Thistle Cove

Located on the southern coast of Cape Le Grand National Park in Western Australia, Thistle Cove is a small white sand beach with many rocky portions.  The beach is positioned between two bulging headlands and has a beautiful backdrop of dunes, coastal vegetation, and rocky outcrops, which together provide incredible views of the vast Pacific Ocean.  A small freshwater stream divides Thistle Cove into two parts that usually flow during heavy rainfall.  In addition, Thistle Cove is home to a number of unique boulders strewn around the bay, shaped into intriguing shapes by wind and water.  Among them is the well-known Whistling Rock, a natural monolith that makes a peculiar sound similar to a whistle, depending on the angle of the wind and your position.  The beach is part of Cape Le Grand National Park, which preserves the fragile ecosystem, including coastal landscapes, woodlands, heathlands, and native biodiversity of the region.

Thistle Cove does not have lifeguards or any other amenities except a picnic table.

Thistle Cove offers many fun activities, including swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling, watching wildlife, surfing, picnicking, bushwalking, and fishing.  If you are planning to go into the water, the beach has a safe swimming area.  Anglers may catch a wide variety of fish here.  The beach offers amazing opportunities for snorkelers and divers to explore the underwater world.  Hikers can enjoy the nearby hiking trails, which offer unique insights into the local biodiversity.  Thistle Cove is ideal for visitors looking for a tranquil beach experience.  Dogs are not allowed here, and it is open from sunrise until sunset.

Thistle Cove does not offer an access path for people with disabilities.

Getting to Thistle Cove is easy - the beach has a parking lot located near Lucky Bay Road, Cape Le Grand, 6450.  After parking, visitors have to walk in a southeast direction for ten minutes to access the beach.  It is important to note that visitors must pay eight dollars per person as an admission fee to access Cape Le Grand National Park.

Thistle Cove was named after John Thistle, the shipmaster of Matthew Flinders, who found a freshwater spring here that nourishes the unique flora and fauna of the region.  In addition, these freshwater sources were also important to Aboriginal people who camped here during seasonal excursions to and from the coast.

There are many attractions near Thistle Cove.   Cape Le Grand National Park covers an area of 31,000 hectares and is home to a wide variety of landscapes, including white sand beaches, bays, inlets, granite headlands, offshore reefs, swamps, and heathland, which together offer a unique insight into the local biodiversity of the region.  Visitors can enjoy many fun activities, including swimming, fishing, boating, bushwalking, camping, watching wildlife, and four-wheel driving.  Frenchman Peak is a 262-meter-high granite peak that can be accessed via a two-kilometer-long moderately challenging hiking trail and offers Instagram-worthy views of Lucky Bay to the east, Thistle Cove to the west, and Wilson Inlet to the north.  Lake Hillier is a unique pink-colored saline lake positioned on the edge of the Middle Island.  The vibrant pink color of the lake is due to the presence of a microorganism called Dunaliella salina and a pink-colored bacteria called Halobacteriaceae.  Visitors can enjoy guided tours from the mainland to explore this natural wonder.   Esperance Museum is a small museum that focuses on preserving and showcasing the maritime history, art, and culture of the region through interesting exhibits, artifacts, photographs, and related memorabilia.  In addition, it hosts many interesting educational programs throughout the year that attract visitors of all age groups.  If you are looking for another nearby attraction, Tanker Jetty is a 415-meter-long jetty where visitors can enjoy many fun activities, including walking, fishing, diving, and photography.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants within a 40-minute drive of Thistle Cove.  Loose Goose Bar & Restaurant is an upscale grillhouse that serves scallops, salads, seafood, steaks, meat, and poultry dishes.  Emperor's Garden Chinese Restaurant serves amazing soups, noodles, fried rice, Chinese curries, scallops, meat, seafood, and poultry dishes.  Fish Face Takeaway and Restaurant serves delicious seafood.  Taylor St. Quarters is a waterfront restaurant that serves amazing salads, pasta, burgers, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, meat, and poultry dishes.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Eljays Restaurant serves burgers, salads, soups, mussels, oysters, steaks, seafood, pork, meat, and poultry dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Thistle Cove, there are many great options nearby.  If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 4-Star RAC Esperance Holiday Park is 47 minutes away by car and offers many amenities including an outdoor pool, a garden, a restaurant, and a barbecue grill facility.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star The Jetty Resort, which has many amenities, including an outdoor pool, a kid’s playground, a barbecue grill facility, and a whirlpool tub.  Another moderately priced option is the 3-Star Archipelago Apartments Esperance, which has a few amenities including an outdoor pool and a restaurant.  A more reasonably priced option is the 3-Star Hospitality Esperance, which offers several amenities including an outdoor pool,a barbecue grill facility, a lounge, and a restaurant.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Comfort Inn Bay of Isles offers several amenities including an outdoor pool, a terrace with sun loungers, and a restaurant.