Turquoise Coast              

Western Australia’s best kept secrets!

Follow in the footsteps and share the excitement experienced by the enterprising pioneers as they pushed northwards from the town of Perth in the 1800s, into this ancient land of  brilliant wildflowers, a very unique desert, awesome white beaches and secluded bays with clear, sparkling turquoise waters, rolling misty hills, salt and freshwater lakes, caves and black butt trees as old as well.... yeah real old trees.

About 250km north of Perth is an area known as the Turquoise Coast. A surf-side road now runs from Cervantes through the towns of Jurien, Greenhead and Leeman. This coastal road rejoins the Brand Highway 32km south of Dongara, near the fishing settlement of Cliff Head.

At present the new highway from Lancelin to Cervantes will fully reveal the wonders of the Turquoise Coast.

The area has many attractions, including farm stays, wild flowers, caves, rugged coastline and secluded beaches. The Jurien Bay Marine Park provides sanctuary for all sorts of marine life, including the sea lions which characterize the place.
Accommodation ranges from campsites in caravan parks, to backpackers, motels and holiday units.
A great place to stay is at the Redgum Village in Dandaragan, which is a close by and the drive enhances the beauty of the Turquoise Coast.

Jurien is located 266km north of Perth and is the gateway to the Central West Coast, marking the beginning of the coastal road to Geraldton. This all-weather track weaves through the sand dunes and connects to a road that hugs the coast from Green Head to Dongara, before joining up with the Brand Highway, with spectacular coastal scenery visible for much of the way. Jurien is the base for a large crayfishing fleet which supplies Perth and overseas markets with fresh crays (lobster). Nearby reefs and islands provide great shelter for fishing and watersports.

Nearby Fisherman’s Island hosts a colony of sea lions and numerous sea birds. A few clicks from town is Lake Indoon, popular with sailboarders and water-skiers. Those with 4WDs can access many areas of the coastline, as well as the Stockyard Gully Caves a few miles inland. Just north of Green Head is Leeman.
Located 295km north of Perth, Leeman is popular for fishing, diving and windsurfing.

The coastal villages evolved into important fishing communities, which later became the playground of farmers from the interior, when their work permitted. The holiday huts long the pristine coastline are still in evidence today.

From the northern point of Dynamite Bay in Greenhead to Wedge Island in the south lies the Jurien Bay Marine Park, officially earmarked in 2003. The marine and coastal environments in the park have a unique combination of offshore islands, which can contain large colonies of sea lions, sheltered lagoons and  awesome white beaches.
Finding sanctuary in the park are an amazing variety of colorful tropical and sub-tropical fish, marine animals, lots of other creatures with very tricky names and sea birds.

It is with  sheer amazement when you find rolling plains carpeted with a huge array of colours by the world’s largest collection of wildflowers. You can still experience the pleasure without the pain.
These enterprising pioneers filled the needs of a developing state, opening roads and turning bushland into farms and thriving communities. This was also a time for the missionaries to develop one of Australia’s most important and still active, heritage sites at New Norcia.

Today there is a new type of pioneer in the district who are so convinced that the natural and man made attractions they live amongst, are so enticing that they have invested their futures in ensuring that not a moment of your time will be wasted when you come to visit.

Whether you are into excitement, adventure or simply relaxing on the beach watching awesome sunsets,  you will enjoy the unique Drive of  the Turquoise Coast.

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