![Waychinicup Estuary]()
Waychinicup Estuary
The
Waychinicup rivermouth into the wild Southern Ocean between two rocky headlands is permanently open. Most inlets and estuaries along the south coast are blocked by sandbars for decades, and only forced open in times of flooding. The
Waychinicup coastline is dominated by cone shaped light
grey Granite and Gneiss rocks which are particularly prominent on the
hill tops like castles overlooking the sea. Grass trees dominate the scrublands.
Waychinicup and
Mount Manypeaks Nature Reserve provides a
home for the threatened bird species found only in the
Albany area; Western Whipbird, Western Bristlebird, and the previously thought extinct Noisy Scrub-bird has been breeding successfully since the reintroduction from the colony discovered at
Two Peoples Bay.
The endangered Western Ground Parrot has only rarely been seen in the park, but volunteers believe they have heard its call. The western ground parrot is one of the rarest bird species in the world. The bird is so rare, that the first known photograph of it taken in the wild was in 2004.
Nearby
Mount Manypeaks rises to 565 metres. The
Mount Manypeaks Nature reserve provides a habitat for over half the Noisy Scrub-birds known to exist.
Waychinicup is accessed from Cheynes Beach Road and the access track is not suitable for towing. There is a small settlement and caravan park outside of the National Park on the bay at Cheynes Beach.
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