Point Picquet

Meet the site

Point Picquet is one of the granite headlands of Meelup Regional Park, which protects 11.5 km of coastline between Dunsborough and Bunker Bay. Wikipedia notes its whale-viewing platform and lists it with Rocky Point and Castle Bay as places where winter surfing is possible during strong swells. A regional holiday guide describes it as a sheltered bay within Geographe Bay with coral gardens, colourful fish, octopus and occasional dolphins, suitable for all ages.

In calm conditions the point's granite boulders and the small bays beside it provide easy snorkelling in a few metres of water, similar in character to Castle Rock nearby: boulders with weed and sponges, seagrass patches, wrasse, blue devils and bream, with octopus in the cracks. From the platform above, whales can be seen in Geographe Bay during their spring migration.

It suits families and beginners on calm summer days, and scuba divers wanting a short, shallow shore dive. Because it is a surf break in winter, conditions vary sharply with swell, so check from the platform before entering.

The HMAS Swan wreck lies offshore to the north, roughly between here and Eagle Bay.

Geographe Bay faces north, so Cape Naturaliste blocks most of the prevailing south-westerly swell and sea breeze that close the ocean coast; that shelter and the warm Leeuwin Current make the Dunsborough shoreline one of the most reliably diveable stretches of the South West, and winter north-westerly storms are the main thing that shuts it down. Toilets and picnic facilities are at Meelup Beach nearby.

What you might see

Western king wrasse, western blue devil, buffalo bream, octopus, corals on granite, seagrass fauna, dolphins and whales (seasonal) offshore

Location

Granite headland in Meelup Regional Park between Castle Bay and Eagle Bay, with a whale-viewing platform; a winter surf break in big swells and a sheltered snorkel in calm conditions.

Facilities nearby

Car park and whale-viewing platform; toilets at Meelup Beach.