Hopkins St Beach, Lancelin

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If you want to find somewhere you feel like you're on holidays, drive onto the beach with the kids and your loyal canine companion, enjoy a multitude of activities and still be no more than an hour and a half from Perth? Well Lancelin is your place.

Lancelin is a small but characteristic fishing town just busting to be explored. There are lots of things to do in Lancelin, from sand-boarding, the biggest sand dunes in WA, (well known to 4WD and buggy enthusiasts) to throwing in a line at one of the reefs or 14 shipwrecks dotted along the coastline. But for us this is one of our favourite spots to do... well, nothing. This is our adventure to just one of its little hideaways.



With two small children and a fur kid, we did a daytrip to a well known beach at the end of Hopkins Street, opposite Edward Island.





A very solid beach entry makes for a stress-free start. So compact that even a 2WD sedan had made its way down there.

We picked a great day, (I mean really when is it not in this State?) slight breeze, full sunshine and only a few clouds in the sky. Once again packed the gazebo, Weber, fishing rods and surfboard.

This is the ultimate place to sit back, relax and let the kids run free. The beach break is only small, giving even the most timid of swimmers the confidence to enjoy the water. The water itself is crystal clear on a firm sandy base and tapers off slowly. Temperature ideal.

Hubby decided to paddle out to the surf break on the reef near the Island and was pleasantly surprised to find it was bigger than it looked and not at all crowded. The paddle itself was quite a distance, (at least 100m) so I'm sure he took some time to admire the scenery out there and get his breath back. He has solemnly declared he needs to get surf fit again.



Back on the beach, the kids thoroughly enjoyed building sand castles, playing in the shallows and running mummy ragged by having to continuously chase a crawl-away 11month old, determined to join daddy surfing. The fur kid ran constantly for over an hour, swimming, running, socialising and harassing me to throw the ball.





The added bonus about this beach, is not its easy access, beautiful outlook or inviting water, but its close proximity to the local shops and tavern.

If you run out of ice it's a quick 5 minute dash to the local IGA. You can pick up some fish and chips, shop for a new bikini or check out the local real estate, there's even a handy bottlo if your refreshments are running low. We took a quick detour to the local tavern, and I have to tell you, it's definitely worth a look. Absolutely beautiful, one of the most inviting taverns we've come across. Gorgeous woodwork, amazing views and very friendly staff, do yourself a favour and make sure you stop by for a beer.

We customarily cooked our lunch in the Weber, roast lamb, little salt water, some spuds.. magnifico. We took our own shade and water as you'll need to be self-sufficient on the beach. There are BBQs and a children's playground in town, with toilets if you want to take a break from the beach. All very clean, safe and tidy. Pets are allowed on leash here too, so added bonus.



The beach was very popular in the morning but by midday we had the place to ourselves. Perhaps they knew something we didn't? By 2pm it started to fill up again but there was still plenty of room for everyone.





We were grateful for the breeze as it appeared to be keeping the dunny budgies (flies) grounded, but the pay off was the occasional smell of rotting seaweed from up the beach. Needless to say it did not deter us at all and we truly didn't even notice it once we'd worked out what it was.

The protected waters of the bay are sheltered by outer reefs and islands, making it ideal for swimming, snorkelling, fishing, boating and sailing. You can head to Back Beach via the other end of town to try body-boarding and surfing, a favourite locals' spot. Note you will need a 4WD to get onto this beach or you can walk from the car park. Showers and facilities are located here, too.

Lancelin is a place you can stay for a day, a weekend or a week, we could easily live here. But for those just wanting to get away, there is a variety of different accommodation options, restaurants, cafes and takeaways.

For more information you can check out the Tourism website or do a search for Lancelin on Weekend Notes and see some of the other reviews. It really is a lovely place, you won't be disappointed.

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