Hamelin Bay, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Hamelin Bay is a bay and a locality on the south west coast of Western Australia between Cape Leeuwin
and Cape Naturaliste
. It is named after French explorer Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin who sailed through the area in about 1801. It is south of Cape Freycinet
.
To the north, the beach leads to the Boranup Sand Patch
and further to the mouth of the Margaret River
, while south leads to Cape Leeuwin
. The nearest locality to the east is Karridale
on the Margaret River
to Augusta
road.
It was also was a small settlement and port in Western Australia
on the coast of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge
which was established to service the timber milling operations of M. C. Davies
. One of the Davies timber railways extended onto the Hamelin Bay Jetty, which was built in 1882 and extended in 1898. Only a few piles of the original jetty remain on site.
runs across the beach to the west of the town making Hamelin Bay one of the few settlements located along the track.
, small amounts of land nearby are freehold. In the 1950s the local camping area utilised the shells of a large number of decommissioned Perth Trams. None remain, and in addition to unpowered and powered camp sites there are now a small number of onsite cabins and a handful of chalets with modern facilities. A number of camp sites have been removed to accommodate these structures. A shop, and ablutions are located within the Camping Area.
Due to the nature of the Camping Area and the local weather conditions there are frequently total fire bans in the camping area.
Cape Leeuwin
Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia.A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further to the south. The nearest settlement, north of the cape, is Augusta. South-east of Cape Leeuwin, the coast...
and Cape Naturaliste
Cape Naturaliste
Cape Naturaliste is a headland in the south western region of Western Australia at the western edge of the Geographe Bay. It is the northernmost point of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge which was named after the cape...
. It is named after French explorer Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin who sailed through the area in about 1801. It is south of Cape Freycinet
Cape Freycinet
Cape Freycinet is a point on the coast between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste in the south west of Western Australia.It is within the Augusta-Margaret Local Government Area, and the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park....
.
To the north, the beach leads to the Boranup Sand Patch
Boranup, Western Australia
Boranup, Western Australia is the site of a large coastal dune blow out known as the Boranup sand patch as part of the Boranup beach, and the site of a former M.C. Davies timber company mill....
and further to the mouth of the Margaret River
Margaret River
Margaret River is a river in southwest Western Australia. Although small and unremarkable, it is the eponym of the iconic town and tourist region of Margaret River, famous for its surfing, caves and wine....
, while south leads to Cape Leeuwin
Cape Leeuwin
Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia.A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further to the south. The nearest settlement, north of the cape, is Augusta. South-east of Cape Leeuwin, the coast...
. The nearest locality to the east is Karridale
Karridale, Western Australia
Karridale is a small township in the south-west of Western Australia. Its postcode is 6288 and is located just north of Augusta and south of Margaret River between Caves Road and Bussell Highway. A newer township was built a short distance north east of the original Old Karridale following fires...
on the Margaret River
Margaret River, Western Australia
Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, located in the valley of the eponymous Margaret River, south of Perth, the state capital. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River....
to Augusta
Augusta, Western Australia
Augusta is a town on the south-west coast of Western Australia, where the Blackwood River emerges into Flinders Bay. It is the nearest town to Cape Leeuwin, on the farthest south-west corner of the Australian continent. In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,694; by 2006 the population of...
road.
It was also was a small settlement and port in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
on the coast of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge
Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park
Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is a national park in the South West region of Western Australia , 267 km south of Perth.It is named after the two locations at either end of the park which have lighthouses, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste....
which was established to service the timber milling operations of M. C. Davies
M. C. Davies
Maurice Coleman Davies was a timber miller in the early history of Western Australia. He created the M.C.Davies Karri and Jarrah Timber Company, a timber empire that employed hundreds of men, laid over a hundred kilometres of private railway, and even built its own private ports for exporting of...
. One of the Davies timber railways extended onto the Hamelin Bay Jetty, which was built in 1882 and extended in 1898. Only a few piles of the original jetty remain on site.
Tourist attractions
The Cape to Cape TrackCape to Cape Track
The Cape to Cape Walk Track is a long-distance walk trail located in the far south-west corner of Western Australia, 250 km south of Perth. It meanders along the whole length of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, which forms the backbone of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. Its start and finish...
runs across the beach to the west of the town making Hamelin Bay one of the few settlements located along the track.
Camping Area
Although most of the adjacent land is now vested in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National ParkLeeuwin-Naturaliste National Park
Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is a national park in the South West region of Western Australia , 267 km south of Perth.It is named after the two locations at either end of the park which have lighthouses, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste....
, small amounts of land nearby are freehold. In the 1950s the local camping area utilised the shells of a large number of decommissioned Perth Trams. None remain, and in addition to unpowered and powered camp sites there are now a small number of onsite cabins and a handful of chalets with modern facilities. A number of camp sites have been removed to accommodate these structures. A shop, and ablutions are located within the Camping Area.
Due to the nature of the Camping Area and the local weather conditions there are frequently total fire bans in the camping area.
Wrecks
Hamelin Bay was notorious for wrecks occurring during bad weather - its exposure to prevailing weather making it a dangerous location for anchoring or mooring. Some fishing boats utilise the anchorage when prevailing weather is not a problem. The Maritime Museum of Western Australia's database of wrecks includes numerous vessels which foundered in or near Hamelin Bay. An anchor from one of the wrecks was retrieved and is now situated in the beach car park at Hamelin Bay. The storm of 22 July 1900 took more than are listed below.- Agincourt, 1863
- Arcadia, 25 April 1900 - Barque, Wooden
- Aristide, 25 October 1889 - Barge, Wooden
- Chaudiere, 4 July 1883 - Barque
- Else (formerly Albert William), 2 September 1900 - Barquentine
- Glenbervie, 20 June 1900
- Hokitika, 2 November 1872 - Barque
- Katinka, 22 July 1900 - Iron
- Lövspring, 22 July 1900 - Barque, Wooden
- Nor'wester, 22 July 1900 - Barque, Iron
- Tobar, 1945 - Lugger
- SS Waterlily, 31 January 1903 - Steamer screw, Clinker
Light station
A light station on nearby Hamelin Island was built in 1937. In 1967 it was moved to the mainland, and is now known as Foul Bay Lighthouse.Adjacent Features also named after Hamelin
- Cape Hamelin - 34° 16'S. 115° 02'E.
- Hamelin Island - 34° 13' S. 115° 00'E.
Further reading
- Marchant, Leslie R. French Napoleonic Placenames of the South West Coast, Greenwood, WA. R.I.C. Publications, 2004. ISBN 1-74126-094-9
- Edward DuykerEdward DuykerEdward Duyker is an Australian historian and author born in Melbourne, Victoria, to a father from the Netherlands and a mother from Mauritius...
François Péron: An Impetuous Life: Naturalist and Voyager, Miegunyah/MUP, Melb., 2006, ISBN 978 0522 85260 8 - Fornasiero, Jean; Monteath, Peter and West-Sooby, John. Encountering Terra Australis: the Australian voyages of Nicholas Baudin and Matthew Flinders, Kent Town, South Australia, Wakefield Press, 2004. ISBN 1-86254-625-8
- Frank Horner, The French Reconnaissance: Baudin in Australia 1801—1803, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1987 ISBN 0522843395.
- Cape to Cape Walk Track - Section 5 - Hamelin Bay to Cape Leeuwin 29 km Pamphlet. CALM. Busselton. n.d.