Port Gregory (Harbour / Foreshore Jetty / North & South Beaches)

Port Gregory is a small fishing village 25 minutes north of Horrocks and 40 minutes south of Kalbarri, sitting between the Hutt River and the inland Hutt Lagoon. A five-kilometre fringing reef runs parallel to the beach and turns the inshore lagoon into a sheltered pocket of clean water that fishes when the open coast is unworkable. Hutt Lagoon — the algal-pink salt lake just inland — is a tourism photo stop, not a fishery. The town is a credible gap-fill between Horrocks and Kalbarri for anglers who want quiet water, the foreshore jetty and a beach launch when the weather plays.

Foreshore jetty: light spin through the day for herring, skippy, garfish and tarwhine, with squid jigs along the pylons after dark. The jetty also sees the occasional tailor and small mulloway through the night with whole mulies. Beach south of the jetty toward the river mouth: walk the gutters at change of light for tailor, salmon in autumn and sand whiting on the rising tide. Beach north of town: longer walks into quieter water for mulloway after dark on whole mulies or live herring. Small-boat work: launch off the firm sand inside the reef line on a calm morning for pink snapper, samson and reef bottom in close, subject to current West Coast demersal rules.

Tailor and salmon through autumn off the beaches. Mulloway from the deeper gutters at night. Herring, skippy, garfish, squid, sand whiting and tarwhine year-round around the jetty and the inside lagoon. Pink snapper and samson from the inshore reef on calm windows, subject to current West Coast demersal rules.

There is no boat ramp — small boats launch off the firm sand inside the reef and a 4WD is sensible. The reef itself shelters the lagoon to the south; further north toward the river mouth the swell wraps in harder. The town fuel and shop hours are limited; restock at Northampton on the way in. Hutt Lagoon is a photo stop and a salt operation, not a fishing spot.

Sealed road from Perth via the Brand Highway and the George Grey Drive turn-off through Northampton, around 5.5 hours. Port Gregory has a foreshore jetty for boats to dock against and beach access along the lagoon, but no formal boat ramp — small boats launch from the beach. The caravan park sits walking distance to the jetty and the beach. Town has a kiosk, basic supplies and limited fuel. Full services including hospital are at Northampton (45 minutes inland) or Geraldton (1.5 hours south). Hutt Lagoon is reached on the sealed coastal road between Port Gregory and Kalbarri.

The five-kilometre fringing reef is the defining feature — it breaks the prevailing south-west swell and leaves the inside lagoon fishable on days that wash out Horrocks and the open mid-coast beaches. Dawn before the seabreeze fills in is the working window. Afternoon south-west sea breezes blow up most summer days. Water clarity in the lagoon is high in stable weather and drops in any blow. Tides run small (under a metre) but enough to fire the bait push at the jetty and the river mouth. The Hutt River mouth is intermittent and rarely the headline.

Port Gregory has no boat ramp and small boats launch off the beach — sand bogs and breaking reef passages have caught visitors out, so check the line on a calm morning before committing. The reef itself is sharp coral and lacerates a careless wader. The open beaches north of the reef line produce strong rip currents in any swell. White sharks have been recorded along this stretch of coast. Mobile coverage drops out beyond the townsite; tell someone where you are fishing. The salt operation around Hutt Lagoon is private land — stay on the public road.

No. Port Gregory has a foreshore jetty for boats to dock against but no formal boat ramp — small boats launch from the firm sand. A 4WD is sensible and the launch line through the reef passage should be checked on a calm morning before committing. The nearest formal ramps are at Horrocks and Kalbarri.

No. Hutt Lagoon is a hypersaline algal salt lake and a working salt operation — the pink colour comes from a carotenoid-producing algae, not a fish-holding water body. It is a tourism photo stop and a private salt lease, not a fishery. The fishing is the ocean side.

Yes. Port Gregory sits in the West Coast Bioregion, so the boat-based recreational demersal closure window to September 2027 applies to pink snapper, dhufish and the wider demersal mixed bag. Verify current DPIRD rules before targeting demersals from the inshore reef or further out.

The fringing reef breaks the prevailing south-west swell and leaves the inside lagoon fishable on days that wash out Horrocks and the open mid-coast beaches. It also concentrates bait inside the reef line, which is why the foreshore jetty and the inside beach fish consistently for the bread-and-butter species.