and hidden destinations to uncover.

Time To Explore

After setting up camp, we took off to explore some of the nearby bays. White, pristine beaches are what we found and most the time we had them all to ourselves.

The next day we went off-road to take on some of the more challenging terrain and see if we could reach the more remote coastline. We were greeted with aqua and turquoise playgrounds that offered stunning backdrops to activities like swimming, fishing and kayaking adventures.

 

Andrew Marr Fitzgerald River National Park Western Australia WA We Are Explorers

Hamersley Inlet

The following day, we launched the kayaks into the Hamersley Inlet and explored our way up to the Fitzgerald River for lunch before returning. With the weather cooling off towards the end of our trip, we took on East Mount Barren (450m) by foot to discover spectacular views across the park.

If we could, we would have extended our stay. Fitzgerald River National Park caters for all types of adventures and is definitely on our list of places we’ll return to. Perhaps next time we’ll come back between June and October when the Southern Right Whales can be seen playing in the bays.

Essential Gear

  • Overnight gear
  • Hiking boots
  • 4WD
  • GPS – in case you want to explore some of the unmarked tracks
  • Food and water (drinking water there is tank water available for washing)
  • Kayaks
  • Swimwear
  • Camera
  • Fishing gear

How To Get There

The camping ground is 25.1 km from the nearest town (Hopetoun) and 603 km from Perth.

Activities

  • Photography
  • Hiking
  • Swimming
  • Fishing
  • Photography
  • Kayaking

Skill Level

Beginner  – Everything is well marked and sign-posted, sealed roads into the park and well-maintained roads throughout. Quick and easy access to beaches, with recently upgraded carparks and facilities.

Intermediate – Access to some beaches require a 4WD and a driver with moderate experience.

Road Conditions – be sure to check road conditions as some road may be closed during the wet months.

Distance Covered

480km around the park, 1680km return to Perth