Lighthouse Bay (Vlamingh Head Lighthouse / Surfers Beach / Limestone Platforms)

Lighthouse Bay sits at the very tip of North West Cape, around 17km north of Exmouth on sealed road, beneath the 1912 Vlamingh Head Lighthouse on the headland above. This is the land-based pelagic fishery of the broader Exmouth operation — limestone cliff platforms, rocky points and the reef-edged Surfers Beach below the lighthouse — where you can stand on the rocks and cast into water deep enough to hold mackerel, trevally and the occasional inshore tuna bust-up. Where the parent Exmouth entry covers the whole cape, Lighthouse Bay is specifically the rock-and-ledge land-based option for anglers without a boat.

Limestone platforms below the lighthouse: heavy spin or 24kg overhead with float-rigged garfish on a wire trace for Spanish mackerel, ballooned out into the deeper water on an offshore breeze. Stickbaits and poppers on PE5–PE8 spin for GTs and queenfish working the wash. Surfers Beach end (adjacent to but outside the Lighthouse Bay Sanctuary Zone, where shore fishing is permitted): metals and stickbaits into the reef edge for queenfish, trevally, mackerel and the occasional longtail when bust-ups push inshore. Garfish on a float and squid jigs over the weed for the table. Always check the sanctuary zone boundary before each session — Dunes Surf Beach and parts of Surfers Beach allow shore fishing but the adjacent sanctuary zone does not.

Spanish mackerel, GTs, queenfish, samson, longtail tuna on inshore bust-ups, cobia, southern calamari over the weed, garfish on the float, plus rare mulloway from the deeper ledges at night.

Wear lugged rock boots with a leash — wet limestone over deep water is unforgiving. Carry a long-handled gaff or a rope-rigged drop gaff; you cannot lift a hooked mackerel up a 4m cliff with a short gaff. Sharks tax fish savagely off the cliffs — land them fast or accept feeding the locals. Daylight launches and exits only; the access track is rough in the dark.

Sealed road from Exmouth via Murat Road and Yardie Creek Road past the Bundegi turn-off, around 17km from town. Sealed carpark and toilets at the lighthouse observation outpost; the lighthouse itself is closed but interpretive plaques are accessible. Walking tracks from the carpark drop down to Surfers Beach and the limestone fishing platforms. From Perth the drive is around 13.5 hours via the North West Coastal Highway and Minilya–Exmouth Road. No fuel, food or water on site — load up in town.

Lighthouse Bay catches both sides of the cape weather and is one of the few spots that can be fished in most wind directions, though comfort varies. Morning easterlies offer the cleanest water on the cliffs. Indian Ocean swell wraps around the headland and the platforms get washed in big sets — seasonal swell from June to September is the highest-risk window. Tidal range is around 2m. Cyclone season runs November to April.

Limestone cliffs over deep water — never fish alone, watch sets, and a life jacket is non-negotiable. The Lighthouse Bay Sanctuary Zone sits adjacent to the platforms and shore-based fishing is permitted only outside the sanctuary boundary; fines start at $5,000. Sharks are common around hooked fish and bleeding bait. Sun exposure is severe; the cliffs offer no shade. Cyclone season needs flexible planning.

Some of the limestone platforms below the lighthouse are fishable from outside the Lighthouse Bay Sanctuary Zone, but the boundaries are not intuitive from the rocks. Shore-based fishing is permitted on Dunes Surf Beach and parts of Surfers Beach adjacent to the sanctuary zone, but the sanctuary itself is closed to all extractive activity. Pre-load the Marine Parks WA app and confirm your spot before casting.

No. The 1912 lighthouse is closed to the public — the structure is heritage-listed and there is an observation outpost with interpretive plaques at the carpark instead. The site is for access to the headland walking tracks, the lookout and the fishing platforms below, not the tower itself.

Spanish mackerel are the headline species September through April on float-rigged garfish from the deeper platforms. GTs and queenfish work the wash year-round on stickbaits and poppers. Longtail tuna show on inshore bust-ups in the warm-water window and you can occasionally cast into a school from the rocks. Sailfish and marlin pass within sight but are not realistic land-based targets.

Tantabiddi is the trailer-boat ramp into Ningaloo lagoon and the outer reef. Lighthouse Bay is the land-based cliff and beach fishery for anglers without a boat — same headland, same general fish, completely different access. Many trips combine both: boat days from Tantabiddi, shore sessions from the lighthouse on windy days when launching is off the cards.