Carrarang Station
UPDATE: It would appear that camping at Carrarang Station has come to its end. No new bookings are being permitted.
I’m told this is a management decision from Mitsui and Shark Bay Salt. I’m really saddened by this decision; the coastline there is truly magic and I believe with a decent management plan it could and should have been left open.
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If remote camping on a station with some of the best access to the WA coast peaks your interest, this post is for you. Yep, we are talking about Carrarang Station. If you haven’t heard of it before, we don’t blame you. Up until now, its been a rather well kept secret, unlike Tamala Station, which is significantly more publicised.
Where is Carrarang Station?
Carrarang Station is located south of Denham, and about 75km from Steep Point. It’s about 30km past Tamala Station, along the Useless Loop road. The map below covers the important locations in the area.
Why haven’t you heard of it before?
Everyone talks about Steep Point, and for good reason. It is truly phenominal. If you’ve done a bit of digging you probably would have found out about Tamala Station too, but Carrarang has flown under the radar for many years.
The station is primarily used as pastoral land, and although camping has been available, it hasn’t been widely publicised.
It’s not set up for thousands of tourists to flock to every year – you don’t get a map, you might not even meet the owners and there isn’t any real instructions. Really though, who cares; it makes the place even better!
What’s at Carrarang Station?
Carrarang owns the land on one of the peninsula’s, which is bordered on three sides by the Frecinet Estuary. The land is your typical coastal scrub, with tracks that lead throughout the station, from beach to beach. There are spectacular beaches, rocky outcrops and plenty of places to camp.
The homestead is on your way in, and there are numerous sheds around the place to help with their goat farming. Asides from this, there really isn’t much else at Carrarang, and that’s what makes it so attractive to so many people.
Where can you camp?
When you book in at Carrarang station, you are given a beach to yourselves. Yep, you read that correctly – you aren’t given a camp site number, or a set area to camp.
You are literally given an entire beach, and you can camp where you want. Looking to go camping with 20 of your mates and family? No worries at all – you will have plenty of space and privacy in some of the best camping locations you will ever see in your life.
We were given East Landing, which is probably about 100 metres wide. If we climbed up the dune behind where we camped you could see campers a couple of hundred metres away north and south, but you’d never know they were there otherwise.
Getting to Steep Point
Access to Steep Point from Carrarang Station is very easy; you just head out to the Useless Loop road, and head north west. From the homestead, it takes about 2 hours to get to Steep Point, including time to stop after the turn off to deflate your tyres.
The main gravel road is kept in great condition, and majority of the track into Steep Point is good, except for the real sandy parts of the track. These have the worst bumps from side to side and up and down that I’ve ever been on. Luckily, they are only short sections, and mainly when you are going up and down the little dunes.
Once you make it onto the beach near Steep point its easy going.
Tyre pressures
We let our tyres down to 25 – 30 PSI once we hit the gravel road heading towards Carrarang. Around the station we kept similar pressures, unless we had to drive on the beach, and then we let them down to 15 – 20 PSI.
On the way to Steep Point we let them down to about 12 PSI to take it very slowly over the really rough sections, and given I was towing a boat it made it much more comfortable. The off road boat trailer tyres were down at 5 PSI!
What are the roads in the station like?
Carrarang Station has a heap of little tracks everywhere. The main ones that get used on a regular basis are in fantastic condition; we were extremely surprised and very pleased. The smaller tracks are a bit rougher, with some sections that you have to slow down substantially over, but none of them were difficult or nasty tracks.
Can I bring a boat, caravan or camper trailer in?
We saw Caravans, camper trailers, 4WD trucks and a variety of boats at Carrarang station. The main gravel road up until Carrarang is pretty good – anything that is reasonably robust would be fine. The tracks in the station are not all that wide in some sections, so you’d want to be careful where you drove if you had a wide trailer.
Launching your boat is a piece of cake on most of the beaches, as long as you are used to beach launching.
What does it cost?
Carrarang station is $5 per person, per night and kids are free. Whilst you might not get any amenities to use, its fantastic value for money given the places you can camp!
How do I book?
You can book your stay at Carrarang station by phoning Lorraine and Tony at 08 9948 3997 or emailing carrarang.station@bigpond.com.
