Augusta; a unique coastal town in the South West

Augusta is a small coastal town in the south west of WA. It is right on the corner of where the Southern Ocean meets with the Indian Ocean. It is popular for fishing, boating, surfing, snorkeling, catching blue manna crabs, relaxing and enjoying the scenery.

It is very close to Margaret River and Hamelin Bay, giving the average tourist plenty to see and do.

How do I get to Augusta?

From Perth, Augusta is 310km away, and takes approximately 3.5 hours to get to. The best path from Perth is to drive down the Kwinana Freeway (which turns into the Forrest freeway), through Bunbury and along the Bussel Highway, all the way to Augusta.

Hardy Inlet

Augusta has an inlet which runs up to Molloy Island, and eventually connects to the Blackwood River (running inland for quite some distance). The inlet is very popular for fishing, bird watching and dolphin spotting. It often has plenty of Blue Manna crabs to feast on, providing you can catch them!

Molloy Island

Molloy Island is a small island that is accessible from Fisher road, some 15km from Augusta. It is only accessible by a raft, which runs every day of the year and can carry 4 vehicles at a time.

Amenities in Augusta

Augusta has most of what you need; a laundry matt, bakery, IGA (food/general store), a fishing/camping/outdoors store, BankWest, fish and chips, a few café’s, news agency, hospital, vet and a number of local wineries.

Accommodation at Augusta

Augusta has a wide range of accommodation options. The cheapest would be the Caravan Parks, where you can get unpowered (and powered) sites, chalets and caravans. There are plenty of holiday homes (starting at around $90 per night), cottages, a motel and hostel.

Augusta Caravan Parks

There are a few running Caravan Parks in Augusta – Turner Caravan park, Molloy Island Caravan Park, Westbay Retreat Caravan Park and Flinders Bay Caravan Park.

Things to do in Augusta

One of the first things to do in Augusta would be to get down to the Visitors Center. This has all of the local knowledge, and the people who run it are very helpful. To start though, there are plenty of options:

Water Wheel: This is a short drive out of town, and was constructed from rocks and used to provide water

Lighthouse: The Augusta Lighthouse is very popular, and has some great views.

Scenic Drive: There is a scenic drive on the way out to Flinders Bay. If you have a 2WD vehicle, check the corrugations before you commit to it; even our Land Cruiser got quite the shake up!

Flinders Bay: Flinders Bay is just a short drive out of town and has plenty of History.

Molloy Island: Molloy Island is very popular. There is a small fee to get across to the Island.

Blackwood River: The Blackwood River goes inland from Augusta. A great place to check it out is at Alexandra Bridge.

Visit the wineries: The whole south west is full of wineries. If you are after a good meal, wine tasting or just a look at the incredible gardens, pick a couple out!

Cultural Center and Museum: These can be found in the middle of town, and are worth a look

Walks: There are plenty of walks in Augusta. Some go along the Blackwood River, and others just along the estuary.

Margaret River: Chances are you drive through Margaret River to get to Augusta. This is a great town with some of the best surf in the world.

Caves: The Margaret River region has a number of caves that you can explore. The closest one to Augusta is Jewel Cave, and is well worth a look

Hamelin Bay: This is well worth a look, and it’s only a short drive

Augusta Lookout: This is only a short drive too, with views over the whole of Augusta. It’s worth a look

Augusta Bakery: I feel the need to mention the bakery at Augusta. Every time I drove past it the car park was bustling, and for good reason. The bakery has a great reputation, and for good reason. Get anything you want from there, and I guarantee you will be impressed. They bake daily, and they bake well!

Augusta Fishing

The fishing in Augusta is well known. A lot of dinghies are used for fishing in the inlet, and plenty of crabs, whiting, skippy, herring, tailor and pink snapper are caught. If you have a bigger boat, you can head out into the ocean and aim for a bigger feed!

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