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Nice surprises are always a welcome addition to any trip. And visiting Torndirrup National Park turned out to be just that during my trip to Western Australia. While visiting Albany, we spent one busy day exploring the park and the many small places around the park worth seeing.
Now, I must admit that I’d never even heard of the park before this trip. But it quickly became apparent just how interesting Torndirrup National Park is, with a much deeper variety of attractions than I expected. I’d go as far to say that Torndirrup went from a complete unknown to me, to one of my top recommendations of places to go in south west Australia.
Located on WA’s Rainbow Coast just outside of Albany, Torndirrup is home to beaches and rock formations right along the Southern Ocean. The park’s name comes from a variation on Torgadirrup, the name given to it by the traditional owners, the Menang people. It’s actually one of the state’s most popular national parks, and I think this sightseeing guide will make it clear why.
Stony Hill
You can start your visit to Torndirrup National Park a lot of different ways. But where I’d recommend beginning is with the viewpoint at Stony Hill, looking out at its panorama of the national park to give you a sense of the area.
To reach Stony Hill, you’ll need to walk along a gentle trail up to its viewpoint. Don’t worry though, it’s only a comfortable 5 to 10 minute walk and offers you the chance to admire some of the local wildflowers as well.
What’s nice about the view is that you’re able to appreciate the two sides to the park. You not only see the gleaming white strips of beach along its coast, but also just how hilly the area can be. From the top you even get views past the Vancouver Peninsula and Shoal Bay all the way back to Albany.
Cable Beach
Both coasts of Torndirrup National Park are littered with beaches, but Cable Beach is one of the main, most accessible beaches in the park. The beach is found near the Cave Point Lighthouse off The Gap Road, with a long staircase providing access through all the heath.
Unlike some of the nicest beaches in the park, Cable Beach is covered partly by rock pools, but does also have some nice fine sand at low tide. Due to the rocks and nearby reef, this is not a beach for swimming at, which is actually the case for most park beaches here.
However, you do see people fishing here who are familiar with the tricky conditions. Otherwise, it’s just a beach with a nice view that makes for an interesting place to stroll along.
The Gap
With a name like “The Gap”, there’s not a huge deal of uncertainty about what this landmark could be. Located a short drive from Cable Beach on the far side of the lighthouse, this deep channel stands out among the coast’s cliffs. 40 metre high sheer cliff walls head straight down to the swirling, deep water below.
A modern addition to the Gap is a floating observation deck that lets you look down into the deep cutting in the coast. Even better, the viewing platform is barrier-free and accessible for visitors using wheelchairs.
Natural Bridge
Just down the path from the Gap is its another attraction with a very telling name, the Natural Bridge. As you can see, this rocky arch spans a small clearing between low cliffs. While the tide wasn’t high enough, I’m sure water or at least sea spray makes it up under the bridge, which would be neat to see.
Do note that you won’t be able to walk over the bridge. The area is clearly fenced off and it should be obvious that trying would be a falling risk. It’s important to respect the park’s safety measures, as there is unfortunately a history of nasty accidents.
Bald Head Track
One of the few longer walks in Torndirrup National Park is the hike along the Bald Head Track. The full track in the park’s east goes almost the length of Flinders Peninsula. However, there’s also a shorter section of the hike that we did as we were didn’t have time for the full 6-hour hike.
The shorter option is to do the 30-minute return walk up to the viewpoint on Isthmus Hill. This walk still lets you see some of the peninsula and is surprisingly Class 4, but I didn’t think it was all that challenging. At the end you’re standing on the smooth rock face of Isthmus Hill looking down to Salmon Holes Beach and the scenic coastline. While I do want to go back to see the whole hike, this shorter walk is well worth doing.
Misery Beach
While in the area of Bald Head Track, you can also stop at the nearby car park for Misery Beach. Despite its ominous name, this is actually a pretty spot and one that you can really enjoy visiting.
Misery Beach may only be a small beach, but it combines the region’s classic fine white sand with a big stone slope up one end. It’s a great option if you’re looking for somewhere to relax, especially since it’s so quiet and sheltered that swimming is actually possible.
Salmon Holes Beach
On the opposite side of the Bald Head Track from Misery Beach lies Salmon Holes Beach. Unlike the previous beach, the name of this beach is relatively uncomplicated. It is indeed named this because it’s waters are home to schools of salmon in the latter half of the year.
I’d say that Salmon Holes Beach is the kind of beautiful beach that is a textbook example of how stunning South West Australia can be. The colour of the water and sand are both unreal and it feels like a hidden paradise. Unfortunately, again this isn’t a beach for swimming but it is nice for beach walks and another fishing spot.
Jimmy Newell’s Harbour Lookout
Just off Frenchman Bay Road, the main road through the park, lies Jimmy Newell’s Harbour Lookout. This is by far the easiest viewpoint in Torndirrup National Park to reach. But it’s also the most specific viewpoint, as the focus of the view is the above small inlet.
The name of Jimmy Newell’s Harbour comes from a local fisherman who used the harbour to shelter from a storm. What makes the view so interesting is how deep, shallow, and sharp the inlet is, making it easy to see why it would be a safe place to ride out a storm.
Sharp Point Lookout
I know there are a lot of lookouts mentioned so far, but what’s nice about Torndirrup National Park is how much the scenery changes. In the case of Sharp Point Lookout, the view includes Green Island and another small island, as well as the long straight view out to the Albany Wind Farm.
Albany’s Historic Whaling Station
There are really no manmade landmarks in Torndirrup National Park. But this is because the park boundaries seem to have been drawn to explicitly exclude Albany’s Historic Whaling Station. Like in many early Australian colonial settlements, whaling was a big part of local industry.
What’s notable about this whaling station is that it wasn’t built until the 1950s and was actually the last operational station in the country. Now it’s a museum on whales and the history of whaling, which despite how unpleasant it seems now, is part of the region’s history. I will say that entry is quite expensive and so we didn’t visit, but it’s worth knowing about in case you are.
Frenchman Bay
Frenchman Bay is where you’ll find the Albany’s Historic Whaling Station. But the whaling station isn’t the only reason to come to this side of the park. Because this coastline is more sheltered than the southside one, the scenery is different again. There are two beaches west of the whaling station at Goode Beach and Frenchman Bay Beach.
You can also head inland along sandy trails for a gentle stroll through the areas scrub. Getting away from the beaches gives you more elevation and lets you get a better view of the islands and coastline dotting the horizon.
Travel Tips for Visiting Torndirrup National Park
First up, as with visiting any national park in Western Australia, don’t forget your national park pass.
Another thing that’s really simple to address is where to stay and how to get to Torndirrup National Park. That’s because the answer for both is the city of Albany. Torndirrup is a short drive from Albany, and you basically need to go through Albany to get there, so make that your first destination.
What’s good about using Albany as your base is that there’s plenty of places to stay there too. We stayed at Nisus View, a nice holiday house that was spacious and in a great location for getting out on day trips.
An important part of this is that you’ll either need a car when visiting Torndirrup National Park or to take a tour like this from Albany. If driving, you’ll find that pretty much every attraction in the park has its own carpark.
Have you ever been to visit Torndirrup National Park yourself? What were your favourite things to do or see there? Think I should have kept the Blowholes or whale watching in? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