When you arrive at the station, either pay your money directly at the homestead, or put it in the slotted pole between the homestead and the shed (you won’t miss it).
What’s bad about Carrarang Station?
Really, there’s not much we can complain about Carrarang station. It’s a stunning place, but it wouldn’t be suited to everyone. You need to be 100% self sufficient, remember the beaches are quite shelly in places, take your time and hope for good weather!
Can you have camp fires?
In season, providing you are sensible with your fires, you are permitted to have them. Tony and Lorraine ask that you keep them small, don’t leave them burning and just use your common sense!
Fishing at Carrarang Station
We did reasonably well fishing at Carrarang station. Not as well as we’d hoped for, but not too bad considering we had never been there before. Of the beach we ended up with a number of sharks, whiting, trevally and a few other bits and pieces.
We fished a lot out in the boat, aiming mainly for Pink snapper, and despite catching stacks of little ones, we never managed to get any that were sized. We did catch a number of emperors, and little mackeral trawling, along with plenty of little sharks.
Fishing rules you need to know
In the Frecinet Estuary region, you are only allowed 5kg of fillets in your possession, per person (normally 20kg). This is a result of managing the regions sustainability. What does make life a bit difficult is that if you bring fish from another region into the Frecinet Estuary area, you must have under 5kg.
Essentially this means if you have done well at Steep Point, you aren’t able to call in at Carrarang or Tamala station on your way home, as you’d be over the 5kg limit.
The other thing you need to know is the Pink snapper tag system has been abolished, and there is no maximum size on Pink snapper anymore.
Our review of Carrarang Station
There’s something really special about Carrarang Station. Waking up to a glassy calm beach, metres away from the water with no one for miles around you is incredible. With the boat ready to go in the water, a fire crackling away and your mates having a laugh, you can’t go wrong.
If you are looking for a peaceful getaway, Carrarang Station has you covered.
Would we go again?
We only made it to Steep Point for one day. If Carrarang Station is special, Steep Point is off the scale. We were totally blown away by the size of Steep point, the beautiful beaches, magnificent diving and fishing and the overall feel. We would most certainly head back to Carrarang Station, but Steep Point would be the priority next time.
There’s less driving, better fishing, easier access to fantastic spots and as a group, we all enjoyed Steep Point more. That said, Carrarang Station is magic, and we will most definitely be back.
What else would you like to know?
If there’s anything we’ve missed, or you would like to know, please leave a comment below and we will answer as best we can.
How many of you have been to Carrarang? What did you think of it? How does it compare to Tamala station?
Hi Desmond,
Unfortunately, as far as I’m aware, its been shut for many years, and will not be opening any time soon.
Steep Point is easily as good though; the camping at Shelter Bay is magic.
All the best
Aaron
Hi all,
Does anyone know if camping at Carrarang is still a thing in 2022?
Pretty keen to take my young bloke up there.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Hey Chris,
Really sorry to hear that mate. It certainly sucks.
All the best
Aaron
We love Carrarang & mother’s ash’s are scattered of the small island out from Anna bay. Pity but typical that a mining company can simply just bar access to the coast without any consultation. Should be illegal & would be in any other state. No more camping & visiting old mum anymore…..bastards.
Hi Craig,
There’s a bit more to it than that, but people should take more care of the access they have
All the best
Aaron
The station was closed because of a few F…sticks that did the wrong thing whilst camping there and also because of FB and sites like this, too many people found about about it and bombed it out. Well done, a lost paradise…
What a shame. Such a beautiful place. I wonder if they were upset about him allowing people to camp there.
Not good, but thanks for the update
Aaron
The latest I’ve heard is Carrarang station has been closed off (physically by a fence) and no one is permitted on the property and Tony will be leaving in March 2019. The Salt mine next door owns the land and access is only allowed by the mine workers. Such a shame..
Hey Ryan,
Yep, I did hear this a little while ago, and have been waiting for an official response regarding the situation.
Cheers
Hi Sharon,
It is possible Carrarang has been closed. I’m still waiting for confirmation from them. I don’t know about dogs and Tamala; you’d have to ring them and ask. I dearly hope Carrarang is still open though
Aaron
Check with Tony before you go because I’ve heard he is closing down Carrarang to visitors this year. Apparently he is going to uphold current bookings already made but will not take any one else and if anyone else is caught on the station without a booking will be charged with trespassing.
