Steep Point

We had seen Steep Point on the map and thought it would be great to get out there since it is the most westerly point of mainland Australia. However on closer examination it was not for the faint hearted. There was a 70km drive on gravel and then 40km through the sand dunes. Once you got to Steep Point there was no power, water or any other facilities. We felt it might be a bit much on our own. Then some friends we had met at Geike Gorge, way back in Fitzroy Crossing, arrived at Monkey Mia and were looking for some people to go out to Steep Point with (Jill, Kumar and their 2 kids). We thought it over and by the time we had spoken to a few locals who raved about it we decided to give it a go. We couldn't take our van so had to find somewhere to leave it and take the tents. It was a big effort for me to go somewhere with no facilities! First time we had to pack the shovel for toileting purposes! After some research we found a station called Tamala which was about 45km in on the gravel. We could stay there the first night then leave the van with them. We didn't know what to expect from Tamala but we were very pleasantly surprised when we got there. We drove the van right onto the beach and we had the place to ourselves. Surprise, surprise the first thing the boys did was start fishing. Kumar caught a very slightly undersized pink snapper and Tom managed to catch an enormous fish which he unfortunately couldn't land. The sunset that night was superb.




First thing the kids did when they woke up was to start fishing again and this time Jack had some success, landing a large barracuda.



The view behind him is what we had from the front door of the van.

We packed up and drove back to Tamala homestead and left the van behind for the big adventure. It was a very boring but not too rough drive on the gravel for another 50km or so then we got to the fun stuff. We let the tyres down and followed Jill and Kumar who had their camper trailer with them. They struggled up the first sandhill and we thought we may have to turn around but they tried the method of flooring it in high range and made it easily. The next 40km through the dunes was very bumpy but lots of fun as the scenery was amazing.






That's the track on the left and some of the huge sandhills we passed on the way in.

We finally made it to Sheltered Bay which is where we set up camp. It's about 10km short of Steep Point. We camped right on a really lovely beach.







The next day we drove out to Steep Point. We had made it to the most westerly point!


We drove a little further to check out the other camping area. This is one of the best fishing spots in the country but it is fishing off the cliffs and requires some specialist equipment and know how so we couldn't give it a try.


They use helium balloons to carry the lures out further and to bounce them up and down off the surface of the water. The fishermen we spoke to had caught about 80kg of filleted fish in under a week! They had to stop as the limit is 20kg per person. The mackerel they were pulling in were enormous. Unfortunately we didn't see one caught while we were there. The cliffs they were fishing off are called the Zuytdorf Cliffs and stretch all the way south to Kalbarri.



Very spectacular.




The drive back to the campsite over the huge dunes gave us a great view of Sheltered Bay.




We stayed for 2 nights and considered a third but the wind had picked up and we had no luck fishing so food supplies were running low. And I was keen for a shower and a toilet! On the drive out we made an unplanned detour to a place called Thunder Bay. We are very glad we did because it was truly spectacular. I know I keep saying this about WA but it is true! The photos do not do it justice. Everyone should come out here and see for themselves!



We spent ages watching the enormous waves crash into the cliffs. Jack said it was one of the best things he has seen on this trip. Unfortunately this was our last stop and we drove back to Tamala to collect our van and head back into civilization again.

Steep Point is one of the most beautiful places I have seen. The campsites on the beach were fantastic. It was so good that I barely noticed the lack of facilities and for those who know me and my love of camping, that is a big call! It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The kids reckon it was their second favourite place! First place is still held by Broome/Cape Leveque apparently. I have to say I agree with them. It is interesting that for someone like me who really isn't that keen on camping (I don't mean caravan camping but REAL camping), the 2 best places I have been to have been ones where we slept in a tent. There is definitely something to be said for making an effort to get off the beaten track. Perhaps we need to trade the van in for an off road camper trailer!