Point Peron Walk

As I continue along the shore I come to a fork in the road. If I continue along the beach I will have to contend with the tide and a heap of small boats on the shore. Not even sure if I am allowed to walk that way as it doesn't look very inviting. So I take the path left which links to Point Peron Road. Walking along Point Peron road really isn't the safest as there is no dedicated path and in some spots the vegetation is up to the road. So dodging cars on the road is necessary to make it to the point. Luckily, there aren't many cars so I only have to dive into the bushes a couple of times.

Just after the causeway to Garden Island (which appears to have heavy security, it is a naval base after all) is the Peron Foreshore Park on the right. Finally, I can get off the road. After walking through the car park I reach the beach again. Now this is a beach walk! The beach is completely deserted (no yappy dogs) and the water looks beautiful. There is plenty of sand along this stretch so the tide should never be a problem. Once the beach ends, Point Peron is easily accessed by a path.

There are a number of paths on Point Peron which lead to different lookouts and vantage points. The paths wind their way through the native vegetation and provide some great views of the Indian Ocean, limestone cliffs and rocky outcrops. I even saw a dolphin! Well, the dorsal fin of a dolphin. Thought it was a shark at first but the bobbing movement in and out of the water gave it away. I only had my iPhone, so getting a good picture was impossible.

The majority of the paths at Point Peron proper are flat, but a steeper path can be taken to the summit of Point Peron. Not sure "summit" is really the right word to use, it is only a small hill after all, but the 360 degree views over the Indian Ocean, the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park and Rockingham City are well worth a look. Another point of interest are the eerie World War II ruins including a bunker and I think some sort of gun turret.

Right next to the car park area on the south-west facing shore of the point is an amazing cantilevered lookout. You walk right out over the cliff! The lookout was a little bouncy as I walked over it (it looks well-constructed, but I don't have any civil engineering experience so what would I know) but the spectacular views of the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park soon overcame my fears.

That was enough walking over cliffs and getting attacked by silky terriers for one day so I decided to walk home. Wasn't a big fan of walking along Point Peron Road again so I headed towards Shoalwater Bay beach on the southern shore of Point Peron. I had walked here previously and the smell of rotten seaweed I had endured last time seemed a lot better than dodging cars. Unfortunately, the tide was up and walking along the beach would have definitely soaked by new Fila's. Dodging cars it is then.