You might want to check with Tony before you venture to Carrarang station. My dad and I have been doing an annual trip there for the last 4 years but I heard the other day through the grape vine that Tony is shutting down Carrarang to visitors. I cant say more and I don’t know reasons why but this is just what I’ve heard through relatives who know him well. Good luck trying to get in contact with him..
Hi there!
We are looking to go to Carrarang station in September 2018. I have just emailed them using the address you have listed, so thank you for that!
I did read on Facebook, so an unreliable source but thought you might know.. that carrarang station has been closed to tourism.. would be devastated if that was the case. We went to Tamala last year and loved it but would love to go further off the grid.
We have a well behaved, old dog that loves to camp with us. Assuming it’s ok to take him like at Tamala? We do a lot of remote beach camping all over WA so understand the bates and other nasty stuff that you have to be aware of for this safety.
Look forward to hearing from you and thank you in anticipation.
Many thanks
Sharon, Kris & Buddy
Hey Alistair,
It depends on the conditions. You should be able to get to Steep Point from Carrarang in about 1.5 hours. In a boat, you’d be better leaving from Denham – its shorter than from Carrarang
Aaron
Hi,
Great write up and good information. We are seriously considering a trip here and wondering the time it will take to drive from the station to steep point along the 4wd track or otherwise how long it would take to drive a 5.5m tinnie from the station to the nearest part of dirk hartog.
Cheers
Hey Nath,
Thanks a lot for the comment, and perspective. I’ve always heard great things about Tamala, and you confirm it. Shame about the pricing; maybe they’ve seen it as an opportunity to make a buck. It seems Carrarang aren’t anywhere near that stage; they just accept visitors for a small fee; pretty much a donation.
Keen to see what you think of it. I reckon as long as you are self sufficient you can’t really go wrong with either; they are both in amazing locations, just Carrarang is less busy and cheaper!
Aaron
G’day Aaron
Firstly – great post on Carrarang mate. I am sure many like myself appreciate the time you have put into this.
We have been group camping at Tamala for the past couple of years. It is an amazing spot for fellas looking for a boys weekend, families with children of any age and likewise nomads who are keen on a little off the grid stuff etc.
Unfortunately it is becoming a little pricey – especially for larger families. Prices have increased by approx 50% over the past couple of years. No doubt there may be a very good reason for it, however it can be a little hexy for families seeking a cost effective camping option.
Tamala is an amazing place however – we have stayed on both the Boorabugatta and Prickley Point Peninsulas.
Tamala do also deliver a very good service with rubbish collection every couple of days through the school holidays and there is fresh water suitable for washing available at 3 locations around the station.
The fishing is amazing as I imagine most of this area would be. We catch Pinkies, Bluebone and the odd Baldy all off the beach. Kayaking and tinnies etc will get you out far enough to hook up something bigger. Most of the fish caught from shore are juveniles, but you do get the odd sized one that you can keep for a feed.
I definitely rate it – it is amazing – but as I have pointed out a family of 2 adults and 3 kids for 7 nights will set you back nearly $500.00 in camp fees alone.
We have a large group heading out to Carrrarang later in the year. We have had that on the radar for some time so we are looking forward to that.
I will fill you and the other readers in on how we fare following our trip.
Cheers
Thanks a lot NIcki. I’ll swap the map over on the main post. Good to hear they are ticking along well. You will have a great time up there. Looking forward to seeing some photos!
Hi Aaron, me again. I have an updated map of Carrarang with a few new camps added – no clues for guessing where we’re going to be camping 🙂 https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d62cd5aec4984b66206737af55f05f726e8e02eabdf8828efc30e8d867eeaf49.jpg I’ve attached to this post. We have been advised by Carrarang that they are now fully booked for Easter 2017. We are really looking forward to our trip – we’ll report back and add some photos when we get back to Perth. Thanks for all your help and advice so far. Cheers. Nicki
Hi Vic, no dogs are recommended (baits)
Hey Vic,
I’m really not sure on that one, but given it is a station I reckon they might be a bit picky. The owners are always extremely busy and have a hard time keeping up with the emails and phone calls. From memory Tony was suggesting calling around 9PM, when they get back to the home.
