Walpole

Walpole is set on the tranquil waters of the Walpole Inlet and is an idyllic township, offering a wide range of activities for visitors, from swimming, boating, sailing, inlet cruises and fishing to bush walking, scenic drives and climbing.

The town derives its name from the Walpole River which was named by Governor Stirling after Captain W Walpole.

The Walpole Inlet is a small estuary connected through a narrow channel with the bigger and deeper Nornalup Inlet. It is the only place in Australia’s South West where the karri forest laps the water’s edge, take an eco cruise to experience this unique landscape.

The Walpole area is home to red tingle trees as well as the karri trees that dominate the Southern Forests. The Giant Tingle Tree near Hilltop Road is over 450 years old, and measures 24 metres in diameter at its base.

Walpole is surrounded by the 18,000 hectare Walpole-Nornalup National Park, home to the not-to-be-missed Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. The 600 metre walkway rises 40 metres above the forest floor and is a breathtaking experience with a bird’s eye view of the forest. There is a meandering boardwalk that takes visitors through a grove of veteran tingle trees called the Ancient Empire. This walk will show, at close hand, some of the unique shapes of these giant trees. You can actually walk through the hollowed out butt of one tree. Also within the national park, the Conspicuous Cliffs offer one of the best vantage points to view the rugged grandeur of the southern coastline. With its rocky headlands and big swells, the beach here is also a popular spot for fishing and surfing. Bird and animal life abound, and in spring the landscape is transformed into a vivid tapestry of colour with wildflowers.

The Mount Frankland area, 29 kilometres north of Walpole, is an adventurer’s playground with opportunities for white water rafting and spectacular hiking trails offering breathtaking views of the forests. It is a popular spot to rock climb or abseil the 150 metre drop. 

The Knoll is a peninsula, which divides Nornalup and Walpole Inlets and is accessible by the one-way sealed Knoll Scenic Drive. This drive follows the perimeter of the Knoll, offering tantalising views of Walpole and Nornalup inlets. A mosaic of vegetation and landform features are found here, including colourful swamp bottlebrush heathland in the flats, coastal blackbutt, peppermint and bullich woodland adjacent to the headlands, and majestic karri and yellow tingle forest growing right down to the inlet.

Twelve kilometres west of Walpole is the turn-off to Mandalay Beach with spectacular coastline and site of the 1911 shipwreck of the Norwegian barque 'Mandalay'. This stretch of coastline offers great views of Chatham Island and is popular with anglers. Stroll along the boardwalk and read the interpretive information about the wreck which can sometimes be seen in the sand.

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