Spot Sting Rays and Roos On the Drive from Margaret River to Denmark, WA

As reluctant as we were to leave beautiful Margaret River, we needed to head off towards Denmark, the next destination on our road trip from Perth, Western Australia. The total drive time for the day was 3.5 hours, so we planned in several pit stops along the way. Little did we know what reward was waiting for us in Denmark at the end of the day…..

Head south from Margaret River on Caves Road

Pick up a breakfast ‘to go’ from the highly recommended Margaret River Bakery, and head south from Margaret River on Caves Road. If you visited one of the 7 caves open to the public during your stay in Margaret River, then you will be retracing your steps for a short distance. However, if you did not visit one of the caves, then this would be another great opportunity to do so – Mammoth Cave, Giant’s Cave or Lake Cave along this road.

Enjoy the serenity of Boranup Drive

Eventually Caves Road enters the Boranup Forest, a most beautiful stretch of towering Karri trees which was reborn around 120 years ago after extensive logging ruined the area.

Shortly after passing Giant’s Cave, you will reach the Boranup Forest Viewpoint with a parking lot at the side of the road. Make time to stop and walk along the footpath into the trees to feel part of the forest. Enjoy the silence, with just the sound of bird calls interrupting the peace and quiet. We felt dwarfed by these huge trees which can grow to 80-90 meters high and are sometimes called ‘widow makers’ as they frequently drop their branches from on high.

Further along Caves Road, bear right at Eco Adventures Margaret River, onto Boranup Drive which drives even deeper into the forest and passes the Boranup Tree Lookout. Although Caves Road and Boranup Drive follow the coastline of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, you can’t see the coastline when you are on the main part of the drive. However, if you head to the Boranup Tree Lookout then you will find a fantastic view of the trees running along the coastline.

Meet the Sting Rays at Hamelin Bay

Back on the road again, and the tall trees start to give way to views of the ocean ahead. Just 30 minutes south of Margaret River (without stops) you will reach Hamelin Bay where a group of sociable sting rays typically hangs out by the old jetty.

From the car park at Hamelin Bay (with toilet facilities should you need them), head to the beach and walk towards what’s left of the old wooden jetty, just past the boat slip road. No doubt there will already be an audience standing in the shallows, looking into the water, and trying to spot the sting rays.

At first when you look at the water it’s difficult to see anything, but then you will start to notice shadows moving around. Be patient until the sting rays glide past you in the shallows, sometimes very close to the shoreline, giving you an excellent view.

Some sting rays can grow up to 2 meters wide. We were thrilled with our sightings and probably saw about 5 or 6 rays of different sizes. A lovely way to start the day!

Note – Whilst they are friendly, be respectful and watch from a distance as the rays may lash out of scared or surprised. If you are travelling with small children, don’t let them splash in the water too much.

Climb the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse

A 30-minute drive south from Hamelin Bay brought us to Cape Leeuwin, the most southwesterly point in Australia, with Africa to the west and Antarctica to the south. I couldn’t get my head around the fact that Cape Leeuwin is closer to Antarctica than Darwin, but does go some way to explaining why the water is so ‘fresh’ on this coastline.

We climbed the 176 steps to the top of Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse to admire some windy views of the place where the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet. The Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse was built after 21 shipwrecks on the Cape, and since it was built there has only been one more shipwreck.

I don’t buy into my husband’s view that ‘when you’ve seen one lighthouse, you’ve seen them all’, as I love getting up high for an excellent vantage point, and a good leg work out – visiting Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse gave us a brilliant opportunity to do exactly that.

Pick up lunch in Pemberton

Still full after our breakfast from the Margaret River Bakery, we decided to drive 240 km to Pemberton in one hit and go for a later lunch. The drive was long but easy, with empty, tree-lined roads. Where is everyone?

Our destination for lunch was the Wild at Heart Café as seen on Bill Bailey’s Western Australia programme. The falafel salad was delicious – thank you for the recommendation, Bill!

We could have planned a longer stop in Pemberton, however, we were just passing through with time to just grab lunch and pick up some supplies for our dinner from the IGA supermarket. Had we stopped longer we would have considered:

• Climbing the Gloucester Tree – a 50-meter climb on long metal poles hammered into the tree (it does have a safety barrier!)
• Taking the Pemberton Tramway – a scenic 75-minute loop journey through Karri and Marri trees, over trestle bridges to cross rivers and streams
• Visiting one of the national parks – the Warren National Park or the D’Entrecasteaux National Park, including the Yeagarup Sand Dunes (maybe on a 4WD tour)
• Visiting a local winery or cidery.

Don’t miss the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, Walpole

Our last pit-stop was at the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk at Walpole (1 hour 40 minutes from Pemberton). The 600-meter long tree top walk is set in a tingle forest with spectacular views, and the hope of spotting quokkas who live here.

The Tree Top Walk is made up of a series of metal platforms which are not supposed to hold more than 15 people on any one stretch. As we were visiting towards the end of the afternoon, then it wasn’t particularly busy and so we had the platforms to ourselves – phew.

I’ve taken tree top walks before, however this one is the best one I can remember. It was breath-taking walking amongst the treetops of these beautiful tree, and so quiet. As the platforms are 40 meters up, then they are probably not suitable for those with vertigo, even if you take the decision not to look down – it could still be scary for those with a fear of heights.

Next to the Tree Top Walk is the Ancient Empire Walk along the forest floor amongst 400-year-old red tingles, which can have a based circumference of up to 20 meters and are only found in this small area of Western Australia. You could stand inside several of these majestic trees, and enjoy finding Grandma Tingle and King Tingle!

Kangaroo TV – a perfect end to the day

After the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk we completed the final leg of the day’s journey to our Airbnb in Shadwell, Denmark. The sun was starting to set as we arrived, and we noticed a welcoming committee in the garden of our bungalow – a mob of grey kangaroos.

With a ‘tinny’ in hand we sat on the back terrace of 1980s ‘Neighbours style’ bungalow, watching the kangaroos for about an hour before they hopped off into the sunset. It was one of the highlights of our trip as we spotted Mums with babies, and some of the male kangaroos squaring up to each other and boxing. It was like they put on a special show for the English visitors!

So, although we did a lot of driving on this day, we also felt that we had seen a lot, enjoyed some memorable stops and witnessed the landscape changing along the way. Whilst we were on a mission to get to Esperance for a longer stay, there was plenty of enjoyment to be had along the way.