Our latest stopover finds us in Denmark – a small town perched on an inlet of the Great Australian Bight in Western Australia. We’re here to view the Elephants at William Bay National Park.

Greens Pool

On the way to see the Elephants we take a short detour – conveniently from the same car park – to Greens Pool. It is a highly popular spot to safely swim in the calm waters protected from the pounding waves by a series of granite boulders. With a white sand beach, clear turquoise water and a blue sky, you could easily imagine being in some tropical beach paradise… but a dip in the water might suggest otherwise. Now we’re south of the tropics the sea temperature is markedly cooler but it has to be said the view more than makes up for it.

Access to the beach starts with a stunning view across William Bay and a flight of steps down to a huge bed of granite rock adjacent to the sand beach. A walk over the rock will take you to the stone breakwaters and great views of the incoming waves.

Elephant Rocks

Climbing back up from the beach and a right turn takes you along a short stroll to a second bay. And there, heading out towards the sea, is a herd of Elephants – not quite what you would expect to find on an Australian coastline. However, these Elephants have been sitting right here for a very, very long time. The animals in question are enormous granite rocks, which, and they’re easy to imagine, resemble a herd of elephants heading out to sea. And just beyond them opens up a beautiful, protected shallow bay.

Elephant Bay

Access down to Elephant Bay is via a short but steep stairway where you are presented by two huge granite rocks with a narrow passageway between them. You need to time your walk through the passage with care as you will be sharing it with the tide and waves. But the beautiful white beach and calm, inviting water just beyond is well worth a soaking. Remember too the water may not be as warm as you are expecting!

Beware

The beauty and apparent tranquil setting of the bay belies an unexpected hazard, not stampeding elephants but a tidal rip, which can regularly occur here and great care should be taken while swimming within the bay.

It’s also easy to get caught by the tide in the enclosed bay but there are additional steps at the head of the beach though much of the sand beneath them has been undercut by the sea.

Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks are both spectacular places but, as mentioned, they are popular and very busy during holidays and the summer months. So if your intentions are for landscape photography or a little solitude among beautiful scenery, then you’ll need to be here very early in the morning or late in the afternoon just as the sun begins to set.