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Dunsborough Ecological & Natural Attractions

Walk Trail Network

The Naturaliste Walk Trail Network has been planned so that you can do an easy 30 minute walk or spend up to half a day exploring the Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park.

The Bunker Bay Track gives you the opportunity to view the three distinctive types of flora the Cape has to offer:  woodland in the sheltered areas, Marri which has been pruned by the wind on the exposed ridge and coastal heath near the ocean.  The viewing platform on the cliff edge reveals stunning views with distant glimpses of Geographe Bay.

The Lighthouse Walk is an easy walk following comparatively flat ground to the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse.

The Whale Lookout Track being the shortest option is the most popular. Providing a perfect vantage point for viewing whales from September through November, at other times of the year, it provides breathtaking coastal panorama, varied coastal heath and an opportunity for bird watchers. The track is mostly flat with the last 200 metres sloping away to the lookout.

The Cape Naturaliste Track meanders through "the Pinnacles". If walked in a clock-wise direction, black loam soils have been carved by nature to resemble the "other side of the moon".

The Ngilgi Cave

Ngilgi Cave dates back approximately 500,00 years and is beneath the limestone ridge which forms Cape Naturaliste.  It is a stream cave which has developed progressively through the action of the water.

Ngilgi Cave (formerly known as Yallingup Cave) was discovered in 1899: its name is associated with an Aboriginal legend describing a battle between a good spirit (Ngilgi), a warrior of the sea  and an evil spirit (Wolgine), who lived in the cave.  Ngilgi won, Wolgine was banished and Ngilgi claimed the cave as his own.

The Cave offers visitors a spectacular display of stalactite, stalagmite, helictite and shawl formations plus there is an interpretative area detailing the Cave’s intriguing  history.

The Ngilgi Cave isone of  the area’s outstanding tourist attractions and is a great family destination with a café, children’s playground, barbeque facilities and walk trails.

Ngilgi Cave is open 7 DAYS A WEEK with entry to the Cave for SHOW CAVE tours every half hour. Cost: AUD$15.50 per adult and $6.50 per child, Family Ticket (2 adults / 2 children) $42. Additional children $4 each.

These tours are semi-guided with Guides available to answer questions and explain points of interest.

Group concessions and fully guided tours are available.

Adventure caving and torchlight tours are available by prior arrangement.

The Swan Divewreck

A former destroyer, the HMAS Swan was scuttled in December 1997 and lies upright in about 32 metres of water.  The Swan with a minor list to her left and with many different species of fish living on or around her, is an incredible dive.  Diving tours for novice divers to experienced divers are available most months of the year subject to weather conditions and there are moorings for private boats (which need a permit).

Whale Watching

Dunsborough is a perfect place for the viewing annual whale migration.  Between September and December, the Southern Right, Humpback and Pygmy whales move along the coast and frolic in Geographe Bay.  An ideal whale watching vantage point is the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse or there are charter tours available.

Bottlenosed Dolphins also inhabit Geographe Bay.

The Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park

The Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park is a wonderland of spectacular coastline and interesting flora stretching 120 Km from Bunker Bay in the north to Augusta in the south.  Rugged sea cliffs, windswept granite headlands, and formations such as Canal Rocks and Sugarloaf Rock give stunning views and popular beaches at Meelup and Eagle Bay provide water activities for the family.

The area is rich in whaling history near Castle Rock which was used to sight whales and Castle Bay where the whalers would process their catch.  The Castle Bay Whaling Company operated from 1845 1872 and a cairn marks the original site.