Hamelin Bay, Western Australia

Hamelin Bay is a bay and a locality on the south west coast of Western Australia between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste. It is named after French explorer Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin who sailed through the area in about 1801. It is south of Cape Freycinet.

It was also was a small settlement and port in Western Australia on the coast of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge which was established to service the timber milling operations of M. C. Davies.

One of the Davies timber railways extended onto the Hamelin Bay Jetty. It was built in 1882 and extended in 1898. The remains of the Jetty have been reduced drastically, and only a few piles remain in site.

It was a difficult port, with prevailing weather creating difficult situations for most of the shipping that used the jetty. A significant number of wrecks occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Even in the late twentieth century significant wrecks still occurred.

To the north, the beach leads to the Boranup Sand Patch and further to the mouth of the Margaret River, while south leads to Cape Leeuwin. The nearest locality to the east is Karridale on the Margaret River to Augusta road.

Some fishing boats utilise the anchorage when prevailing weather is not a problem.

Camping Area

Although most of the adjacent land is now vested in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, small mounts of land nearby are freehold. In the 1950s the local camping area utilised the shells of a large number of decommissioned Perth Trams. None remain, and more modern caravans and units are now in the caravan park. One shop exists adjacent to the area.

Wrecks

Hamelin Bay was notorious for wrecks occurring during bad weather - its exposure to prevailing weather making it a dangerous location for anchoring or mooring. The following list is from the Maritime Museum of Western Australia's database of some of the wrecks using Hamelin Bay as a reference point. There is at least one retrieved ships anchor in the beach car park at Hamelin Bay. The storm of the 22 July 1900 took more than are listed below.

*"Agincourt", 1863
*"Arcadia", 25 April 1900 - Barque, Wooden
*"Aristide", 25 October 1889 - Barge, Wooden
*"Chaudiere", 4 July 1883 - Barque
*"Else" (formerly "Albert William"), 2 September 1900 - Barquentine
*"Glenbervie", 20 June 1900
*"Hokitika", 2 November 1872 - Barque
*"Katinka", 22 July 1900 - Iron
*"Lövspring", 22 July 1900 - Barque, Wooden
*"Nor'wester", 22 July 1900 - Barque, Iron
*"Tobar", 1945 - Lugger
*"SS Waterlily, 31 January 1903 - Steamer screw, Clinker

Lighthouse

It had a light station on nearby "Hamelin Island" which was built in 1937. In 1967 it was moved to the mainland, and has become known as "Foul Bay Lighthouse".

Adjacent Features also named after Hamelin

* Cape Hamelin - 34° 16'S. 115° 02'E.

* Hamelin Island - 34° 13' S. 115° 00'E.

References

* Marchant, Leslie R. "French Napoleonic Placenames of the South West Coast", Greenwood, WA. R.I.C. Publications, 2004. ISBN 1-74126-094-9
* Fornasiero, Jean; Monteath, Peter and West-Sooby, John. "Encountering Terra Australis: the Australian voyages of Nicholas Baudin and Matthew Flinders", Kent Town, South Australia,Wakefield Press,2004. ISBN 1-86254-625-8
* "Cape to Cape Walk Track - Section 5 - Hamelin Bay to Cape Leeuwin 29 km" Pamphlet. CALM. Busselton. n.d.