Aaron
Hey!!! Great post!! We have our first Carrarang trip booked in a couple of weeks. Do you know if dogs are allowed?? Im struggling to find info and cannot get a response/contact with the station.
Yeah, sounds good. If you stop twice and again to deflate tyres, I reckon about 10.5 – 11 hours
Have an awesome trip!
Awesome – thanks again Aaron. We are estimating around 10 and a bit hours from leaving Freo to arriving at the Homestead and factoring in a couple of “comfort breaks” along the way. Does that sound about right??
Hey Nicki,
It’s pretty quick actually, from memory. The first 50km is bitumen, so say about half an hour. Deflate your tyres, check everything, engage 4WD and chug along in between 60 – 80km/h to Carrarang for the remaining 70km, so around 2 hours with a bit of time to spare. The road was in pretty good condition when we went, and its been graded since then too.
Aaron
Hi Aaron,
Another quick question – we are busy planning the logistics of our Easter Trip now (10 vehicles). Can you remember, roughly how long it took you to get to the Carrarang turn off from leaving Overlander? We’re just trying to reverse-engineer our itinerary for the drive up there from Fremantle so that we arrive with enough light to set up camp.
Thanks in advance
Nicki
Hey Nicki,
Thank you very much. Your a legend. I’ll add the map to the main post.
Have a good one
Aaron
Hi Aaron,
I have a further update on Carrarang Station for you.
For those with Facebook, you can request to join the “Closed Group” – Carrarang Station Shark Bay Western Australia.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/457017237733955/
You’ll find heaps of information, chatter and photos about Carrarang – the page is actually run by the Station – Tony is actually a member of the page also;
See attached Mud Map of the station and the various campsites.
We have finally received confirmation today that our booking request for Easter has been accepted – so excited.
Merry Christmas and please keep the trip reports coming.
Thanks
Nicki
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ed6023dbe50417dd7495bfebdb22ae91333dfb2daeaa8f6ed1c445488aea9826.jpg
Thanks heaps for the updates Nikki. Much appreciated.
Fantastic to hear things are going well for them.
The capslock shouldn’t make any difference
Aaron
I have news. I have just spoken with Tony (around 8.20pm on a Thursday night). He said that he had just got home. Generally, between 8pm and up to 11pm is the “sweet spot” for catching them. They have only just got their computer back, yesterday, and have been without it for over 6 weeks.
With regards to camping at Easter (as is our case), they start a “first in, best dressed” lottery on the 1st January every year. He said they literally receive emails at a couple of seconds past midnight from people who want to book.
They have also opened up a few more camping spots now too.
If anyone is hoping to go over the next few weeks, you will be lucky to get in whilst the Dirk Hartog 400 year Anniversary Celebrations are going on – they are booked out (16th to 26th October 2016 I think he said)
Tony’s partner, Lorraine, is currently in Perth for work and he hasn’t figured out how to put the answering machine on, so the phone goes to fax when he’s not there.
He said he’s not sure if the CAPS makes a difference, but the email address should be CARRARANG.STATION@bigpond.com
Hope this helps anyone who is trying to make contact.
Cheers
Nicki
Awesome to hear. Thanks!
Aaron
I spoke with Teresa at Tamala Station yesterday, she said Carrarang most definitely do still take campers and she often hears about people who have stayed there for months on end. She acknowledged that they are very difficult to get hold of (as did Shire of Shark Bay). Teresa’s tip was that she had heard after 8pm was the best time to call as they are both out and about during the day. I’d deliberately not called that late, figuring station owners would be early to bed and up early in the morning. I’ll try again this evening and report back if I have any success.
This is a surprise, and a real shame to hear. I hope this isn’t the case; its an amazing spot up there.
Aaron
I’ve also been trying to contact Tony & Lorraine at Carrarang since late July, by email and phone, also with no luck. The Steep Point Ranger said they have had the same comment from many people over the last 12 months and are not sure if Carrarang still take campers. I’m wondering if anyone can confirm or deny that Carrarang are no longer taking campers? With thanks in advance.
