Point Douro Nature Reserve

Point Douro is a significant place for the Elaap tribe who camped on its shores. Overlooking Samphire Bay in the Leschenault Estuary, it also forms part of the Collie River mouth.

Southeast of Point Douro is Bar Island.

In 1959, Reg Blicks purchased a fifty-six-acre block of land at Point Douro and constructed a 30-bay caravan park on the site. He also relocated the old Bunbury Bowling Club rooms to the site.

In 1965, the Bunbury Car Club approached Reg with the view of building a racetrack on the edge of the Collie River, to which he agreed. The track was built by volunteers with the assistance of local businesses. As the site was subject to flooding, racing was held on Sundays on low tides. In the event of a higher-than-normal tide, the meeting shifted to Boyanup.

Reg sold the site in 1969, and the speedway was removed.

The area is now a wetlands reserve within the Kalgulup Regional Park. The vegetation within Point Douro forms part of the ‘Subtropical and Temperate Coastal Saltmarsh’ ecological community, listed as Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Note: the area to the southeast of the point is private property.