Cape Leeuwin

The drive from Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste has something for everyone: surfing, wine, history and plenty more attractions to explore along the way.

I fought against the gale to open the door of the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse visitor centre, struggling to make a gap wide enough to squeeze through before the door snapped shut and amputated a foot. I couldn't help pausing to look out the window for the proverbial dog's chain, streaming out in the wind with an empty collar flapping at its end. The dog itself would have been posing a hazard to aircraft about halfway to Adelaide...

Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly point on the Australian continent, where the Indian and Southern oceans meet. Open to the sea on three sides it must be a rare day that it's calm here, and even then large swells that speak of far-off winds still roll relentlessly in before smashing themselves against the Cape's rocky shores.

Cape Leeuwin and its historic lighthouse are also the southern-most point of the Cape-to-Cape tourist drive - a 110 kilometre route from Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste that traverses the lush Margaret River region in southwest Western Australia. Although it's short enough to be knocked over in a day, the region is diverse enough to distract visitors for weeks. Elsewhere in the country it would take days of travel to visit the attractions that, here, are just down the road.

Caves Road

Tall Timber

The Cape-to-Cape drive follows Caves Road as it makes its way northward from the small town of Augusta, just next to Cape Leeuwin. This is one of the few areas of Western Australia to receive more than 950mm of rain annually, something that will be immediately obvious to any visitor newly arrived from the state's more arid regions. The southern part of the road passes through forests of giant karri trees - the third tallest type of tree in the world, able to grow to 90 metres in less than a hundred years. Formerly a major source of timber, there are some areas that are still logged and signs warn occasionally of slow-moving logging trucks entering the road. However there are no signs to warn of a far more frequent danger - slow moving wine tasters pulling uncertainly onto the road from one of the region's many wineries.

Top Drop

Despite producing only three per cent of the nation's grapes, the Augusta-Margaret River region is responsible for 20 per cent of our premium wines. Many of Australia's most famous labels are found here, side-by-side with little-known boutique wine-makers. In fact there are so many award-winning wineries so close together that it would be impossible - to say nothing of unfair - to single any out.

But there are many more industries in this part of the world than timber and wine. In fact, there is something for everyone. There are breweries, potteries and art galleries. There are fudge factories and cheese factories and wood-turners and glass-blowers. And of course there are also the natural attractions of the region. To start with, as the name of the road suggests, there are caves.

Crystal Caverns

A belt of limestone formed from the remains of ancient sand dunes stretches from Cape Leeuwin all the way to Cape Naturaliste, with over 300 known caves and more being found all the time.

One of the most famous tourist caves is Lake Cave. A boardwalk leads through this relatively short cave, just a couple of hundred metres long, alongside the lake of the cave's name. As the cave guide activates the lights along the way, the dark, mirror-like water reflects cities of stone hanging from the roof. One huge column of crystal, growing no more than perhaps two inches every hundred years, is estimated to weigh more than five tonnes.

Back on the surface, Caves Road continues, winding now through rich green paddocks of grazing dairy cattle and then through brown paddocks with rolls of drying silage. Another turn takes us through a patch of tall forest, and we pass a camper van parked on the verge. A couple sit outside, having stopped to savour a glass of a recent purchase while drinking in the sight of a karri forest glen in the late afternoon light.

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Cape Naturaliste

Echoes of History The region's history, both indigenous and European, is on display not far from Margaret River township. Tucked into a sheltered dale just behind the dunes, a few kilometres west of Caves Road, is Ellensbrook House, the homestead of Alfred and Ellen Bussell, the first European settlers in the region. Now heritage listed, it's not at all what you would expect of a grand colonial manor. Rather, this is a frontier homestead. Its rambling design shows where new rooms were added, some of which had earthen floors, and its timber walls would have creaked and rattled in the fierce winter winds.

The area's indigenous history is highlighted nearby, just up the stream that provided the Bussell family with water. A short walk under the spreading boughs of peppermint trees brings visitors to a significant aboriginal site known as Meekadarribbe Falls, 'The Bathing Place of the Moon'. Here, in a small pool at the base of a low limestone cascade decorated with old stalactites and green moss, the moon - a beautiful young woman - could once be seen bathing. Later, following her death from a broken heart, her spirit returned, and her voice can still be heard in the softly falling water.

Nothing illustrates just how isolated life would have been here during the mid-nineteenth century better than the silence. Even now, the only noise to be heard walking back to Ellensbrook House is the soft humming of bees flitting between peppermint blossoms. For the Bussells 150 years ago, with the nearest town a six day journey away, the distant noise of surf carried on a chance gust of wind may have been the only reminder of the outside world for weeks at a time.

Surfers' Paradise

The strong westerly winds of the Roaring Forties to the south generate consistent, powerful swells that create some of Australia's best surf along the coastline between the capes, and surfboards are a common accessory for vehicle roofs. Popular locations include Yallingup, Injidup Point, Prevelly and the disturbingly-named Guillotine, but there are more than 75 surf spots in total. Of course, as usual with Margaret River, there's not just one attraction here - the fishing is just as good as the surfing, with almost as many boat ramps as there are surf-breaks.

At the far end of the road lies Cape Naturaliste and its lighthouse. Built at a similar time to its Cape Leeuwin sibling, it is slightly lower and squatter, being perched on a taller headland. A network of walking trails dissects the coastal heath around the lighthouse, and we meandered down to a lookout that provided a perfect vantage point to watch the sun sink blazing into the Indian Ocean. And even then the show wasn't over. With twilight deepening, the moon rose above the cape and lit the deep blue waters of Geographe Bay with a silver sheen, as if to emphasise the magic of the Cape-to-Cape drive we'd just completed.

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Where to stay

The region's heart is the township of Margaret River, which is only a three- to four-hour drive from Perth. Two other towns worth a look are Dunsborough near Cape Naturaliste in the north and Augusta near Cape Leeuwin in the south. Caravan parks can be found in each of these towns as well as along the coast in between. We've only listed some of the coastal ones here; details for many more are available from the accommodation section of the Margaret River tourism website or by calling the Visitor Centre on (08) 9780-5911.

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Hamelin Bay Caravan Park
Right on the coast in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, 15 kilometres north of Augusta. For bookings and details, Tel: (08) 9758-5540. 

Gracetown Caravan Park
Centrally located on Caves Road, 10 kilometres from Margaret River and 3 kilometres from the coast. Tel: (08) 9755-5301. 

Yallingup Beach Holiday Park
Right on the beach in Yallingup, 10 kilometres from Dunsborough. The township of Yallingup is completely surrounded by the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. Tel: 1800 220 002.

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When to go?

Summer is the peak travel season, with the mild temperatures and beautiful surrounds attracting thousands of holidaymakers from Perth. Weekends are particularly busy.

Image courtesy of WA Tourism