Local Attractions

Self Guided Tour

Welcome to the Shire of Gingin. We would like to offer you an insight into some of the attractions that this beautiful area has to offer. We have arranged some information into a format similar to a two-day self drive tour, so sit back and imagine you are being chauffeured around the sights of the Moore River Region.

We begin on Indian Ocean Drive at Yanchep National Park, then head north up the coast and return via an inland route. As we travel north from Perth, there are many interesting areas to explore, through the Gateway to the Wildflower Region, you will find 55 different varieties of Banksia throughout the Shire. Passing through the horticultural areas, you can view many hectares of vegetables being grown for the local and export markets. The Shire of Gingin is fast becoming a major food bowl region.

Continuing on Route 66, we turn left 88km north of Perth and enter the picturesque town of GUILDERTON. Excellent fishing opportunities exist in the river and ocean waters. The river provides a swimming area for children with a newly completed fixed deck area and floating jetty/pontoon. Surfers are seen in action catching waves off the coast. The boat launching facility in the estuary has been upgraded to a two lane boat ramp and a new stairway access point has been constructed from the headland gazebo to the beach foreshore. The town has a general store, country club, roadhouse, synthetic bowling green, tennis courts, nine-hole golf course and canoe/boat hire.

Accommodation is available at the Caravan Park situated on the banks of the Moore River; private residences are also usually available for rent. Day-trippers are catered for with barbecue facilities.

A ten minute drive further north brings us to the delightful small town of SEABIRD. Services available include a children’s playground, a shop and a tavern. A newly completed seawall protects existing homes and infrastructure from coastal erosion.

Continue to drive for a further 20 minutes north, through rolling coastal plains you will reach LEDGE POINT. Primarily a crayfishing town, Ledge Point is fast becoming a centre that caters for activities for all age groups and is well worth a visit. Fishing and safe swimming beaches are a feature which compliment the caravan park and other holiday accommodation, making it an ideal family holiday spot. There is a store and country club, along with a bowling green, nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, skate park and barbecue facilities.

In 1986, a group of windsurfing enthusiasts got together at Ledge Point and raced 25kms to Lancelin. From humble beginnings, the Lancelin Ocean Classic is now one of the leading water sport championships. This annual event is held mid-January each year. Some 25-30 minutes after the first sailors leave the Ledge Point beach they hit the beach in LANCELIN. Enthusiasts from all over the world compete in this event.

By road, LANCELIN is a further ten minutes drive north of Ledge Point and has become known as one of the World’s best sail-boarding and kite surfing venues.

For many years, Lancelin was a sleepy fishing village with many attractions that only a lucky few were able to enjoy. In the early years, a rugged, rutted road was the only access in or out, and only very enthusiastic fishermen would journey to the secluded little settlement.

Today, all roads of Australia start in Lancelin, the “Home of Water Sports”. The “desert” of pure white sand hills inland from the town is unique, and provides a vast playground for all to enjoy, particularly those with off-road vehicles. Lancelin Island provides a spectacular view as the sun drops out of sight over the Indian Ocean. The place to be then is on the Jetty, with many recreational fishermen and their families.

The Lancelin Bay is protected by a reef which provides an excellent spot for surfers, snorkelers and divers, who have shared the environment with the dolphins and seals for many years. Lancelin is also a part of Western Australia’s crayfish industry. Lancelin Bay is a natural harbour created by reefs and Lancelin and Edward Islands that shelter the crayboats at their moorings.

There is sailboard and kite surfing schools which teach the art to all ages and ability levels, with instructors who are highly skilled practitioners of the sport. Sailboard and kite boards are also available for hire to experienced sportspeople who do not require any instruction. Surfing schools are also run from the Back Beach at Lancelin for those who would like to learn how to surf.

For those who would prefer to remain on land, the town has an attractive 18-hole golf course set around rolling coastal terrain, with great ocean views. The bowling club, which offers two greens, also overlooks the ocean. There are tennis courts available for hire adjacent to the school.

Services include restaurants, cafes, takeaway food, bakeries, 24hr ATM, clothing stores, shopping facilities, a hotel and a tavern amongst others.

