Trade-A-Boat – August 2019

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TRAVEL | SOUTH WEST CAPES, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

South West

Capes Contacts

DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES

BUSSELTON DISTRICT OFFICE

48a Bussell Highway, Busselton

P (08) 9752 2152

W http://www.fish.wa.gov.au

DEPARTMENT OF BIODIVERSITY,

CONSERVATION AND ATTRACTIONS,

PARKS AND WILDLIFE - SOUTH WEST

REGION HEADQUARTERS

Cnr. Dodson Road and South Western Highway,

Bunbury

P (08) 9725 4300

W http://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT (BOATING

SAFETY COASTAL)

OPERATIONS MANAGER, SOUTH WEST

24 Wellington Street, Bunbury

P (08) 9216 8200

MARGARET RIVER VISITOR CENTRE

100 BUSSELL HIGHWAY

P (08) 9780 5911

E [email protected]

W http://www.margaretriver.com

AUGUSTA VISITOR CENTRE

Cnr Ellis St and Blackwood Tce, Augusta

P (08) 9780 5911

E [email protected]

AUGUSTA HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Blackwood Avenue, Augusta

P (08) 9758 0465

LEEUWIN-NATURALISTE LIGHTHOUSES

P (08) 9757 7411

E [email protected]

W http://www.margaretriverlighthouses.com

SHIRE OF AUGUSTA

66 Allnut Terrace, Augusta

P (08) 9780 5255

E [email protected]

offering excellent game-fishing opportunities for
serious anglers.
Recreational fishing is managed by the
Department of Fisheries through bag and size
limits, gear restrictions, seasonal restrictions,
closures, and licensing.
The unique geographic orientation of the
Leeuwin-Naturaliste coast exposes it to large,
uninterrupted ocean swells that produce some
of the best surf breaks in the world, especially

at Margaret River, Prevelly, Yallingup, and

Cowaramup Bay, which are recognised

internationally as premier surfing locations.

Many local board riding clubs and

metropolitan-based surfing clubs hold

competitions along the Leeuwin–Naturaliste

coast, where surfing is becoming an increasingly

popular spectator sport.

The marine park zoning scheme recognises a

number of iconic surf breaks within its special

purpose (surfing) zones.

The marine park encompasses many

underwater attractions, both natural and

artificial, for divers and snorkellers, including the

Hamelin Bay Wreck Trail, and the 2,750-tonne

HMAS Swan scuttled in Geographe Bay in

1997 to provide a world-class dive wreck in 30

metres of clear water.

The Busselton Jetty, extending nearly two

kilometres into Geographe Bay, is listed in the

top 10 dive sites in Australia.

The underwater observatory at the end of

the jetty enables visitors to experience the bay’s

unique community of invertebrates and fish,

without getting wet.

Attracting over 400,000 visitors per year,

the landmark jetty is one of the most popular

marine tourist attractions in the South West

Capes area.

In winter and spring, humpback and southern

right whales frequent the marine park close to

shore on their annual migration to and from

northern breeding grounds.

The best shore-based whale-watching vantage

points are at Cape Naturaliste, Gracetown

Lookout, Cape Leeuwin and Flinders Bay.

During the season, regular whale-watching

boat charters operate from Busselton,

Dunsborough and Augusta. While the town

of Margaret River, with its plethora of world

class wineries and purveyors of gourmet foods,

is a major draw card for the region, the South

West Capes’ true heart lies in its spectacular

coastal landscape and seemingly boundless

opportunities for marine-based recreation – at a

beach, in a boat or under the water.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT The public boat ramp

across the beach at beautiful Hamelin Bay; Whale watching

off the coast