Lovely white sand and beautiful blue water. The long stretch of coast between Fremantle and Yanchep has been awarded the following titles:
“Australia’s best-kept secret”, “one of the top ten coastal drives in Australia”, and “One of Perth’s best-hidden gems”.
The guide books show us images that promise an alternative to the busy beaches along the metropolitan coast. Yet, the vast majority of these are either well known or accessible only to those living in Perth’s northern suburbs. Is there any hope for those who don’t live at Ashendon or will have to drive hours to reach a secluded beach?
The answer is yes! It may be true that you have to go a little out of the way to find secluded beaches all over Perth, but they are every bit as enjoyable.
Hammonds Beach
Hammonds Beach is one example, located about halfway between Two Rocks and Pinnaroo (on the other side of Yanchep). Although technically you do not need to drive too far off the main road to reach the beach, it still seems very secluded. There is a small car park at the end of a dirt road and four picnic tables. The trees lining the coast provide plenty of shade if you wish to sit down and enjoy a barbeque or picnic lunch (bring your own wood).
To get to Hammonds Beach, turn onto Errabiddy Road between Two Rocks and Pinnaroo. Follow the road until it turns into a dirt track. The start of this track is signposted with a small brown sign that reads “Hammonds Beach 1km”.
When you reach the end of the track you will see two small, basic wooden shacks, probably used for fishing purposes. This is not the beach! Keep driving until you see a small clearing about 50m down to your left. Here you will see four picnic tables with an incredible view of the coast.
The actual beach is also very impressive due to its length and isolation, but it runs parallel to the coastline so you have to walk a little way from the car park. There are no facilities on-site, so go prepared with whatever supplies you need for your day out.
Chidley Reserve
Chidley Reserve is another secluded beach worth checking out. There are branches of this reserve all along the coast between Yanchep and Two Rocks.
The main entrance to Chidley Reserve is located on Ocean Drive, just before the turn-off for Hamersley Road. This entrance leads onto a dirt road that was once used as the main road to Two Rocks. It is now closed off to vehicles on the left-hand side, but it still leads down to the beach.
The first part of this dirt track gives you an amazing view of both sides of the shoreline. It is not particularly steep so you can easily walk down if you have children with you or are not able to drive very far. The track gets steeper as you move closer to the beach, but even wheelchairs should be able to make it down here.
The beach itself is nestled in a small bay that makes it rarely visited by other people, despite its location close to two major roads. There are strong rips and waves at the beach that are fun to body surf or just relax in but can be dangerous if you are not a strong swimmer. There are rocks at both ends of the beach which makes it difficult to get out into the water via the shore.
Sandtrax Beach
Sandtrax Beach is another secluded gem hidden away in the northern suburbs between Two Rocks and Yanchep. It can be easily accessed from a small car park on Angove Street, which runs off Ocean Drive.
The beach itself won’t impress you at first sight because it looks very dirty and not very inviting. However, if you pay attention to the signs that warn of strong rips at this beach, you will notice that there are no waves or strong currents. This is because it is located in a small bay and protected from the open sea by rocks on either side.
The sand itself is dark grey with pieces of driftwood sticking out of it here and there. There are no facilities at all, so you will need to remember to take everything with you when you leave.
Conclusion:
There are many other secluded beaches in Perth that we did not list here for their lack of facilities or flat terrain. If you visit any of the above-mentioned beaches, please be aware that they can get quite busy on weekends and public holidays and it is, therefore, better to go during the week if you want a more isolated beach.
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