Honeymoon Hamlet

Overlooking one of the best surfing beaches in the world, Yallingup, WA, is an unspoilt getaway spot.

These days the small village of Yallingup, WA, which is on the coast 260km south of Perth, is a popular summer holiday destination for families and surfers.

For an older generation though, from an era before surfing, Yallingup was a popular honeymoon destination. Not surprising perhaps, since the name Yallingup is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘place of love’.

The area became famous in 1899 with the discovery of a huge limestone cave. When the cave was opened to tourists in 1900, many people travelled down from Perth, even though in those days it took four or five days to make the trip.

In 1904 a hotel called Caves House was built to accommodate tourists and the next year electricity was connected to the cave so that it became even more popular. The current Caves House was built in 1938 and for the following few decades Yallingup became a mecca for honeymooners.

Caves House has now been restored to its former glory and functions as a resort. The old world dining room and the large garden that slopes towards the sea are open to the public. The path that connects the house with the beach is ominously named the Ghost Trail.

Legend has it that Molly, the ghost, either jumped off the bridge on the path to the beach or hanged herself when she learned her fiancé was having an affair with her bridesmaid.

Caves House resort plus a nearby cafe/general store, a beach kiosk that only opens in the summer, and a small collection of holiday houses make up the town of Yallingup. Surrounded by the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, the area has a pristine beauty.

Great Beach Park

The owners of Yallingup Beach Holiday Park, which is part of the Top Tourist Park group, claim it’s the best located park in WA and they could well be right. The park overlooks the beach and you have a dramatic view of the waves crashing onto the reef as you cook your evening meal on one of the wood barbecues.

The park sells a small collection of groceries and frozen items in its reception area to cater for guests who arrive late or who don’t want to drive 12km into the nearest town, Dunsborough, for supplies.

Vicki and Peter Samuels have been the park managers for three years. They commented that some holidaymakers are a bit dubious about the wood barbecues, but once they have got their fire lit using the freely available wood, they settle in to enjoy a wonderful view of the sun setting over the Indian Ocean.

Vicki and Peter pride themselves on running a clean and tidy park that has beautifully manicured lawns. It may not have all the facilities that some other parks offer, but what else do you need when the beach is literally 30m from your caravan site?

The television reception is not brilliant there, but the park occasionally puts up a big screen so that everyone can gather around to enjoy the important matches of different football codes.

The first AFL game of the season is always an occasion and at Easter another screen is set up for the young ones to watch cartoons and Easter eggs are given out.

The park is owned by Don and Lyn Ferguson who live in Perth. Vicky described them as “the bosses from heaven”. They do all they can to make the park a great family destination and even help to sponsor surf lifesavers for the beach during the summer school holidays.

At other times of the year, the park is far from crowded and makes an ideal base for exploring the nearby caves and the famous Margaret River wineries. Tours can be booked at the park office and a winery tour leaves from the park every day.

From September to December whale watching boat trips are popular. Another option for seeing the whales is to drive to nearby Cape Naturaliste and take the walk out to the whale watching platform at the end of the cape. To our amazement, we saw three or four whales that were frolicking out to sea and wished that we had taken some binoculars for a better view.

The coastal scenery around Yallingup is spectacular and a network of tracks offers short and extended walks. Pick up a walking trail brochure at the park’s kiosk.

One of the shorter walks takes you to the entrance of Ngilgi Cave and a semi-guided tour of the cave should not be missed. The honeymooners of the past especially liked the cave’s ‘Cupid Corner’ and maybe you will too.

Yallingup fast facts

Yallingup Beach Holiday Park (Top Tourist Parks), PO Box 22, Yallingup, WA 6282. Freecall: 1800 220 002, ph/fax: (08) 9755 2164, email: yalbeach@wn.com.au, web: www.yallingupbeach.com.au For additional tourist information contact the Dunsborough Visitors’ Centre, 9755 3299, email: dunsborough@geographebay.com, web: www.geographebay.com

By Susan and Keith Hall, as featured in Caravan World, issue 437, January 2007.