Preston Beach is the southern end of Perth's day-trip fishing orbit — 45 minutes past Mandurah, hemmed in between the Indian Ocean and the Yalgorup lakes. It's one of the few WA beaches you can legally drive onto, and the mostly-modest swell means you can usually read the gutters and fish the white water without getting washed up onto your cooler. Salmon in winter, mulloway at night, and a famous local reputation for shovelnose if that's your idea of a good time.

Walk the beach (or drive south/north with deflated tyres) and read the water from a slight elevation — darker gutters between lighter sand banks are the fish highways. Cast metal slugs and poppers into the wash for tailor and autumn runs. Winter salmon come in schools through May–August; spin them with 40–85g slugs. For mulloway, fish the deeper gutters at dusk and into dark with a whole mulie or mullet. A berley trail brings in herring, skippy and garfish for the kids.

Tailor (autumn), Australian salmon (May–Aug, winter schools), mulloway (year-round, night prime), herring and skippy (berley-friendly), sand and yellowfin whiting (summer), garfish, and the local shovelnose shark reputation if that's your thing.

Plan for no shops past 5pm — fuel up and buy bait in Mandurah on the way down. Don't drive on the lake side of the dunes; Yalgorup National Park rules apply. Don't leave fuel cans, glass or rubbish on the beach.

Sealed access road to the main beach car park with free BBQs, public toilets and fresh water on-site. 4WD beach access from the main ramp; sealed path access along the foreshore. Yalgorup National Park borders the beach with day-use facilities. Caravan park in Preston Beach village. No formal beach lighting; head torch essential. Mobile coverage is reasonable in the village, patchier on outer beach sections. The drive from Perth is 1.5–2 hours.

West-facing exposed ocean beach with reasonably modest swell most of the year — the offshore reef and shelf moderate the worst of incoming SW seas. Fishes well in swell up to about 2.5m. Easterly mornings are calmest; afternoon onshore breezes blow up most days. Winter salmon runs (May–Aug) coincide with cleaner-water easterly mornings. Gutters reshape after each significant swell event. Yalgorup lakes inland buffer some weather shifts.

Soft sand on tracks bogs vehicles fast — deflated tyres (18–22 psi) and 4WD recovery line are essential. Yalgorup National Park borders the beach; Lake Clifton and Lake Preston are closed to fishing to protect the thrombolites and habitat. Big swell sets can wash anglers in low gutters. Stingrays cruise the gutters; shuffle if you wade. Mobile coverage is patchier on outer beach sections. Snakes are present in dunes through warmer months.

Yes — Preston Beach is one of the few WA beaches you can legally drive onto. 4WD with deflated tyres (18–22 psi) is needed for soft sand. Stay on the beach proper and don't drive on the dune system or into Yalgorup National Park.

May through August — winter schools rather than the standard autumn pattern of more northern beaches. Fish 40–85g metals or large poppers as schools push past. Easterly mornings with cleaner water produce best.

Yes — main car park has free BBQs, public toilets, fresh water and a caravan park in the village. Limited services beyond that; fuel and bait in Mandurah on the way down. Mobile coverage is patchy on outer beach sections.

No — Lake Clifton and Lake Preston are closed to fishing to protect the thrombolites (living rock formations) and habitat. The ocean beach is open to standard recreational fishing.