I joined a group of folks from the Perth Bushwalkers Club in February 2009 for a four day walk and base camp at Thompson Cove, Nuyts Wilderness, Walpole, Western Australia. We walked into Thompson Cove via the Nuyts Wilderness Walk Track, and also explored Aldridge Cove, Hush Hush Beach (via the Bibbulmun Track) and Mt Hopkins.

Nuyts Wilderness four day base-camp walk diary

Day 1 (Saturday February 7, 2009) – Heading into Thompson Cove

We drove directly to the Nuyts Wilderness Walk Trail trailhead from Perth which is located on Tinglewood Drive, Walpole (at the foot of Mount Clare). There is a small carpark here at the point where the Bibbulmun Track crosses Deep River and then commences the ascent of Mount Clare. The drive down took approximately six hours with a brief stop in Manjimup for lunch.

The Nuyts Wilderness Walk Track follows the Bibbulmun Track from Tinglewood Drive, over the Deep River Suspension Bridge until the boot cleaning station.

At the boot cleaning station the Bibbulmun Track swings south, whereas the Nuyts Wilderness Walk Trail continues on the old 4WD track in a south easterly direction. The 4WD track is followed until a t-junction is reached, high above Thompson’s Cove. At this point, one should take the left track to descend to Thompson Cove camping ground located amongst some Peppermint Trees.

Please keep in mind that there are are no facilities at Thompson Cover, nor is there mobile phone coverage. Water is available from a fresh water spring which can be easily accessed via a short walk track. A bridge over the stream provides a good point to collect water.

The walk distance from Tinglewood Drive is approximately 6.75 km one-way.

Day 2 (Sunday February 8, 2009) – Exploring Hush Hush Beach via the Bibbulmun Track

Today we ventured out following the Nuyts Wilderness Walk Track and the Bibbulmun Track to Hush Hush Beach. Along the way we came across a snake skin. A timely reminder to tread carefully.

To get to Hush Hush Beach, we took the return path on the Nuyts Wilderness Walk Track until theÂ boot cleaning station. At the boot cleaning station we swung south picking up the Bibbulmun Track until aligned approximately with the eastern end of Poison Hill.

Poison Hill is a distinct hill at the western end of Hush Hush Beach. At this location a “sand hill” should be distinct to the left of the track, just before the track swings inland again away from the coast. A this point a track comes off the Bibbulmun Track pretty much bee lining towards Hush Hush Beach.

Follow this track to the edge of the ridge where you should get a visual of 4WD track and car park at the western end of Hush Hush Beach. From here it is a bit of off-track walking down to the carpark and then there is a track down to the beach. Keep in mind that there is no water at this end of Hush Hush Beach.

The walk distance is approximately 7.8 km one way.

Day 3 (Sunday February 9, 2009) – Exploring Mount Hopkins

On our third day, in the morning we head off out of Thompson Cove to explore Mount Hopkins which peaks at an impressive 205 metres :). That said don’t let the height put you off visiting Mt Hopkins. The views from the summit are really well worth putting in the effort to get there.

The walk to Mount Hopkins is approximately 3.5 km return with about 150 metres of climbing. We took about two hours to complete the walk itself. There is a track to Mt Hopkins which is reasonably easy to follow, however, as you get closer to Mt Hopkins it gets overgrown, so long pants and a long sleeved shirt are recommended.

As we got closer to Mt Hopkins we pretty much lost the trail to the summit as the photos above show but we then all of a sudden popped out on a boot cleaning station. In the past the trail must have been well defined and maintained and steps where being taken to minimise the spread of dieback as evidenced by the boot cleaning station. From the boot cleaning station we soon reached the first of the granite indicating we where getting near the summit of Mt Hopkins. From there the climb was fairly easy.

Mt Hopkins provides great views out to sea and inland as mentioned but it also provides an opportunity to “bring the boy out in the man” so to speak with some cool granite rock shapes which encourage climbing and exploring.

The track to Mt Hopkins departs from the Thompson Cove camping area, dropping directly into the creek before climbing out again and then heading pretty much straight to Mt Hopkins. There is a track with a bridge over the stream at Thomson Cove. This is not the right track if you heading out to Mt Hopkins. If you are on the right track, once you have climbed out of the creek you should be able to look back down on your campsite at Thomas Cove.

If Â you are using a GPS the following co-ordinates may be helpful. The trailhead is located at 50 H 0468371 612 1929, the boot cleaning station at the foot of Mt Hopkins at 50 H 0469393 6122434 (handy landmark) and Mt Hopkins itself at 50 H 0469554 6122570.

After we got back to Thompson Cover and a spot of lunch we headed over the headland for a lazy afternoon of swimming and relaxing at Aldridge Cove. Â Aldridge Cove is a must visit when in the area in my view. It is a pleasant walk,about 1/2 hour long, with a bit of a rock scrambling at Aldridge Cove itself. It is well worth packing in some snorkelling gear as there is a great opportunity for snorkelling and swimming at the Cove.

Day 4 (Monday February 10, 2009) – Heading home

Day four saw us walking out to the cars early in the morning before we headed into Walpole for feed and the drive home. All up a great four days in Nuyts Wilderness. Well worth a visit in my view.

Key GPS co-ordinates – Nuyts Wilderness Walk Trail

Nuyts Wilderness Walk Trail trailhead – 50 H 0467497 6126192

Thompson Cove campsite – 50 H 0468357 6121932

Hush Hush Beach car park – 50 H 0463911 6123592.

Mt Hopkins trailhead – 50 H 0468371 612 1929,

Mt Hopkins boot cleaning station – 50 H 0469393 6122434

Mt Hopkins summit – 50 H 0469554 6122570.

Aldridge Cove’s western end – 50 H 0467658 612 1668.

Resources and other websites related to the Nuyts Wilderness Walk Trail

Your Turn To Talk

I hope you liked this post! Please do stop by the comment section below and share your thoughts on the walking in the Nuyts Wilderness area and walking the Nuyts Wilderness Walk Trail with the rest of us. I am always interested in feedback on my walk reports, how I might improve them and what others experiences are trail and/or area so please do share your thoughts by leaving a comment below 🙂 Also if you can share more up to date information on the area that would be really appreciated.

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