Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE ROAD TO MANDALAY
About 13km west of Walpole, at Crystal Springs, is an 8km gravel road to
Mandalay Beach
, where the
Man-
dalay,
a Norwegian barque, was wrecked in 1911. As the sand gradually erodes with storms, the wreck eerily ap-
pears every 10 years or so, in shallow water that is walkable at low tide (check out the photos at Walpole visitor
centre). The beach is glorious, often deserted, and accessed by an impressive boardwalk across sand dunes and
cliffs. It's now part of D'Entrecasteaux National Park.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Denmark
POP 2800
Denmark's beaches and coastline, river and sheltered inlet, forested backdrop and hinter-
land have attracted a varied, creative and environmentally aware community. Farmers, fer-
als, fishers and families all mingle during the town's four market days each year.
Denmark was established to supply timber to the early goldfields. Known by the Min-
ang Noongar people as Koorabup (place of the black swan), there's evidence of early Ab-
original settlement in the 3000-year-old fish traps found in Wilson Inlet.
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Sights & Activities
The town is located in the cool-climate Great Southern wine region and notable wineries
include
Howard Park
(
www.howardparkwines.com.au
;
Scotsdale Rd;
10am-4pm)
and
Forest Hill
10am-5pm)
. The latter has an architec-
(
www.foresthillwines.com.au
;
cnr South Coast Hwy & Myers Rd;
turally impressive tasting room and restaurant.
Surfers and anglers should head to ruggedly beautiful
Ocean Beach
. Accredited local in-
structor Mike Neunuebel gives
surfing lessons
( 0401 349 854;
www.southcoastsurfinglessons.com.au
;
2hr lessons incl equipment from $50)
and hires out boards and wetsuits (per hour $20).
To get your bearings, walk the
Mokare Heritage Trail
(a 3km circuit along the Denmark
River) or the
Wilson Inlet Trail
(12km return, starting at the river mouth), which forms part of
the longer
Nornalup Trail
. The
Mt Shadforth Lookout
has fine coastal views, and lush
Mt Shad-
forth Rd
, running from town to the South Coast Hwy west of town, makes a great scenic
drive. A longer pastoral loop is via
Scotsdale Rd
. Attractions include alpaca farms, wineries,
cheese farms, and art-and-craft galleries.