This strictly 4WD trek follows a coastal track towards D'Entrecasteaux National Park, which lies in the far southwest coast of Western Australia. One of the major drawcards to D'Entrecasteaux National Park is the magnificent
Black Point. This massive outcrop of basalt was formed from an extensive volcanic lava flow originating from the Darling Fault around 135 million years ago. To the west of
Black Point lies a smaller - albeit spectacular outcrop of basalt featuring classic ‘organ pipe’ columns.
To reach the black basalt columns that give
Black Point its name, a short 1km stroll is required along the beachfront (on the northwest side of Cape Beaufort). You'll see the headland from the
carpark at
the beach. The sea is often pounding hard against the basalt and you may have to pick a quiet, low tide to get close enough to hear their distinctive organ-like music as the waves and wind echo through the gaps in the basalt pillars. South of
the beach a rough vehicle track runs out to the southern part of the point to several fishing spots with spectacular scenery along more basalt cliffs that are constantly pounded by the Southern Ocean.
The tracks into and around
Black Point itself can be very soft and will require dropping your tyre pressures. There are two camping areas on the way in to
Black Point that have pit
toilets, shaded peppermint gum trees and fire
places.
The beach is further down the
hill but you can't
camp there - you'll appreciate the protection of your
campsite anyway. This trek also takes in
Jasper Beach (further east), which is a nice secluded spot - and similar to
Black Point, features camping spots on the way in. To get to
Jasper Beach, you take a narrow and winding track called Wapet Track. This challenging track becomes very steep with rutted sand hills as you head towards
the beach, and it's probably not a good idea to take your trailer down there.
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
Environment
This wilderness coast has an abundance or coastal
wildflowers, pockets of karri and jarrah trees, amazing coastal cliffs of
granite and
limestone and over 130 kilometres of pristine beaches. The largest permanent freshwater
lake in Western Australia is also found here -
Lake Jasper.
History
D’Entrecasteaux National Park is rich in both Aboriginal and European culture. Indigenous people are thought to have occupied WA’s South-West for at least 47,000 years even though the oldest archaeological evidence of occupation of the park is dated at 6000 years. The park features a significant number of archaeological sites including: abundant stone artifacts, fish traps, quarry sites, burial sites, and mythological sites.
The D’Entrecasteaux National Park was named after French Admiral Bruny D’Entrecasteaux who first sighted and named Point D’Entrecasteaux in 1792. A search party commanded by D'Entrecasteaux was commissioned by the French government to search for the lost ships of La Perouse. The Admiral followed the proposed path of La Perouse through the Pacific islands north west of Australia. Although D'Entrecasteaux failed to find any trace of La Perouse, he and his crew carried out important scientific research and exploration of the southwest of Australia and Tasmania.
Black Point was formed from volcanic lava flow around 135 million years ago. The formation resulted from the slow cooling of a deep pool of lava, similar to the development of mud cracks. In the process of it cracking and shrinking, columns were formed perpendicular to the surface. The result was a close-packed series of hexagonal columns, which are now slowly being eroded by the Southern Ocean.
TrekID: 4