We visited Denmark on our road trip from Perth towards Esperance, West Australia. As our first evening in Denmark offered us close encounters with grey kangaroos, then we were off to a good start. But as we found out, the town has much more to offer as an arty community with art galleries, wineries, award winning pies and elephants…
Table of Contents
What to do in Denmark, WA
Look for elephants in William Bay National Park
Okay, not real elephants, but Elephant Rocks…
William Bay National Park, just 10 minutes west of the town of Denmark, is a beautiful place to explore, with stunning beaches, and walking and biking trails. It even has quokkas if you can find them.
We parked up and set off on foot to find the Elephant Rocks, a group of granite boulders which have been shaped by the wind to look like a herd of elephants huddled together and facing away from the ocean. The water around the rocks and in the neighbouring inlet was pale green and startingly clear making an attractive view.
From Elephant Rocks you can walk around the headland to the Greens Pool, a sheltered bay and body of water protected from the ocean by a ring of rocks – perfect for a swim. The water of Greens Pool really was just what its name suggested, a pretty pale green colour, and looked very inviting, although it was chilly on the day we visited.
From Greens Pool you can continue exploring William Bay National Park on paths and boardwalks depending on your plans for the day. If you want to visit more beaches then there are many in the Denmark area with intriguing names, such as, Peaceful Bay, Waterfall Beach and Lights Beach. You will be spoilt for choice.
Buy award-winning pies from the Denmark Bakery
Surprisingly, I have now written several blogs about our road trip from Perth in Western Australia without yet mentioning Australian pies, which are a favourite staple here. The Denmark Bakery in the centre of town serves ‘award winning’ pies and so is as good a place as any to try one out. They have a range of delicious beef and different gourmet pies on offer – be prepared for the ‘Vinda Roo’ which sadly we couldn’t stomach having bonded with the kangaroos at the AirBnB in Denmark.
Also on offer are a range of cakes including the famous Lammington – a light sponge covered in chocolate and desiccated coconut. For me, the Lammington was reminiscent of a pudding we used to have for school dinners – if it had been served with custard then that would have been my flashback complete.
After your ‘snack stop’ then take a wander around the shops of Denmark. Denmark, WA, is a small town with an artsy vibe offering boutique clothing shops, surf wear, games at Tiny Treasures, Tea House Books and spiritual products such as crystals and incense at Sacred Tree.
Check out the wineries around Denmark, WA
In case you didn’t sample enough wine during your stay in Margaret River, then you are in luck as there are over 20 wineries in the Denmark area, including: The Lake House, Rockcliffe, Harewood Estate, Forest Hill Wines, Ducketts Mill Wines, Singlefile Wines and many more.
We decided to pass on this option, having visited the Voyager Estate Winery in Margaret River but maybe that decision was a little hasty?
Onwards travel to 'rebellious' Albany
Our destination for the day was to Bremer Bay, a 2-hour 20-minute drive from Denmark. We scheduled two planned stops to break up the journey – the Torndirrup National Park to the west of Albany, and then the city of Albany itself.
Explore the Torndirrup National Park
Before arriving in Albany, about 40 minutes west of Denmark, we took the Frenchman Bay Road around the huge bay to Torndirrup National Park (country of the Mirnang people). The Mirnang people are descendants of an ancient culture in which storytelling is used to pass on important knowledge and beliefs, including ‘dreaming stories’ which explain how the spirits of the ancestors were passed to their descendants.
One such story is told at The Gap in Torndirrup National Park. The Gap is a rectangular inlet in the granite cliff face that causes explosive wave crashes, sometimes upwards of 40 meters. There is a viewing platform which overhangs The Gap and a sign explaining the Mirnang’s dreaming story about The Gap.
Next to The Gap, along a short boardwalk is The Natural Bridge – a large granite arch over the water in between two sides of rocks. Note – the area is subject to large King waves which have been known to sweep people into the water, so follow the advice and stay on the boardwalks.
It did not take long to view the Gap and the National Bridge, so you might want to add on another stop in the Torndirrup National Park is to see the Blowholes which are accessed via a 1.6 km return walk from the relevant car park. When the ocean swell is high, the blowholes should be active – you will probably hear them before you see them. Note – take relevant safety precautions when viewing the blowholes.
Brave Albany’s old whaling station
9 minutes away from Torndirrup Gap on the opposite side of the headland brings you to the old Whaling Station which was an important part of Albany’s history and region until as recently as 1978. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the stomach to visit and so admired the views of the sweeping bay outside instead whilst hubby visited the museum. The museum exhibits were apparently very hard hitting and difficult to view, so take this as a word of caution. The barbaric processes used might be difficult to read about.
From the Torndirrup National Park, or the whaling station, drive back around Frenchman Bay towards Albany, enjoying the views of the water as you go.
Discover history Albany
Head into the city of Albany, the oldest European settlement in Western Australia.
If you have time, visit the National Anzac Centre, a modern museum dedicated to the soldiers from Australia and New Zealand who fought in WWI, or alternatively explore the Brig Amity (replica of) which was used for maritime exploration in the 19th century.
Albany city centre is full of old low-rise wooden buildings with balconies, and lots of traffic – perhaps the most traffic we saw all holiday, which was unexpected in this small and remote place.
Apparently, this is a rebellious town with hopes of being separated from the rest of Western Australia. Albany has a great rivalry with Perth, as Albany received the first European settlers, but Perth grew more quickly until it became the State Capital adding to the rivalry.
There were several murals around town, and a small park with indigenous statues and paintings about the seasons (featured photo). The main road through the shops in Albany reaches down to the waterfront and offers lovely views of Frenchman Bay whilst you are shopping.
Viva Bremer Bay…
After looking around the shops, grabbing some food and filling up with fuel in Albany we then completed our journey to Bremer Bay, after a further 2-hour drive. This put us in pole position for our day trip out of Bremer Bay harbour the following day to look for orcas. But did we find any?
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