Wharton Beach

Located in the Duke of Orleans Bay on the southern coast of Cape Le Grand National Park in Western Australia, Wharton Beach is a four and a half-kilometer long and wide crescent-shaped white sand beach with many rocky portions.  It is considered one of the best surfing spots in the Esperance region.   The beach is tucked between the spur of Cheyne Point and the lower slopes of Mount Belches along the shores of Wharton Bay and has a beautiful backdrop of dunes and coastal vegetation, which together provide incredible views of Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve and the Pacific Ocean.   During heavy rain, two freshwater streams form shallow lagoons in the deflation basins.  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.

Wharton Beach does not have lifeguards or any other amenities, so plan your trip accordingly.

Wharton Beach offers many fun activities, including swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling, watching wildlife, surfing, picnicking, driving, and bushwalking.  If you are planning to go into the water, it is a naturally sheltered bay, making it a perfect spot for swimming.  The beach offers amazing opportunities for snorkelers and divers to explore the underwater world.    If you enjoy surfing, the frequent windy Wharton Beach weather makes the center and western end of the beach perfect surfing spots, whereas the eastern end of the beach tends to have fairly strong rip currents, so we recommend exercising caution.  Hikers can enjoy the nearby hiking trails, which offer unique insights into the local biodiversity.  Depending on the time of year, visitors may spot pods of dolphins near the beach.  If you enjoy camping at Wharton Beach, you may book a campsite at the nearby Duke of Orleans Bay Caravan Park.   Wharton Beach is a popular beach frequented by locals as well as tourists throughout the year.  This dog-friendly beach is open from sunrise until sunset.

Wharton Beach does not offer an access path for people with disabilities.

Getting to Wharton Beach is easy - the beach is located at the end of Wharton Road, Condingup, Cape Le Grand, 6450.  Visitors can conveniently park their vehicles directly on 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.

The Wudjari community were the traditional owners of the region and made a great contribution to preserving the flora and fauna of Cape Le Grand National Park.

There are many attractions near Wharton Beach.   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 Wharton Beach.  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 Wharton Beach, there are many great options nearby.  If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 4-Star RAC Esperance Holiday Park is one hour and two 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.