Hamelin Bay

Located 139 km south of Bunbury in the Margaret River region of Western Australia, Hamelin Bay is a sweeping open sandy beach with gentle wave action.

Named after French explorer Jacques Felix Emmanuel Hamelin, it is best known for its stingrays which can reach 2m between wingtips. It’s a great place for snorkelling and getting up-close to these velvety creatures in their native habitat.

There are caves and several shipwrecks for scuba diving as this coast was notorious for wrecks in stormy weather. The anchor in the car park was salvaged from one such ship.

Launch your boat from the ramp and enjoy fishing in the open waters or cast a line from the beach itself.

You can walk for miles along the beach or wade out into the shallow bay. There are amazing rock formations at the south end of Hamelin Bay with alternating stratas of red sandstone and coral jutting out of the sands and creating an unnatural landscape. This area also has plenty of rock pools.

Bordering the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, Hamelin Beach is edged by the remote Cape to Cape Track, a hiking trail which stretches for over 123 km (76 mile) between the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse and Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.

Facilities include a car park, toilet, observation deck and shop.