Located within Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park (Western Australia), Hamelin Bay Beach is a beautiful white sand beach with turquoise waters. While there are so many attractive beaches in Australia, what caught my attention to Hamelin Bay Beach is that it’s known for friendly stingrays that swim in shallow waters close to the beach.
Hamelin Bay Beach is one of the many points of interest you’ll pass by if you walk the multi-day ~125km Cape To Cape Track. You can also easily access the beach by driving to the Hamelin Bay Beach Car Park.
Hamelin Bay Beach - Big Stingrays!
So, I went to Hamelin Bay Beach in the morning, and it did not take long before a big stingray appeared and swam towards my legs!
Briefly afterwards, another two more stingrays approached me while I’m in the water!
They were so curious that they even swam to the very shallow parts where I went. These stingrays often brushed past my legs with their slippery pectoral fins, sometimes even colliding (gently) head on. I am not sure how they started behaving this way with humans, but I read somewhere that the local fishermen often feed/throw their leftover baits into the water, hence the stingrays learned to associate easy meals with humans’ presence. While this might be the case, feeding wildlife is always discouraged. So, come over to Hamelin Bay Beach and appreciate the chance to get close with these wild giants, but please refrain from feeding them.
This one looks like it got big scratch marks/scars on its body. While these huge stingrays are considered gentle giants, due to their massive size, their little nudge on your legs might throw you off balance. So stand firm before the ‘impact’, and look after your kids (this stingray encounter is not suitable for kids).
Please remember that these stingrays are wild, and their venomous barbed spines can cause great harm to anyone if their defensive response is triggered. The best practice is to just stand still and let the stingrays come to you and let them do their thing (Even when I did this, a couple times a stingray unintentionally brushed its spiky, barbed spine across my leg, it was ouch!). Make no sudden movement or noise that may scare them.
Don’t do this. Just let the stingrays touch you on their terms, instead of you touching them. P.S. Something approaching from the top is a big danger alert for stingrays, which could immediately trigger their defensive response where they either flee, or stab the threat with its venomous barbed spine.
Boranup Campground
I stayed at the nearby Boranup Campground, a foresty place at the edge of the Boranup karri forest.
It has seven drive-in campsites (booking required) suitable for tents and small campervans. Apart from the neighbor having loud sex, I had a peaceful night’s sleep.
This is my $13 Kmart basic tent. It actually performed quite well (haven’t experienced using this tent in severe weather).
Have this guide helped you? Tag @meowtainpeople in your hiking stories & posts!
*Captain Planet passing by* Remember, please take care of our environment, and please don’t destroy the Nature. Leave no trash behind and take back only photos and memories (and also some trash if you can). Walk on the designated path and stay in the middle as much as you can, so that the exposed soil doesn’t spread/corrode further. BE ONE WITH NATURE *flies away*
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