Boranup Beach

Reach the beach via Boranup Drive, with the forest track taking roughly five minutes from the road — but only in a 4WD vehicle. Standard cars risk getting badly bogged in the soft sand, and there is no formal car park: vehicles park on the sand itself or at forest track entrances. Deflate your tyres before driving onto the beach — this is both a local rule and a practical necessity. No entry fee applies, but the beach sits within a national park where dogs are strictly not permitted.

The Boranup Karri Forest, just 0.5 kilometres from the beach, is the obvious companion stop — Boranup Drive winds through some of the tallest karri trees in WA and is worth the slow cruise even if you never reach the sand. About 8 kilometres up the coast, Hamelin Bay offers a calmer, sheltered alternative with wild stingrays congregating near the historic jetty ruins. For something more dramatic, Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse sits 30 kilometres south — Australia's tallest mainland lighthouse, standing at the exact point where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet.

The Karridale Tavern, 7.1 kilometres away, is the closest option for a proper meal and has built a solid local following. Hamelin Bay Wines at 8.3 kilometres is worth the short drive for a glass with a view. If you want something closer to the forest, Boranup Forest Cafe at 9 kilometres has earned consistently strong reviews and makes a good debrief stop after the beach.

Boranup Campground, just 3.4 kilometres away, is the most atmospheric base — you're sleeping under karri trees with the beach a short drive away, and its reviews reflect how well it suits the setting. Hamelin Bay Holiday Park at 5.7 kilometres offers a more structured option with strong ratings across 366 reviews. For something more private, Karridale Cottages at 9.3 kilometres provides self-contained accommodation with excellent guest feedback.

Shoot from the dune line at first light when the white sand catches low-angle sun and the karri forest behind creates a dramatic green wall — the contrast between forest and open blue ocean is the defining image of this beach. The 10-kilometre length means you can walk until other vehicles disappear from frame entirely, giving you a genuinely empty foreground in both directions.

Do not enter the water. Strong shore dump and rip currents make swimming at Boranup Beach genuinely dangerous, and the beach is completely unpatrolled with no emergency services nearby — if something goes wrong, help is a long way off. A 4WD is not optional: standard vehicles get bogged, and in winter (June through August) wet conditions make the forest tracks impassable on top of the already extreme swell. Bring everything you need — food, water, a first-aid kit — because there is nothing on the beach and the nearest town, Margaret River, is over 24 kilometres away.