Gracetown (Cowaramup Bay)

Gracetown is a small surf town wrapped around Cowaramup Bay, half an hour north of Margaret River township. The bay sits between two named headlands — North Point and South Point — both world-class lefts that also fish, with Huzzas and the inner bay reef giving up sand-and-weed water in between. The autumn salmon run intercepts the headlands; the inside bay produces honest bread-and-butter sessions year-round. It's a working surf-and-fish town, not a polished resort one.

From the inside bay beach and boat ramp: small baits and metal slugs for herring, skippy, garfish and snook over the sand-and-weed mix, with squid jigs at dawn and dusk along the reef edges. The North Point and South Point ledges are the autumn salmon and tailor interception spots — 30–40g metals or ganged-hook mulies cast through working schools when the swell allows. Huzzas and the inner reef hold KGW on light paternosters in summer. The boat ramp gives access to deeper water for samson fish and the demersal targets that are currently shut down.

Australian salmon and tailor (Mar–May at the headlands), herring, skippy, garfish and snook year-round in the bay, KGW on the summer reef edges (Sep–Apr), squid year-round with spring and late-summer peaks, samson fish off the points, with the chance of pink snapper and dhufish offshore from the ramp when the closure permits.

The headland ledges are honest rock fishing — slippery, swell-washed, and not a place to fish low in heavy seas. The car parks at North Point and South Point fill with surfers from first light through summer; arrive early or fish the off-peak hours. Buy bait and fuel in Margaret River or Cowaramup before driving in. Pack out everything; the bay is a tight community and cleaning fish on the foreshore isn't welcome.

Sealed road in via Cowaramup Bay Road off Caves Road, with separate signposted car parks for the inside beach and ramp, North Point, and South Point. Public toilets at the foreshore reserve. Inside-bay beach access is short and partial mobility friendly; the headland ledges are not. Limited services in town — a small general store but no fuel and no tackle shop. Closest tackle and fuel are Margaret River (30 minutes) or Cowaramup (15 minutes). The drive from Perth is around 3.5 hours.

Cowaramup Bay is a south-west-facing bight that takes Indian Ocean swell head-on, broken partially by the offshore reefs and the two headlands. The inside bay fishes calmer than the points and works in most conditions; the headland ledges only fish in moderate swell. Easterly dawns hold the clearest water and produce the cleanest sessions. Afternoon SW seabreezes blow up most days October through March. The Leeuwin Current keeps the water mild and pushes the autumn salmon migration past the points on a tight Mar–May window.

South Point was the site of a fatal white shark attack in 2010, and there have been further attacks at the adjacent Cobblestones and Lefthanders breaks within Cowaramup Bay — the south-west has a real white shark population and pretending otherwise helps no one. Headland rocks take swell-wash without warning; never fish low ledges in heavy seas. Ngari Capes Marine Park covers Cowaramup Bay with a recreation zone that allows shore-based fishing only, plus surrounding sanctuary zones — verify boundaries on the DBCA visitor guide before fishing. Mobile coverage is patchy outside the foreshore.

Yes — both headlands have rock ledges that produce salmon and tailor in autumn (Mar–May) and herring and skippy through the year. They're honest rock platforms: slippery, swell-washed and unforgiving. Don't fish low ledges in heavy seas, never turn your back, and grippy footwear is essential. The autumn salmon migration is the headline event.

Yes. South Point was the site of a fatal white shark attack on a surfer in 2010, and Cobblestones and Lefthanders have had further attacks since. The south-west coast has a known white shark population. Most sessions pass without incident but the risk is real; check Sharksmart for current activity, avoid dawn and dusk water entry, and don't fish where you'd be in the water if you slipped.

Cowaramup Bay sits inside a recreation zone that permits shore-based recreational fishing only — no fishing from a boat within the zone. Surrounding waters include sanctuary zones where fishing is prohibited entirely. Check the DBCA Marine Park visitor guide for boundary details before each session.

Around 3.5 hours via the Forrest Highway and Bussell Highway, then in via Caves Road and Cowaramup Bay Road. Long-weekend trips are common; combining Gracetown with Margaret River Mouth and Hamelin Bay covers most of the south-west fish-and-surf coast in a single trip.