Peaceful Bay
Peaceful Bay is a cute little holiday village off the South Coast Highway, about halfway between Walpole and Denmark. It has about ten streets (amazingly some with bicycle lanes), one swimming beach, one general store/ cafe, one caravan park, other holiday accommodations including chalets and backpackers, plenty of holidaying opportunities (fishing, swimming, camping, biking, wildlife, doing nothing, etc) and of course, plenty of peacefulness too if that's what you're after.
Panorama of Peaceful Bay
So what can we say about such a small place? Despite its smallness (or perhaps because of it), it has its own charm and magic. It's one of those places where time slows down and at the same time goes too quick (What?? Tomorrow is check-out time already??)
Getting There & Around
To get to Peaceful Bay is quite simple. On South Coast Highway, about halfway between Walpole and Denmark, there's an area called Bow Bridge. From this area, there's a turn-off to Peaceful Bay Road. Just follow this road to the very end (8km) and you'll find the little village. All roads mentioned are sealed.
Once you're in Peaceful Bay, it's helpful to understand that they have a ring road that goes around most of the village, with the caravan park at the southern-most point of the ring (marked with phone & fuel logos in the map below).
For 4WD enthusiasts, there are a couple of 4WD only tracks going off from the village (as marked in map above).
Also marked on the map is the dotted Bibbulmun Track and the red pedestrian/ bicycle path which matches the real red colour path on some of the streets. When you drive through these streets, please watch out for walkers/ cyclists especially children.
Another thing to watch for is the "things" the locals hang on the road side. It's a bit hard to describe what they are so see for yourself in the photo below. Definitely a unique material to play I-Spy with.
Road-side hanging decorations
As mentioned before, Peaceful Bay has exactly one caravan park called simply
Peaceful Bay Caravan Park. So if you're into camping or caravanning, this is your only option. The caravan park is ideally located within walking distance to the beach and to the
Bibbulmun Track.
The office/ reception to the caravan park doubles up as the cafe/ general store of the village. When I visited, two friendly ladies fronted the shop, ready to check you in/ out of the caravan park, serve you coffee/ food if you'd like to purchase some, sell you essentials if you forget to bring your own or run out, and point you the right way if you don't know your way around.
Another accommodation option is the
Peaceful Bay Chalets. They have about 10 units of varying sizes and some backpacker-style lodging too. Don't expect a line of luxurious uniform chalets with spas and some such. It's more a quirky type of chalets, every unit is different, with homely furniture and mismatched cutleries but all the important parts are there: beds, full kitchen, ablution, heating, and even outdoor firepit for those late night marshmallow-roasting sessions.
A late-night marshmallow-roasting session.
Peaceful Bay Chalets is managed by a friendly bloke (everyone seems to be friendly in this place) called Colin, with extra entertainment provided by the regular visiting roo Bella.
Bella the Roo of Peaceful Bay Chalets
You can also find other accommodations in the areas surrounding Peaceful Bay by visiting the
Walpole Visitor Centre or
Denmark Visitor Centre websites.
What to Do
Of course you can't stay so close to the ocean without visiting it. Peaceful Bay has a swimming beach where vehicles are not allowed. One interesting feature of the swimming beach is a little creek that flows into the ocean. It makes for an attractive play area for the kids. When you're finished and ready to clean up, there's a public toilet with an outdoor shower conveniently located at the swimming beach carpark.
A little creek emptying into Peaceful Bay.
Lots of folks come here for fishing too. You can launch your boat from the beach near the Sea Rescue building (marked on map). Whether you own a boat, hire one, or none at all, you can still do a spot of fishing on the south coast if that's your cup of tea. If you forget to bring or run out of bait, the general store at the caravan park will sell you some. The store might only carry one type of teabags but they have various types of baits, which perfectly highlight the activity of choice in this area.
Beach fishing
Another popular activity here is walking. Unsurprising as
Bibbulmun Track passes right through the local beach here.
Bibbulmun Track passes through many south coast areas including Peaceful Bay.
Away from the beach, you could also walk to the Flaghill Lookout. It's a very short walk up a hill, with a pretty view of the surrounding greeneries and coasts.
If you'd like to explore further, you can easily drive to other attractions nearby, for example
William Bay National Park or
Walpole.
And if none of the above appeals to you, then Peaceful Bay is the perfect place for a holiday where you do nothing much at all. You just curl up in your seat with a good book and a drink, or just stroll around with no purpose whatsoever, and the peacefulness will steal into yourself.