Hey Sarah,
We booked our site months in advance; I’d imagine they probably don’t check their emails very often, and often aren’t home during the day. We couldn’t see anyone at the homestead when we arrived. Just paid our fees (in the little pole), left a brief note and went on our way!
We did bump into someone on a tractor, but not sure whether he was one of the owners or staff. Nice bloke all the same.
We never saw anyone ‘running’ the station for the time we were there.
I reckon you’d be ok rocking up, but the issue will be finding a camp site. The alternative of course is Tamala station, which is supposed to be brilliant too.
We stayed at East Landing; camped literally right on the beach. If you are up for a challenge there are plenty of bays and beaches you can camp on. The beach was soft though; we were down to 12 PSI towing the van is. I’m sure you will work out the best location to camp.
Best of luck
Hi Aaron,
I have tried to contact Tony at Carrarang by phone and email a few times over the last fortnight with no luck. Do you know if you can just turn up and chance you luck there are spots available? Also I have a 2.5T robust off road caravan with a modified Land Rover Discovery 4 (more torque ECU tune, full off-road tyres, e-locker etc) Are there places to stay close to the beach for a Off road caravan if you don’t mind a bit of low ranging and very low tyre pressures?
Thanks in advance – Andy & Sarah
Hi Dan,
I reckon maybe 2 hours, but I can’t remember for sure and it would vastly depend on the condition of the road. Also where you camp at Carrarang; it took us about 15 minutes to get out of the station, but some camp sites would take easily half an hour. We had to go pretty slow over parts of the dunes heading towards Steep Point. We didn’t go to the bay further north as the winds meant it would be much more protected in false entrance. As it was, we managed to get out and grab a few crays!
Aaron
Hey Aaron. Thanks for this info. We are looking at going there soon. Was wondering how long it takes to get across to false entrance from where u camped? Did you also drive north from false entrance to the bay further north If so how was the track? Thanks in advance
You are most welcome
Aaron
Hey Aaron,
Thanks for the speedy response. I’ve just sent an email off to Tony & Lorraine, so hopefully I’ll heard back from them soon. I think you’ve swayed me, looks like it will be Carrarang if they can accommodate us.
Steep Point will most definitely be on the itinerary. It’s been on the bucket list for a while now.
Many Thanks
Nicki
Hey Nicki,
Carrarang permits them, providing you are sensible with them; keep them small, put them out when you aren’t around etc. It would pay to confirm this with them before you head off though.
I can’t comment on Tamala; I haven’t been there. I’m sure its amazing too, but I believe a bit more commercialised (although not to the point where you are packed in like sardines!)
East Landing is where we stayed, and it’s amazing, although I’m not sure the beach would be wide enough to fit 10 camper trailers. There are some spots on the western side that had a lot of room; I’d ring them and ask; they will give you a better idea.
At the end of the day the whole property is amazing; they will find you a nice beach for the kids.
Make sure you get to Steep Point too; unbelievable spot
Aaron
Awesome video and review. We are heading up that way next Easter (Apr 2017), and are undecided whether to stay at Tamala or Carrarang. Are camp fires allowed at Carrarang during that time? I know that for Tamala there is a campfire ban until May. Also, do you have any recommendations for any particular bays to request for camp – we will have small kids with us, so shallow and sandy would be ideal. We’ll probably be a group of around 10 camper trailers. Thanks in advance.
Yep. Amazing describes it all right!
Aaron
Looks like an amazing spot and not one that I’ve heard of before. Truly five star accommodation for the bargain price of $5 per night – and everyone says Australia is expensive!
Hey Brian,
It sure is a fantastic spot, and like you say, having the entire beach to yourself is awesome. The road was pretty good when we headed in. What tyre pressures were you running?
Aaron
Thanks mate, have stayed at Carrararang before and really loved it. We got the spot where the Northampton guys had built a shelter. Great concept where you have a beach to yourself. Shook shit out of our old van on the gravel road in before the turnoff.
Hi Brian,
Your Navara would get in no worries. The van, probably not, unless it was very well built. The track in is pretty rough. There are a number of camp sites – you can book them by ringing the ranger at Steep Point.
Best of luck!
We have a standard Navarra 4wd and a small van. Would we get into Steep Point OK, and where would we camp please