Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park

Only minutes from Australind, the Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park has a stunning location between the Indian Ocean and the serene Leschenault Estuary.

Summer is best for ocean activities and in spring the park’s wildflowers are at their best.

Stroll along the sandy beach. It seems to go on forever, with access points at Belvidere or Buffalo beaches. In the water, there’s a whole lot of ocean to discover with swimming and snorkelling the most popular activities. Fishing fans will find excellent spots to cast a line from the beach. Cook up your catch on the provided barbeques.

Behind the dunes, the landscape transforms into a Tuart and peppermint woodland. The Conservation Park includes a plant species of special interest, the Carex pumila, the only recording in Western Australia, and a previously unrecorded species of the family Brassicaceae (Rorippa sp.) (G. Keighery). Take a bush walk or cycle on the Harris Track to uncover this unique flora.

Can you spot a brushtail or ringtail possum? Both these shy, nocturnal creatures call the park home. Birdwatchers will love the Peninsula. More than 60 species of birds have been recorded between the beach and woodland so don’t forget your binoculars!

The Conservation Park also contains one of the largest and healthiest populations of the Yellow Admiral Butterfly.

Camping is available at the Belvidere or The Cut campgrounds.

There are no fees to access the Park for day-use. Camping fees apply.

History

In 1803, Lieutenant de Freycinet on board the ‘Casuarina’ sighted a rocky point, which was part of what is known now as Koombana Bay. On entering the Bay, he discovered an estuary which he named Leschenault after the expedition’s botanist.

Following European Settlement, they mostly used the Leschenault Peninsula for stock grazing. In 1838, Mr Thomas Little purchased 741.4 hectares on the Leschenault Peninsula on behalf of Mr Charles Robert Prinsep, Advocate-General of Bengal. He named the farm Bengal Station and the homestead Belvidere (also known as Belvedere) in honour of the Prinsep mansion in Calcutta, India.

Little managed the property to raise horses and cattle for the Indian Army.

Many of the local residents of Leschenault and Australind were originally from Ireland, so in the late 1860s it also became a place of refuge for escapee John Boyle O’Reilly.

In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, Belvidere became a commune for alternative life-stylers, with up to 14 humpies and houses.

Within the Park, visit the Belvidere Interpretive Walk or the John Boyle O’Reilly Interpretive Walk and Monument to learn more.