Accommodation facilities are available including self-contained apartments, chalets, flats, hotel/motel, caravan and camping facilities. Houses are also available on long and short-term rentals. Bed and breakfast establishments and a Backpackers Hostel, are becoming more popular every year and cater especially for overnighters who take part in annual events such as the Lancelin Open Golf Classic in August and the Ledge to Lancelin Ocean Classic mid-January.

From Lancelin you can travel inland via KW Road, Sappers Road, Orange Springs Road turning right on to the Brand Highway, bringing us past farm country, and just minutes away, we come upon the Moore River National Park.

During the wildflower season in September and October, brilliant stands of Banksias and Kangaroo Paws can be seen along the road verges heading towards Gingin. If you’ve got a keen eye, wildlife such as kangaroos and emu’s can be seen camouflaged in the surrounding bush.

In addition to a profusion of the beautiful wildflowers for which the area is well known, the woodland is dominated in December by Christmas Trees and Morrison. These unique shrubs flower in a brilliant golden bloom and provides visitors with a spectacular show. Slender and firewood banksias are attractive all year round, so the area is well worth a visit at any time of the year.

A further five kilometres south brings us to the Red Gully Reserve, which is a good vantage point to overlook the Moore River National Park, and where a wide selection of Dryandras, including the open branched Kippistiana, create a splendid vista.

The wildflower trail follows the Brand Highway turning left on to Dewar Road where beautiful pockets of wildflowers flow through to the Gingin townsite.

GINGIN is one of the oldest towns in the State, and retains some important remnants of its pioneering days dating back to the 1850s. A compact and accessible walking trail has been identified, featuring many historical attractions within the Town’s Central Precinct. These include Jones’ Shop, St. Luke’s Anglican Church, the Uniting Church, the Gingin Post Office and Philbey’s Cottage, which were all built between 1854 and 1903. The buildings are all visible along the Jim Gordon VC Trail, which traverses the Gingin Brook and offers a cool, peaceful stroll through ferns and lilies under a canopy of ancient paperbarks. Allow at least 45 minutes to enjoy this walk.

Gingin was one of the earliest settled areas in the State, with explorers and pioneers arriving in 1831, only two years after the Swan River Colony was proclaimed. Since its foundation, the town has grown and prospered whilst retaining the charm and appeal of an English village.

In the centre of town is the picturesque Granville Park which is surrounded by preserved buildings of historical significance. This is an excellent spot for a picnic or barbecue, alongside a unique water wheel propelled by the flowing waters of the Gingin Brook, which rises from several springs not far from the town and flows strongly all year round. Gingin has an 18-hole golf course, synthetic bowling greens, recreation grounds including a regional outdoor hardcourt facility, football and hockey fields and the Gingin Aquatic Centre (open mid-October to early-April).

The Gingin Railway Station, on Jones Street, offers tourist information between Friday and Sunday. Other services in town include a café, hotel, 24hr ATM, takeaway food and a general store.

When leaving Gingin, return to the Brand Highway and travelling west, we turn on to the Gingin Brook Road for a drive through magnificent horticultural and agricultural areas. Various accommodations are available in this area if you would like to stop over and enjoy the serenity.

Continue west to NEERGABBY at the junction of the Gingin Brook and Moore River. Historically, Neergabby was a drover’s stop-over along the Old North Road Stock Route and the old Drover’s Inn.

Across the bridge and down Chitna Road you will drive past stone fruit orchards and turf farms.

Continuing down to Military Road, you could make a slight detour and visit the Gravity Discovery Centre and Observatory. Allow an hour or two to tour this world class exhibition.

At the end of Military Road, turn left onto the Indian Ocean Drive, go past the Yanchep National Park, via the towering pine forests controlled by the Department of Parks and Wildlife.

For more information on the Moore River Region, please see link below or contact the Gingin Community Resource Centre on (08) 9575 1253, the Lancelin Tourist Information Centre on (08) 9655 1100 or the Lancelin Community Resource Centre on (08) 9655 2033.

http://www.mooreriverregion.com.au/

Nature Reserves