Meelup Reserve Trail

Starting from the car park on Hurford Street, Dunsborough, this walk takes you past Curtis Bay, Castle Rock, Castle Bay, Meelup Beach, Point Picquet, and Eagle Bay via the Meelup Reserve Trail. Linking Dunsborough to Eagle Bay, the 7.8km Meelup Reserve Trail leads walkers along the coast to beautiful secluded beaches and impressive granite rock formations. Almost all of the beaches here are well-known, and their crystal clear waters are one of the main reasons for that. Small reefs and rocky outcrops provide good snorkelling opportunities. In spring, there are heaps of wildflowers and animals. Numerous vantage points along the way allow you to view whales, mainly from September to December. There are multiple turn-offs in the first kilometres of the walk that take you to small and relatively secluded beaches. One of the main highlights of the walk is the imposing Castle Rock. Further on the trail lies Castle Bay, with Sail Rock to the west and Castle Rock to the east. Those features combined with the panoramic ocean view makes this place quite picturesque. Have a picnic or a swim, and enjoy the refreshing ambience. From Castle Bay onwards, the beaches are larger; however, there are still some rugged sections that divide up the beaches. Meelup Beach is ideal for swimming due to the bay being protected. There are BBQs, picnic tables under trees and big grassy areas for family picnics as well. Another nice feature of Meelup Beach is that it is also where Meelup Brook runs into the ocean. The track from Meelup to Eagle Bay is relatively a bit more challenging, yet the ocean views get better as you get higher. This section features the only real ascent of the trail, although it isn't very long or difficult. After a downhill wander, stunning Eagle Bay looms in the distance. The trail continues through Reidle Park to the Eagle Bay Carpark, with a well-shaded boardwalk leading down to the beach. This is a fairly easy walk along a mostly flat trail with very little change in elevation. The trail is clear, well maintained and reasonably well signed. There are large panels at the start of the trail and markers all along the way. From Dunsborough, the track to Point Piquet is quite straightforward, but it can get a bit hard to follow after Point Piquet. You can either return to your vehicle via Meelup Reserve Trail, get a cab or do some car shuffling. Let us begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we travel today, and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

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Safer Bushwalks
Before you start any bushwalk ensure you;
• Tell someone you trust where you are going and what to do if you are overdue
• Have adequate equipment, supplies, skills & knowledge for the whole journey
• Consider the impact of weather forecasts, park/track closures & fire dangers
• Can respond to emergencies & call for help at any point
• Are healthy and fit enough for this journey
If not, change plans and stay safe. It is okay to delay and ask people for help.

Getting There

Start	At the intersection of Hurford Street & Meelup-Dunsborough Trail (-33.5969648,115.1039269)
Mode	Bus Car
Directions	From Bussell Highway, 10 Turn on to Causeway Road then drive for 1.5 km At roundabout, take exit 2 onto Causeway Road and drive for another 360 m At roundabout, take exit 2 onto Queen Street and drive for another 135 m Turn left onto Albert Street and drive for another 8 km At roundabout, take exit 2 onto Caves Road and drive for another 13.4 km At roundabout, take exit 2 onto Caves Road and drive for another 120 m Continue onto Caves Road, 250 and drive for another 1.7 km At roundabout, take exit 3 onto Seymour Boulevard and drive for another 175 m At roundabout, take exit 2 onto Dunsborough Place and drive for another 130 m At roundabout, take exit 2 onto Naturaliste Terrace and drive for another 1.1 km Turn right onto Newberry Road and drive for another 220 m Turn left onto Gifford Road and drive for another 1.1 km Turn right onto Hurford Street and drive for another 150 m

Track Notes

Getting started
From the carpark on Hurford Street, Dunsborough, head along the dirt trail that starts next to the 'Meelup Regional Park Trails' sign near the carpark. Follow the dirt trail ahead to continue the Meelup Reserve Trail.....

Turn map	Directions & comments
	At the intersection of Hurford Street & Meelup-Dunsborough Trail Start heading along Meelup-Dunsborough Trail (a walking track).
	After another 35 m continue straight, to head along Meelup-Dunsborough Trail.
	The starting point of an optional sidetrip. This little side trip takes you to Curtis Bay Beach. To start this optional side trip turn right here. On returning from this side trip turn right when you get back to this intersection. Details below. After another 420 m continue straight, to head along Meelup-Dunsborough Trail. After another 135 m continue straight, to head along Meelup-Dunsborough Trail.
	After another 630 m turn right, to head along Meelup-Dunsborough Trail.
	After another 80 m turn right, to head along Meelup-Dunsborough Trail.
	After another 260 m turn left, to head along Meelup-Dunsborough Trail. After another 320 m continue straight, to head along Meelup-Dunsborough Trail.
	The starting point of an optional sidetrip. This little side trip takes you to Castle Bay Beach. To start this optional side trip veer right here. On returning from this side trip error >360 when you get back to this intersection. Details below. After another 510 m veer left, to head along Meelup-Dunsborough Trail.
	After another 115 m continue straight. After another 45 m pass the toilet (45 m on your left). Then come to the viewpoint (30 m on your right). After another 1.2 km to find the "Meelup Beach".
	Turn left. After another 95 m pass the "Toilet" (15 m on your right).
	Turn right, to head along Meelup Carpark Road.
	After another 110 m (at the intersection of Meelup Carpark Road & Look Out Rock Circuit) turn right, to head along Look Out Rock Circuit (a walking track).
	After another 80 m veer left. After another 530 m continue straight. After another 10 m pass the "Gannet Rock" (10 m on your right).
	After another 530 m veer left.
	After another 35 m (at the intersection of Eagle Bay-Meelup Road & Meelup-Eagle Bay Walk Trail) veer left, to head along Meelup-Eagle Bay Walk Trail.
	After another 1.7 km turn left, to head along Meelup-Eagle Bay Walk Trail.
	After another 130 m veer right, to head along Meelup-Eagle Bay Walk Trail. After another 60 m head into the "Reidle Park". After another 120 m pass the playground (10 m on your left). Then pass the toilet (35 m on your right). Then pass the pay phone (85 m on your left).
	Turn right.
	After another 65 m turn right, to head along Eagle Bay-Meelup Road.
	Continue another 35 m to find the end. Then turn around here and retrace the main route for 7.3 km to get back to the start.

This little side trip takes you to Castle Bay Beach.

Turn map	Directions & comments
	Start. About 105 m past the end is a viewpoint.
	The end. Turn around and retrace your steps back the 25 m to the main route.

This little side trip takes you to Curtis Bay Beach.

Turn map	Directions & comments
	Start heading along Meelup-Dunsborough Trail.
	After another 30 m come to the end. Turn around and retrace your steps back the 30 m to the main route.

Terrain

Meelup Reserve Trail

Grading

	Class 3/6 Moderate track
Length	14.5 km
Time	4 h to 6 h

Quality of track	Formed track, with some branches and other obstacles (3/6)
Gradient	Gentle hills with occasional steps (2/6)
Signage	Clearly signposted (1/6)
Infrastructure	Limited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6)
Experience Required	Some bushwalking experience recommended (3/6)
Weather	Storms may impact on navigation and safety (3/6)

Some facilities on route

Toilet: There are 3 on route, on average they are 3.6 km apart with the largest gap of 7.4 km.

Order of key facilities on route

Item	From Start	Name & link to notes
Toilet	2.5 km	[toilet]
Toilet	3.8 km	Toilet
Toilet	7.2 km	[toilet]

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