If you haven’t heard of Fitzgerald River National Park, you probably aren’t alone. This National Park is not promoted as much as Cape Le Grande in Esperance, or Francois Peron in Shark Bay. But with its rugged and spectacular scenery it is just as beautiful. 

Fitzgerald River National Park is one of the largest and most botanically significant parks in Australia. The park can be accessed from the South or East, with Hopetoun as the gateway, and from the North or West side from Bremer Bay. 

Access to Fitzgerald River National Park

The roads are sealed on the East side, providing you with a beautiful scenic drive. From the West, the roads are unsealed. When we visited, although these roads were supposedly fine for 2WD vehicles, and there were no road closures or alerts, we found them to be extremely corrugated and in very poor condition after recent rain. Unfortunately we had to turn around before getting to any of the sites we wanted to visit. Definitely make sure to check the road conditions before you go, which you can do here.

Fitzgerald River National Park is recognised globally for the natural diversity of flora and fauna. Approximately 20 % of the state’s described plant species, 22 mammal species, 41 reptile species, and more than 200 bird species are found in this park. I loved all the Royal Hakea, it reminded me of cabbage leaves for some reason, and it was everywhere. We loved exploring this untouched and beautiful spot.

Although we didn’t get to visit Point Ann (accessed from the West side) due to the corrugated condition of the roads at the time, we did get to experience heaps of wonderful spots when we visited from Hopetoun. These were the highlights of our day: 

Climbing East Mount Barren:

This is a class 4 hike, and basically, it is a clamber up a rocky path of quartz to the top. We didn’t make it all the way, but the views from halfway up were still amazing.

Exploring the Beaches

There are plenty of stunning beaches to explore here. We took a wander over 4-Mile Beach, found emu tracks on Mylies Beach, and gazed over West Beach from Cave Point Lookout.

Viewing the Rugged Coastline From Cave Point

This is a stunning spot to look out over the rugged coastline of Fitzgerald River National Park and West Beach. You can clearly see East Mount Barren from here, and it is great location to spot some whales.

Visiting Hamersley’s Inlet

This is a wonderful spot to go fishing, bird watching or just relax away from the crowds. We were so surprised to find a pretty pink salt lake here and loved taking photos with the stunning horizon in the distance. You can camp here at Hamersley's Inlet which is managed by the Shire of Ravensthorpe.

Entry to the park is $15 for a day pass or $25 for 5 days.

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