Claytons Beach, Mindarie
Northern Beaches Drive
Follow the coast north from Perth, visiting its northern beaches, before reaching one of Western Australia's oldest national parks and a string of isolated coastal fishing and holiday settlements. This is where the locals go for some peace and quiet, to catch a fish or two, swim or canoe in the river or ocean and generally do as little else as possible. Distance: 260 km.
Scarborough Beach
Journey east from the city along Cambridge Street and Oceanic Drive to City Beach, one of the most sought after beachside suburbs of the west coast with some of Perth's most expensive, luxurious houses. Drive north up West Coast Highway past a Scarborough and Trigg, both favourites with board surfers. Where West Coast Highway sweeps inland, take West Coast Drive and follow the coastline north past North Beach, Marmion and Sorrento to Hillarys.
Hillarys Boat Harbour
Hillarys Boat Harbour is a very popular day-and-night destination in Perth's northern beachside suburbs, as much because of its diverse range of eateries, bars and nightclubs and attractions, as it being the sole coastal point from which to catch a ferry to Rottnest. The marina is home to the Naturaliste Marine Discovery Centre, Aquarium of Western Australia and numerous fishing charter, whale watching tour operators and diving schools. Keep heading north; following the tourist drive signs, passing by Mullaloo, Burns Beach and Quinns Rocks which, only a decade or so ago, were little more than collections of fisherman's shacks.
Mindarie Keys
Mindarie, an outer suburb of Perth located 36 km north of Perth's central business district, has over a relatively short period of time, developed into a very popular beachside resort. The suburb was formally established in 1988 with the construction of the Mindarie Marina and hotel, one of the largest man-made marina resorts in the state. These facilities have made Mindarie Keys a popular destination for both visitors to and residents of Perth seeking a holiday, weekend getaway, function venue or a relaxing afternoon by the ocean. The Marina offers affordable and comfortable accommodation suites, all with large private balconies overlooking the Indian Ocean.
Activities include snorkelling, surfing, fishing and the occassional whale or dolphin appearance. If diving is more your thing, the famous and historic Alkimos ship wreck lies approx 9km north of the Marina, just off the Eglington rocks.
King Neptune, Two Rocks
The wreck of the Greek freighter Alkimos can be seen off the coast from a beach near Yanchep. Head north from Yanchep Beach to Two Rocks. If you come across a limestone statue of King Neptune gazing out to sea, you are not seeing things - he used to be the landmark that guided visitors to Atlantis Marine Park, which operated here in the 1980s. King Neptune, along with stone steps, statues and other remnants of buildings of the theme park, are scattered through the sandhills near the village centre.
These are the few remnants of the glory days of the 1980s when development was at a peak and intrepid entrepreneurs were busy building theme parks, marinas and hotels. Two Rocks is home to Wild Kingdom Wildlife Park, a native animal zoo where visitors have the opportunity to feed kangaroos and handle the rare golden hairy-nosed wombat.
Boating on Loch McNess, Yanchep National Park
A short way inland from Yanchep Beach is Yanchep National Park, one of Perth's oldest attractions, created around one of the many coastal lakes in the region. The Park has hire boats, bird life and native animals on display including koalas. The area has many limestone caves; there are daily guided tours of Crystal Cave; Aboriginal cultural demonstrations are given on weekends.
Guilderton
Further north along Wanneroo Road is the small fishing community of Guilderton, near the mouth of Moore River. It is a popular holiday spot for Perth families wishing to escape the rat race and do nothing but swim, canoe, fish (bream, tailor and herring) or laze around. The town is home to the Gravity Discovery Centre which works to integrate art, science and technology while providing a cross-cultural understanding of cosmology, with theories that range from the Aboriginal Dreamtime to the Big Bang.
Mouth of the Moore River, Guilderton
Guilderton was thus named because a number of Dutch guilders were found in the sand in the vicinity in the 1950s. They came from the Vergulde Draeck (Gilt Dragon), a Dutch trading ship wrecked off the coast in 1656. The wreck was found in April 1963 at Ledge Point, not far from the mouth of the Moore River. Many items from the wreck are on display at the Fremantle Maritime Museum.
Lancelin
Further north are the commercial and recreational fishing settlements of Seabird, Breton Bay and Ledge Point before reaching the end of the road at the crayfishing town of Lancelin. It is here where 4-wheel drivers and sailboarders tackle the mighty sand dunes behind the town. Lancelin is one of Australia's top windsurfing locations and is on the International Windsurfing Circuit.
Return to Perth via Wanneroo Road and Perth's northern suburbs.
