Hamelin Bay

 

 

HAMELIN BAY

 

GPS 34 13 25 S 115 01 56 E

 

 

 

 

FIND ACCOMMODATION

 

Gracetown

Margaret River

Witchcliffe

Nearby Towns

Karridale

Augusta

 

 

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.

Find us on Youtube     Find us on Facebook     Find us on Pinterest     Find us on Instagram     Support us on Patreon

 

 

 

 

 

STATISTICS

Distance from Perth

313 Km

Population

405

Average Rainfall

1090.9mm

Mean Max Temp

19.8C

Mean Min Temp

14.1C

 

SERVICES

Police

08 9758 3900

Fire and Rescue

08 9758 1934

Medical

08 9758 3222

Visitor Centre

08 9758 0166

 

CARAVAN PARKS

Hamelin Bay

08 9758 5540

 

HOTEL / MOTEL / B AND B

See Augusta

 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

 

 

DESCRIPTION

 

Today Hamelin Bay is just a great place to kick back an relax. Located between Margaret River and Augusta it is a very popular spot as it offers safe boating and swimming.

The caravan park here used to be just a stone's throw from the beach but it has now been moved further away from the beach.

In the shallow water near the boat ramp you will regularly see stingrays gliding over the sandy bottom. People are asked not to interfere with these rays and to release any that may be caught on fishing lines. The death of Steve Irwin in 2006 is a reminder that stingrays are potentially dangerous and should be left alone.

ICON BUTCHERED!

Stumpy the stingray was one of the oldest and most friendly rays at the bay. Callous, ignorant people butchered this harmless ray (the only one with no tail and therefore no defence).

Stingrays in this area are a major tourist attraction and we can happily report that the Western Australian Government did finally act to protect the rays of Hamelin Bay in February 2012. Sadly it was too late for Stumpy but all his friends are now much more safe.

 

HISTORY

 

The bay is named after the French explorer Jacques Felix Emmanuel Hamelin who sailed through these waters in 1801.

Originally this was a port used for the export of timber and the remains of the jetty (built in 1881) that you see today were once part of an extensive complex.

The first 500 feet of the jetty was built between 1881 and 1882 and a further 1300 feet was added later to allow larger vessels to use the facility. Maurice C. Davies was responsible for the building of the jetty here and another further south at Flinders Bay.

With the closure of the timber mills in 1913 the Hamelin Bay jetty fell out of use and Flinders Bay assumed a greater prominence.

It may be difficult to imagine it today but steam cranes, water pipes, lighters, channel markers and large vessels once made this s bustling port.

The bay is sheltered from southern winds but is very exposed to gales that come in from the west. On July 22nd 1900 a storm sprang up and three ships, the Katinka, the Lovspring and the Norwester all came to grief with the loss of several lives. Although the Norwester was eventually repaired the other two ships were so badly damaged that they were sold for scrap. The graves of s 4 of the sailors drowned that night are in the old cemetery at Karridale.

The bad weather here has led to a number of other ships being wrecked and these include, the Agincourt, Arcadia, Aristide, Chaudiere, Else, Glenbervie, Hokitika, Tobar and the SS Waterlily.

A navigation light was built in 1937 on Hamelin Island but in 1967 it was relocated to the mainland and is now known as Foul Bay Lighthouse.

A salmon fishery was established in the bay in the 1940s.

 

TALL TALES AND TRUE

 

No information for this section yet. If you know of something we can add here please contact us and let us know.

 

MAP

 

 

VIDEO

PROBLEM PLAYING THESE ON FIREFOX?
Turn off Enhanced Tracking Protection
Click the shield icon left of the URL near the top left
Slide Advanced Tracking Protection to OFF

 


Check out our other VIDEOS

NEW **** CLICKABLE VIDEO MAPS **** NEW

 

 

OTHER INFORMATION

 

ATTRACTIONS

 

Coastal scenery, Fishing, Swimming, Boranup forest and sand patch, Cape to Cape Track, Leeuwin Naturaliste NP.

 

BUILDINGS OF NOTE

 

Old jetty ruins.

 

ELECTORAL ZONES

 

State : Vasse

Federal : Forrest

 

OTHER INFO.

 

Postcode : 6284

Local Government : Shire of Augusta Margaret River

 

PHOTOS

We are working on a fix for our gallery pages but it will take time.

 

 

Back Forward

 


 

 

 

Become a supporter of this website for just $5 a month

 

 

Go to the Home Page Go to the Help Page Go to the Help Page

Western Australia Now and Then website - Copyright (c) 2019 - Marc Glasby. All rights reserved.