Hardy Inlet

Head to the tranquil water playground of Augusta’s Hardy Inlet, on the south-west tip of Western Australia, a top beauty spot for a walk, swim, kayak, cruise, fish or a relaxing picnic. The inlet, where the Blackwood and Scott rivers converge, is a three-and-a-half-hour drive south of Perth, or an hour south of Busselton (a 50-minute flight from Perth). One of the world’s most scenic coastal walk trails, the Cape to Cape Track, will also get you here. Starting at Cape Naturaliste near Dunsborough, this epic 135-kilometre walking adventure leads you through the region’s diverse coastal landscapes to nearby Cape Leeuwin. Enjoy a leisurely cruise or kayak up the Blackwood and Scott Rivers. Pick from a host of picturesque fishing spots, or drop a line from your boat for mulloway, herring, black bream, tarwhine, skippy, tailor and whiting. There are even designated areas where you can water ski or wakeboard. Explore the foreshore on the boardwalk and spot native fauna and flora, including an array of migratory waders (November to March) and blankets of spring wildflowers. Or venture to nearby Flinders Bay to watch humpback and southern right whales make a rest stop before their migration north (June to September).