The last beach, I promise. Bremer Main Beach is so named for a good reason. It is the closest to the township and is a cracker. Unfortunately most of my photography was done in gloomy weather which did nothing to show off the white sands and azure waters of Bremer Bay at their best. We did have one or two days on which the sun shone brightly all day...on these occasions Main Beach was picture postcard perfect.
This beach goes for miles in a hug arc. For the main part its sands are firm and flat and relatively easily negotiated by 4WD. For our part, we felt no such imperative but did spend many mornings walking long distances around the bay.
Beyond the vehicular beach access turn off, the bitumen continues for some 100 metres before ending in a gravel car park.
From here a short walking path leads through the sandy conservation area to the southern end of the beach,
where the sand come to an end at the small, rocky John's Cove, a recognised swimming spot as we shall see later.
Looking in the opposite direction, the flat, firm sweep of the sands of Bremer Bay stretch away to the north around the curve of the bay for kilometres.
Let me quickly take up an elevated position above the beach to provide some perspective. This is a very long beach!
From the same vantage point I can provide another shot which I hope more clearly shows the relative position of the Bremer Bay township, the waters of the Wellstead Estuary,
the sandgrit bar at its end, and the southern end of main Beach.
In addition to the efforts being undertaken to protect the nesting and migratory birds, laudable attention to beach and dune stabilisation is also well in hand. Here, adjacent to the entrance track at the southern end of the beach, the results are obvious and colourful.
For those who feel the need to bash along the sands in a 4WD (thankfully, the use of quad bikes has been banned on this beach.....those who use them are inveterate dune wreckers in my experience) for the fun of the drive or to access one of the many good salmon and herring holes further around the bay, access is simple.
Follow the entrance road
around the end of the conservation zone, and bingo, there you are!
And from here they come and go constantly, across the expanses of the estuary bar, the sentinel Bremer Bay wind turbine high on the skyline.
Main Beach is dog friendly (even if most owners ignore the 'on a leash' stipulation) and a great deal of the vehicular traffic at this end consists of the locals bring their pet pooch(s) down for a gallop on the sands. In the course of our many walks we became quite adept at recognising various regulars from some distance off, and enjoyed a number of chats with them.
And just to prove that we are not complete 4WD wimps, here we are.
In addition to our many walks, I did have one swim here when I proved what I had identified as a tricky rip was just that. So, in addition to my plan to paddle the estuary, my other anticipated activity for our Bremer Bay visit, long swims along the shore of Main Beach, was now also panned.
Nor did I fish on Main Beach. I did find a few likely spots, but they were beyond a couple of soft patches in the sand. Given what I was managing elsewhere (won't be long now!), I frankly just could not be bothered having to deflate the tyres on the cruiser to negotiate these areas safely and then have to pump them up again. (speaking of which...another snipe at the General Store....they actually charge for the use of the tyre air pump...have you ever heard the like of it...that peeved me even more than their rip-off pricing).
Finally, to complete our tour of the seaside environment of Bremer Bay, we must take a drive on Cuneo Drive and out to the nearby headland. En route, a lookout provides the splendid views over Bremer Bay which I have attempted to share photographically.
Just beyond that, a short turn off ends in a tiny car park above John's Cove.
Steps lead down to the waters of what is a recognised 'safe swimming beach', complete with its pontoon,
(the white speck barely visible mid shot.....this was a really rotten day to be doing this!) The seaweed bank did little to add to the ambiance of the cove, but I was assured by locals that this was something of an aberration....the sands are normally pristine. And here, the waters remain calm in all but the rarest of local wind conditions...a hooting northerly.
allows for a descent to the rocky ledge at the water's edge. This is purportedly a good fishing spot, but I had my doubts.
The headland road ends at the aptly named 'Rock Cairn' a now disused relic of a very significant piece of early Bremer Bay infrastructure.
The original was built in the 1880's by, you guessed it, the Wellstead family, when it consisted of a long pole set in a pile of rocks. This was all to do with transport. In those days a sea voyage to Albany took about eight hours.....on the other hand, carting goods by bullock dray overland would take between four and ten days, depending on conditions.
Enter the redoubtable Captain Frederick Douglas, renowned in these parts (with good reason) as a 'crack sailor'. He plied the coast between Albany and Eucla in the good ship Agnes, a 19 metre schooner of 44 tons.
When the Wellsteads had produce ready for the Albany markets they would hoist a white flag by day, or a lantern by night, on the headland pole to signal that the goods were ready for loading in John's Cove. In this manner, livestock, skins, wool, sandalwood, vegetables and dairy produce all found their way from Peppermint Grove to the consumers of Albany and beyond within short order by sea for many years until road transportation developed to the point it became the more efficient manner of moving goods.
Just as the Wellsteads were no slouches, they had a kindred spirit in the person of Captain Fred.
On April 24, 1982, the worthy vessel Agnes came to grief. Whilst at anchor in John's Cove she was beset by huge seas which tore her adrift and dumped her unceremoniously and fatally on the bar of the Wellstead Estuary. This presented Captain Douglas with a serious problem (aside from the loss of his ship). He had six weeks in which to replace the vessel or lose his transport contracts.
So, the indefatigable skipper rode the 170 kms to Albany, took ship to Adelaide and returned, inside the deadline, at the helm of the Grace Darling, a vessel even larger than the Agnes.
The good Captain Douglas, a man revered by all along the southern coast of WA, continued to ply his seaborne trade until his retirement in 1910 at the age of 60. But this was not before his expert seamanship enabled him to effect the rescue of 196 souls imperilled by the wreck of the Ronondo on a reef near Israelite Bay in 1984, a feat of real skill and courage. Captain Frederick Douglas was a genuine (and little known) pioneer of the area who played a significant and important role in its development.
and, more to seaward, a reminder of the fact that Bremer Bay faces out into the Southern Ocean.
Let me conclude our tour of things marine at Bremer Bay with a wonderful aerial shot of this headland which I acknowledge as having come from the gallery of the Bremer Bay Resort website.
Here we have Back Beach on the left and the headland which separates it from Main Beach and the Wellstead Estuary and, beyond Back Beach, the small snippet of white which is the sand of Short Beach. The tiny notch in the land at the end of Main Beach is John's Cove, whilst the township of Bremer Bay can be seen on the far right of the photo.
The Point Henry Peninsula stretches away to the left. At the top of the shot, and far in the distance a little right of centre, the sweep of Dillon Bay and the sandhills at its far end can just be made out.
Well, folks, that's how it all works here at Bremer Bay. What a great place. In fairness it must be said that for those who don't fish, the appeal may be somewhat limited....but who in their right mind doesn't fish???? Coming up next!
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