Sandy Cape, Mid West coast, Western Australia

A leisurely drive three hours north of Perth along the Indian Ocean Drive, and just 10km past Jurien Bay, leads you to wonderful Sandy Cape Recreational Reserve tucked away in a beautiful bay on the shores of the spectacular Indian Ocean. My wife and I have just spent a very relaxing 11 days in our motorhome in the prized number one camping bay in the reserve known as Shady Retreat. Shady Retreat offers commanding views over the calm bay, looking north toward Green Head, and is protected from the predominately  south-westerly winds, although it can leave you a little exposed if the wind shifts around to the east.

WATCHING THE WILDLIFE

Sandy Cape is one of several low cost camping areas along this part of the coast, and has been a favourite of ours over the years, and this trip didn’t disappoint. There’s plenty of wildlife to see including emus in the sand hills, kangaroos, and foxes. Sealife included a resident 1.5 metre stingray gliding up and down the beach cleaning the sea floor, while several dolphins, and the occasional seal, frolicked off the point below a spectacular lookout perched high above the water on top of scrub covered sand hills and limestone rocks. Birdlife in this part of the coast is varied and colourful, and includes swallows, robins, wattle birds and willy wagtails, plus an array of sea-birds.

The highly sought after Shady Retreat camping bay

A mere 50 metre walk from our campsite provided us with a lovely clear beach to swim, walk, and sunbake. At daybreak we were able to fish off the beach for fresh herring and tailor while watching the early morning sun turn the adjacent sand hills into gold. We were able to catch small sand whiting during the day using small hooks and a running sinker in the sand patches. In the evening we sat and watched the sun set across the bay, bringing the day to an appropriate end with a refreshing beverage signalling the start of happy hour. We lurched from one day to the next with our major concern being what to prepare for the next meal. While fresh fish seemed to dominate lunches, evening meals included Weber roasts, home cooked pizza, satay chicken, bolognaise (with an appropriate glass or two of red), stir-fry, and naturally a few good old fashion Aussie barbies.

Endless stretches of white sand beaches dominate the landscape

TAKING TIME FOR THE TRAILS

Walking is a favourite pastime of ours, and Sandy Cape offers lovely short walks from one end of the bay and back, or longer walks further afield through a cutting in the sand hills to the back beach south toward Jurien Bay for as far as you want. We tended to walk in the early morning after breakfast to avoid the hot sun. More adventurous and somewhat younger folk hired sand boards from Gary, the parks caretaker, and spent hours skimming down the crisp white sand dunes almost into the green water below. Others paddled their kayaks and a growing flotilla of stand up paddle boarders entertained people out on the bay.

Those lucky enough to own car toppers and small boats are able to safely launch them from the beach at the end of the bay in front of the limestone cliffs, which offers great protection from the wind. Most boaties we spoke to did well with  daily catches of between three and six crays from their pots, which were best positioned in an extended reef around the point. This activity is not for the faint-hearted however, when the swell and southerly winds pick up. Fishing from a boat probably provides more opportunity than us mere beach fishing mortals, although we didn’t see much evidence of this in our time there this trip.

THE JOURNEY

Strangely our original destination for this particular trip was to be at Potters Gorge at Wellington Dam, south of Perth, near Collie. But we were advised by some friends that this location was full of March flies, which we confirmed with a phone call to the local kiosk owner, and this brought an immediate change of plan for us to head north to Sandy Cape on the coast. In our view, this time of year is still a little early to get the best from this location, as there are normally very strong coastal winds through to about mid to end of March. We were very lucky with the weather this time around with only one day of strong gusty winds. We have had some very nice stays here during the winter months, where camp fires are allowed if lit in appropriate fire rings or enclosures. Fishing is normally great at any time, however it’s much more comfortable during warmer summer weather.

Sandy Cape has improved as a destination over the years we have been camping here. The recreational reserve currently boasts 87 bays separated into two areas appropriately known as North and South. There are a further ten new bays planned in this year’s budget. While nearly half of the current road from Indian Ocean Drive to the camp site is sealed up to the entrance to a major agricultural Lime mine, the last part of the track is very rough and  dusty. We were advised by Gary, the park host, that this remaining last section of rough road has been approved by the local shire to be sealed within this fiscal year after final clearing permission is granted. When the road is fully sealed it will be much more appealing to take the short drive (17km) back to Jurien Bay to replenish food stuff and top up fresh water supplies for those longer breaks.

Along the top of the sand hills separating the camping bays from  the ocean is a rather nice gazebo and several park benches, which we took full advantage of to sit and contemplate the day’s activities as the sun set.

It’s a successful day out on the water when fresh crays are caught

The reserve also boasts two newish camp kitchens and several new toilet blocks. The two new toilet facilities are the latest design and are cleaned daily, as are three free gas barbecues scatted around the park. While there is no fresh water available the toilet blocks do have hand cleaning water available.

On the road into the reserve a dump point is provided as are four large skip bins for rubbish. This site, unlike several others further north, offers four day stays which can be extended by a courteous request to the camp host. We believe a time frame of between seven to 10 days is ideal for a short stay at this location. Anything longer tends to become a little repetitive. There is intermittent phone reception around the reserve, which is nice to be able to keep in touch with the grandie’s  on a regular basis, when we selfish people abandon our babysitting duties! Limited reception is also available for those who want to watch TV while on holiday.

As we live in Perth’s north eastern suburbs, it’s easy to jump on Great Northern Highway from Midland and turn off onto the Brand Highway to Geraldton. A nice drive from the Brand Highway through to Jurien Bay on Indian Ocean Drive provides access to wind and solar farms for those with an interest in this field. While this inland road caters for more heavy vehicles, servicing Geraldton and northern towns beyond, it offers a nice alternative particularly during the spring wildflower season. We often take this route on the way to Sandy Cape and return on the relatively new and somewhat controversial Indian Ocean Drive. In our view this road is more scenic, slightly shorter and offers some spectacular views of the ocean on the way back to Perth. Having both routes available  avoids having to travel up and back on the same route, while providing plenty of contrasting scenery.

For us this last short trip to Sandy Cape Recreational Park provided a lovely break from the daily grind without the expense of long distance travel. It’s a fantastic location for short breaks for those of us lucky enough to live in Perth, or as a welcoming stopover for those travelling up and down the coast, or for east coast visitors wanting to take a break and wet their tinnies.

Category: Destinations
Written: Sun 01 Apr 2018
Printed: April, 2018
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