Middleton Beach (Albany)

Middleton Beach — Binalup in Noongar — is Albany's town beach, and it manages to be both the place families go swimming and a legitimate piece of fishing water. It runs along King George Sound with the Ellen Cove jetty anchoring the southern end, and a second car park giving onto a track down to rock fishing. That combination is unusual: a jetty with lights for evening squid, a sand beach for the autumn salmon run, and a rock section for salmon, skippy and King George whiting, all within a couple of kilometres of a café. It is the entry point to Albany fishing for anyone not ready for the south-facing coast.

The jetty at Ellen Cove is the easy option — drop small baits under a float for herring and garfish, or work squid jigs around the lights after dark. On the beach, watch for salmon schools from February through April and meet them with metals or ganged mulies when they push into the shallows. The rock section reached from the second car park fishes best for salmon, skippy, herring and King George whiting, cast into the wash and worked back. Read the wind before choosing: this beach is fishable in conditions that shut down the open coast, but not in everything.

Australian salmon are the seasonal headline from February through April, caught off both the beach and the rocks. Herring, skippy and southern calamari are the year-round backbone, with squid particularly good under the jetty lights. King George whiting come off the rock section and the sand and weed margins through spring and summer. Sand whiting appear over the clean sand in the warmer months, and tailor turn up occasionally rather than reliably.

Fish the jetty lights after dark for squid — it is the single most reliable session on this beach and needs almost no gear. For salmon, watch for diving birds and dark patches in the water rather than blind-casting the length of the beach; the schools move and finding them matters more than technique. The second car park and the rock track are worth the extra walk when the beach is busy with swimmers. Albany weather turns fast — check the forecast, then check it again.

Sealed parking, a shared path along the foreshore, cafés and toilets make this the easiest fishing access in Albany after Emu Point. The Ellen Cove jetty at the southern end is a short flat walk from parking and is the most mobility-friendly fishing position on the beach. A second car park further along gives onto a track down to the rock fishing section — that walk is uneven and unsuitable for limited mobility. The beach is patrolled in season, and the caravan park and accommodation directly behind make it a practical base for a fishing trip.

East-facing into King George Sound, which shelters it from the prevailing southerly and south-westerly swell that batters the open coast — this is the beach that stays fishable when Salmon Holes and the south coast are out. Strong easterlies are the condition that spoils it. Clarity is generally good. The salmon run in autumn is the event that dictates the calendar, and the schools work close to the sand when they arrive. Low light at either end of the day fishes best across all species, and the jetty lights extend the evening well past dark.

The rock section off the second car park is a different proposition to the sand. Wet granite is slippery, the wash reaches further up than it looks, and the south-coast rule holds — never turn your back on the water. Swimmers and anglers share the beach in season, so keep casts well clear of flagged areas. The jetty gets slippery when wet and is busy at night. Albany's weather changes quickly and a comfortable easterly morning can become an unpleasant afternoon.

February through April, caught off both the sand and the rock section reached from the second car park. Watch for diving birds and dark patches in the water rather than casting blind — finding the school matters far more than the lure you throw at it. Australian salmon have a 300mm minimum size and a bag limit of 4.

Yes, and it is the easiest fishing on this beach. Small baits under a float take herring and garfish, and the jetty lights make it a genuinely good spot for southern calamari after dark. It is a short flat walk from sealed parking, which makes it the most accessible fishing position at Middleton Beach.

Yes, more so than most of the Albany coast. The beach faces east into King George Sound, so it is sheltered from the southerly and south-westerly swell that shuts down the open south-facing coast in winter. Strong easterlies are the wind that spoils it. Squid and herring carry the colder months.

The sand and the Ellen Cove jetty are — it is a patrolled town beach in season with cafés, toilets and sealed parking. The rock section from the second car park is not a family proposition: wet granite, unpredictable wash and the usual south-coast risks. Keep casts clear of flagged swimming areas.