Cape Le Grand to Wylie Bay
12 km
distance
2h
Contour time
5.0
avg score
Unsealed
surface
Scenery
Western Australia
Cape Le Grand National Park is 50km east of Esperance - the spectacular coast that made Esperance famous as a tourist...
Road quality
5.0 RQS
Every segment scored on 40+ data signals.
Accessibility
Fully sealed
Best in 4WD. Peak season: Year-round.
7-day forecast
Maximum difficulty beach driving requiring proper tyre deflation and tidal awareness. The difficulty reflects the sandy surface and the consequence of becoming stuck in a remote coastal location. Well-prepared 4WD with deflated tyres handles the drive in normal conditions. The scenery makes this one of the best coastal drives in Australia.
Scored 5.0/10 by Contour's road quality algorithm across curviness, surface, elevation and traffic. Best suited for 4wd drivers.
The road
The coastal 4WD route between Cape Le Grand National Park and Wylie Bay near Esperance is one of the most visually spectacular beach drives in Australia. The route passes Lucky Bay - consistently rated in the top five beaches in Australia, with water so clear the kangaroos that rest on the sand are often photographed against a backdrop of turquoise that looks digitally enhanced but is entirely real. The beach drive connects a series of granite headlands with white quartz sand beaches, passing between the cape's massive rounded granite boulders and the Southern Ocean. The driving is technical due to the sand surface and tidal considerations but the objective reward is extraordinary.
The coastal 4WD route between Cape Le Grand National Park and Wylie Bay near Esperance is one of the most visually spectacular beach drives in Australia.
Why this road
The region
Cape Le Grand National Park is 50km east of Esperance - the spectacular coast that made Esperance famous as a tourist destination. The park protects a stretch of granite headlands, rounded by millions of years of wave action into smooth dome-shaped formations. The vegetation behind the beach is kwongan heath - one of the world's most biodiverse shrubland ecosystems, with hundreds of flowering species. Wylie Bay is named for explorer Wylie, an Aboriginal guide from the Eucla region who accompanied Edward John Eyre on his 1840-41 traverse of the Nullarbor.
Before you go
Fuel in Esperance. Deflate tyres to 20psi before beach driving. Check tides carefully - the beach sections can be compromised at high tide near the headland pinch points. NPWS park pass required. No camping on the beach - stay at the designated sites in the park. Lucky Bay kangaroos are habituated to people - give them space.
See a routing error?
Flag itWorth stopping for
Lucky Bay
The most photographed beach in WA - the resident kangaroos resting on the white sand with the turquoise water are extraordinary. Allow time to swim here.
Esperance town
The small coastal city 50km west has an excellent waterfront, the Great Ocean Drive coastal road and the Pink Lake (formerly so, the colour has faded with changing water chemistry).
Route
Start
Cape Le Grand NP, Esperance
End
Wylie Bay, Esperance
Gallery
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