Fishing in Fitzgerald River National Park

Bremer Bay
Sleepy little village which has a reputation as an ideal fishing retreat
Located 496 km south east of Perth and 183 km east of Albany, Bremer Bay is a quiet little village which, in a very minor way, is becoming a holiday resort and fisherman's retreat. Its peerless location on some of the most beautiful coastline in Australia, and its isolation from the more developed seaside resorts, has made it one of those places which people speak about in whispers hoping that the hordes never get to find out about the attractions of this tiny settlement. However it is estimated that the permanent population of about 100 people can increase to up to 3000 in the peak season.

The first Europeans to make contact with the area were Matthew Flinders who, in 1802, sailed the Investigator along the coast charting its beaches and rugged cliffs as he went. By the 1820s the whalers and sealers who hunted in the southern ocean knew of Bremer Bay and used it as a stopover point.

In 1841 Edward John Eyre passed through the area having being revitalised at Thistle Cove (near Esperance) after traversing the Nullarbor Plain. Eyre and his Aboriginal companion Wylie made the journey from Thistle Cove to Albany in late June, 1841.

Eyre was critical of the whole area. After nearly dying of thirst on the Nullarbor crossing he was now confronted with almost continuous rain. This probably accounted for his description of Mt Barren in the Fitzgerald River National Park as 'Most properly had it been called Mt Barren, for a more wretched arid looking country never existed than that around it.' It is hard to imagine Eyre making this observation having just crossed the Nullarbor Plain.

In 1849 Bremer Bay was named by the WA Surveyor General John Septimus Roe after the captain of the HMS Tamar, Sir Gordon Bremer.

The first European settler into the area was John Wellstead who arrived in the 1850s and built the two storey stone homestead which still stands near Tooleburrup Hill about 7 km south of Bremer Bay. It is still owned by members of the family and is not open for inspection.

The township (if it can be called that) came into existence with the establishment of telegraph station in 1876. The first operator was Mary Wellstead who was probably the first female telegraphist in the country.

Things to see:  

Fitzgerald River National Park with Bremer Bay on the horizon

Fitzgerald River National Park
Apart from the beautiful beaches and the excellent fishing, the major attraction in the area is Fitzgerald River National Park, a huge 242 739 ha strip of the coastline between Bremer Bay and Hopetoun. It is, by any measure, a superb park with four rivers cutting dramatic gorges, wide sand plains, isolated mountains, rugged cliffs, pebbly beaches and spectacular displays of wildflowers between August and October.

CALM have put out a brochure titled Fitzgerald River and Frank Hann National Parks which provides detailed information on the roads in the park, a useful map, information about camping (there are no facilities), fishing and bushwalking

A very detailed study of the park, A Park in Perspective, has been commissioned by the Fitzgerald River National Park Association and written by Keith Bradby. It provides very detailed information on the geology, geomorphology, climate, vegetation and history of the park.

In the Introduction Bradby sums up the appeal of the park when he writes: 'The park sits astride the incised valleys of four major river systems, which flow south-east to the coast. Dominating the southern section is a low range of rugged quartzite hills known collectively as The Barrens, while the core of the park is an extensive undulating plain...The flora of the park is exceptionally rich and diverse. Although the Park is only 0.2 per cent of Western Australia's land surface, over 20 per cent of Western Australia's plant species occur there. Many of the plant species are endemic to the region, reflecting the tight and varied plant/soil mosaics. Vegetation varies, from woodland on the richer soils through to mallee and mallee heath.

'There are more recorded species of birds, mammals and frogs than in any other reserve in south-west Australia. This is partly a reflection of the park size, but also because of the blending of wet country and dry country species which occur in the park.'

The Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia has an excellent map of Bremer Bay-Hopetoun which, apart from providing a useful description of all the attractions in the area, has detailed information on the tracks and 4WD roads through the Fitzgerald River National Park. It can be obtained from the RAC in Albany or from the head office at 228 Adelaide Terrace, Perth.

	Tourist Information
	Caltex Service Station Gnombup Tce Bremer Bay WA 6338 Telephone: (08) 9837 4093 Facsimile: (08) 9837 4180
	Hotels
	Bremer Bay Hotel Frantom Way Bremer Bay WA 6338 Telephone: (08) 9837 4133 Rating: ***
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Bremer Bay Bed & Breakfast Bremer Bay Rd Bremer Bay WA 6338 Telephone: (08) 9837 4136
	Quaalup Homestead Guesthouse & Nature Park 18km east of Bremer Bay Bremer Bay WA 6338 Telephone: (08) 9837 4124
	Caravan Parks
	Bremer Bay Caravan Park Bremer Bay Rd Bremer Bay WA 6338 Telephone: (08) 9837 4018 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Bremer Bay Hotel Frantom Way Bremer Bay WA 6338 Telephone: (08) 9837 4133