William Bay and Elephant Cove

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What better way to spend a sunny New Years Day here in Walpole than chilling out at the beach. Along the Denmark coastline there is a forest that literally meets the sea in spectacular fashion with karri growing right to the waters edge of some inlets. The park is a mix of forest, sheer headlands, sheltered bays and unusual flora. William Bay is located between Denmark and Walpole off the South Coast Highway. Like many areas on the South Coast there is no coastal plain, in its place are high coastal sand dunes, some of which are colonised by dense scrub and trees and the spectacular, tall hills of granite rocks which have a stonehenge-like appearance.

The William Bay National Park is a popular destination for those in the area. While it is a relatively small park (1,867 hectares) the magnificent flora and fauna more than makes up for any deficit in size. The Park attracts many marsupials and around 100 different species of birds. There are pockets of karri forest, extensive areas of peppermint trees and open woodlands of sheoak and eucalypts. Some of the coastal heathlands are home to a range of plants usually found in karri forest. In the William Bay National Park however, they grow shorter and in a more shrub like fashion to suit the coastal conditions.

The much photographed Greens Pool at Elephant Cove is a sheltered bay where huge granite rocks meet the water. Greens Pool has a narrow beach and shallow water interrupted by the Elephant Rocks, a series of exposed rocks which from several angles resemble a herd of elephants, apparently!!

Anyway, I would definately recommend William Bay and Elephant Cove as a couple of great beaches to spend the day relaxing. Shame I cant find this sort of thing more often in Oz rather than picking fruit !! 😊

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Photos

William Bay
New Years Day at William Bay. Stunning water at the best beach I have ever seen in Australia.

'Elephant Rocks'
A breathtaking view over the massive rocks in the shallow waters of Elephant cove.

Entrance to Elephant Cove
A narrow path between two enormous rocks provides entrance to the secluded cove...

William Bay
The beaches were unexpectedly uncrowded considering the beautiful weather and a national holiday!

William Bay
View from the lookout point above William Bay.

Elephant Cove
The beach leading out to the elephant rocks.

Elephant Cove
Another view of the rocks. Look closely and you can see a man walking on water...

Elephant Cove
Here you can see the scale of some of the rocks next to these two canoes.

Elephant Cove
Me in front of the rocky pool.

Beyond Elephant Cove
Walking out further over the rocks provides this view along the coastline.

Comments

[Gavin]

Great Beach
Hi, looks like great beach and good place to chill out. Glad that you finally found somewhere in Oz to compare with beaches in Thailand. Long wait but then some excellent blogs, as always.