Windy Harbour (Salmon Beach / Point D'Entrecasteaux)

Windy Harbour is the shack settlement at the end of the road south of Northcliffe — around 219 leasehold cottages inside D'Entrecasteaux National Park, about 4.5 hours from Perth, on a stretch of Southern Ocean coast that otherwise demands a 4WD. The name is a weather report, not a metaphor. Fishing is the town's founding tradition: herring, King George whiting and skippy year-round, with salmon and tailor when the autumn migration sweeps the coast — Salmon Beach, west of the settlement under its 100m cliffs, is named for exactly that. The sheltered channel by the boat ramp means there's dependable fishing here even when the ocean is doing its best to cancel the trip.

Two modes, chosen by the weather. When the swell allows, work Salmon Beach and the settlement beaches with surf gear — ganged mulies or metals into the gutters for salmon and tailor during the run, and lighter baits in the closer water for herring and whiting. When the wind and swell are up — which is often — retreat to the channel near the boat ramp, the settlement's safe, sheltered rock fishing, and fish light for herring, skippy and King George whiting. Mornings are the calmer half of the day almost year-round; plan the exposed-beach session early and keep the channel as the afternoon fallback. The cliffs at Point D'Entrecasteaux are for photographs, not fishing.

Herring, King George whiting and skippy all year round, and salmon and tailor when they're migrating — the Northcliffe locals' summary, and accurate. The autumn salmon run is the event: schools working west along the coast push onto Salmon Beach and the open sand, with tailor mixed through the same water. KG whiting are the quality catch in the channel and the sheltered corners, herring make up the numbers everywhere, and snapper belong to the boats working outside. It's a shorter species list than the west coast — the Southern Ocean curates ruthlessly.

Check the swell forecast before committing to the exposed beaches, and have the channel as plan B rather than pushing a marginal session on open sand — this coast punishes optimism. The general store covers basics but the nearest fuel is Northcliffe, twenty minutes back up the road, so arrive with a full tank. Reception is poor; download offline maps and tell someone your plans. In salmon season the beach fishes best where you can see bait or birds working — the water is clear enough to spot schools from the high ground before walking down.

The road in is sealed the whole way — Northcliffe to the settlement, and on along D'Entrecasteaux Drive to Salmon Beach, Tookalup and the Point D'Entrecasteaux lookouts — which makes this one of the few 2WD-accessible pieces of coast in the entire national park. The campground at the settlement takes caravans and tents with powered sites, a campers' kitchen, hot showers and laundry — the only spot in the park with caravan facilities. There's a small general store for basics, no fuel, and poor phone signal. Northcliffe is about 20–30 minutes north; Pemberton under an hour. Check DBCA's Explore Parks page for current park fees and track conditions before the trip.

The name earns itself — this coast is exposed to Southern Ocean swell and strong wind year-round, and winter is the worst of it. Mornings offer the calmer window; afternoons typically deteriorate into powerful waves and working whitecaps. The channel by the boat ramp stays fishable in most conditions, which is why it anchors the town's fishing. Salmon season wants clean autumn days with moderate swell — enough movement to push bait, not so much that the beach becomes shore-break. Watch the forecast the way locals do: obsessively.

This is one of the most dangerous stretches of coast in the state to fish carelessly: king waves, tidal surges and cliff collapses are all documented along the D'Entrecasteaux coast, lives have been lost here, and WA's south coast has recorded around 40 rock-fishing deaths since 2004. Stay off the Point D'Entrecasteaux cliff edges and the exposed rock ledges entirely — fish the beaches and the sheltered boat-ramp channel instead, and never turn your back on the ocean even on the sand. Remoteness compounds everything: poor phone signal, no fuel, and help a long way off. A life jacket on any rock platform is cheap insurance.

Late summer through autumn, with March to May the prime window on Salmon Beach — the beach west of the settlement literally named for the run. Schools migrate along the south coast to and from the Great Australian Bight each autumn, and tailor travel the same corridor. Clear water and high ground make spotting schools before casting part of the local technique.

The channel near the boat ramp is the settlement's sheltered option — safe rock fishing in most conditions, producing herring, skippy and King George whiting year-round. It's the reason Windy Harbour fishes even when the name is delivering. The exposed beaches and the Point D'Entrecasteaux cliffs should be left alone in any serious swell.

Yes — the road from Northcliffe is sealed all the way to the settlement, and D'Entrecasteaux Drive continues sealed to Salmon Beach, Tookalup and the Point D'Entrecasteaux lookouts. It's one of the only pieces of this national park's coast a conventional car can reach; the surrounding tracks are 4WD-only.

There's a small general store for basics but no fuel — the nearest petrol is Northcliffe, about 20 minutes north, so arrive with a full tank. Phone reception is poor throughout the area; download offline maps before leaving Northcliffe and let someone know your plans, especially for solo sessions.

No — treat the cliffs and exposed ledges as off-limits for fishing. King waves, tidal surges and cliff collapses are documented along this coast, lives have been lost, and WA's south coast has recorded around 40 rock-fishing deaths since 2004. Fish the beaches and the sheltered boat-ramp channel instead; the fishing there is good enough that the cliffs aren't worth it.