Cervantes

Cervantes, a small fishing town.

Rating:  500 Frequent Bio Points

1000 points if you walk though any of the natural habitats!

Cervantes

Cervantes is a small fishing town, an easy two and half hour drive up from Perth along the Indian Ocean Drive.  The town was named after a ship-wreck. The ship was named after Cervantes the author of Don Quixote.

 

The town has white sandy beaches perfect for fishing or swimming and for enjoying tasty and fresh seafood (Cervantes is famous for it’s Lobster Industry).

Cervantes is an excellent place for boating, camping, fishing, four wheel driving, scenic driving, snorkeling, surfing, swimming and walking. The picture below was taken from Thirsty Point where two brave windsurfers braved the elements (the beach was closed due to a whale carcass washed up on the shore – shark alert!).

This quaint little town is very close to Nambung National Park, the home to a desert area  with many ancient rock pillars amid sand dunes known as the Pinnacles. You can walk or drive through this  moon-like landscape (many people go at dawn or dusk or even at night-time if there is a full moon!). The area is less then 30 mins away from Cervantes by road and entrance is through a Discovery Centre (which means there is the inevitable entrance-fee attached).

The atmosphere here is eerie as the gentle breezes seem to whisper along the desert sands and through the moon-like rock forms.

Just east of town is a saline lake called Lake Thetis where you can see Stromatolites (ancient living marine fossils). The lake is one of only a few places in the world with these living fossils.

 

We walked to the lake via Thirsty Point and through some bush land where we came across wild kangaroos, emus and even a snake or two (always best to wear long trousers when bush walking, however snakes are very shy and usually avoid you).

 

Hangover Bay is not far from Cervantes and is aptly named especially if you happen to have overly feasted on seafood at the Cervantes Tavern or at the Lobster Shack. Dolphins are common here and sea lions can also be occasionally seen. We didn’t see any the day we went there but we certainly enjoyed walking along the shore and swimming in it’s tranquil waters.

Cervantes is well worth a visit and if traveling here in Spring the area around Cervantes comes alive with spectacular displays of wildflowers between July and October. The Lake Thetis stromatolites and the Nambung National Park Pinnacles are both must-see attractions.

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