|
Tamala Station is located at the Southern end of the Shark Bay World Heritage area. It is still an active pastoral holding
and it has been in operation since the late 1880s. The homestead was constructed in 1896.
Access to the station is via Useless Loop Road which heads west from the Denham Road. The first 14 or so kilometres is sealed bitumen (at the time of writing)
and there is a short section of good unsealed road before the corrugations begin.
The corrugations continue to the homestead gate where you turn south, open the gate (close it after passing through) and drive to the old homestead.
Opening hours at the homestead are 9am-6pm, Monday to Saturday. No access at all on Sundays.
There are fees to enter the rest of the station and you can do so as a day visitor or you can book a campsite. If you stay at any of the campsites you need
to be fully self sufficient. If you are camping then you must have a portable toilet with you.
Pets are allowed as long as they remain on a leash and generators can be used but always consider that most people will be there to enjoy
the peace and quiet of nature so please be considerate.
Rubbish must be bagged, with glass, cans and other rubbish placed in separate bags. There are trailers at the homestead where the rubbish can be deposited on
your way out. Firewood is available at the homestead but wood must not be collected on the station so it is a good idea to bring wood in if you like to
have a campfire each night. Campfires are usually allowed from the 1st of May to the end of September. Be aware that fire bans may be imposed at any time
so check with the homestead on the way in to see what current conditions are.
Firearms and motorbikes (including trikes and quad bikes) are not permitted on the station.
The homestead gate must be closed each time you pass through but other gates on the station must be left as you find them. If they are open, please
leave them that way when you pass, if they are closed then close them again once you are through. This rule applies on any station you may happen to visit.
See the station website for full details on sites and fees.
After you have paid the key deposit (cash only) and picked up a gate key you can continue on to the areas of the station that you want to see or camp at.
There are two main sections, Prickly Point directly north of the homestead and the other along the Boorabuggatta Peninsula where you will find and access track
heading north, 12.5 kilometres west of the homestead entrance along Useless Loop Road.
Useless Loop Road remains corrugated until you reach a short sealed section of road that ends just before you reach the turn off.
From the turn off you are on narrow station tracks. Watch for sections of exposed rock and drive carefully over them. The tracks are mostly suitable for 2wd
vehicles with high clearance but a 4x4 will be required to reach some of the beach campsites.
There is a black water dump point as you enter the Boorabuggatta Peninsula but there are virtually no other facilities available. The only exception being a
bore water tank south of Tea Tree campsite.
If you are looking for a place with all the mod-cons laid on, then Tamala Station is not for you. If, however, you are looking to get back to nature, to experience
pristine coastline and be truly self-reliant, then Tamala Station is perfect.
Some people complain that the fees for staying at Tamala are high considering the lack of facilities. Please remember that living in a remote location like this
carries with it large financial penalties for the owners of the station. Since DPaW has insisted on the installation of a dump point for black waste,
the costs for the station of allowing visitors to stay have risen considerably.
Even accessing the station can be difficult in times of high rainfall as the shire will close Useless Loop Road when the rainfall is heavy enough.
We visited Tamala in mid to late June and although we did have a few days of wet weather, generally the weather was excellent with calm days
and no problem with flies. In the hotter parts of the year you may experience large number of bush flies and sandflies are present in the area
so precautions should be taken to avoid being bitten.
The warmer months are apparently the better fishing months so if you want to fish, then you need to put up with the flies and the hotter conditions.
When we visited the fish were notable by their absence.
We have nothing but praise for the station. We love remote places and the ocean so for us it was an ideal place to stay. We stayed for almost two weeks
and took 200 litres of fresh water with us. We still had water in the tanks when we left but we also managed to collect 40 litres from rainfall. This may give you
some idea of how much water you may need with you when staying at the station.
Best time to visit:
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
|
