Two Peoples Bay

Two Peoples Bay was declared a nature reserve in 1967 for a specific reason: six years earlier the noisy scrub-bird, last recorded in 1889 and presumed extinct, was rediscovered on Mount Gardner here, and the reserve was created to protect it. Gilbert's potoroo, a small marsupial also thought extinct, was found in the same reserve in 1994, making this one of the most significant refuges for rediscovered species in Australia. Alongside that, the beaches are exceptional: Little Beach and Waterfall Beach hold white quartz sand between granite boulders, with water in bands of turquoise. Walking tracks climb Mount Gardner and follow the coast, and a visitor centre explains the discoveries.

History

The name recalls 1803, when an American whaling ship anchored in the bay at the same time as a French ship exploring the coast, and the French expedition of Nicolas Baudin called it Baie des Deux Peuples, bay of two nations. The naturalist John Gilbert surveyed the area in the 1840s and gave his name to Gilbert's potoroo, whalers worked the bay in the middle of the 19th century, and it was declared a nature reserve in 1967; in late November 2015 a fire burnt 1,200 hectares of the reserve and an estimated 90 per cent of the potoroo's habitat (Wikipedia, Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve).

The landscape

• Little Beach - white quartz sand between granite boulders and turquoise water.
• The reserve story - the rediscovery of the noisy scrub-bird and Gilbert's potoroo.
• Mount Gardner - the granite headland with a steep climbing track.
• The visitor centre - interpretation of the reserve's rare species.

When to go

October to April for the warmest weather; the south coast is windy and cold in winter. Wildflowers appear in spring. The beaches are busiest over summer holidays but never crowded by east coast standards.

Practical notes

The rare animals are effectively never seen; the scrub-bird is heard rather than sighted and the potoroo is nocturnal and confined to protected areas. The water is cold year-round. Facilities are limited to toilets and picnic tables.

Nearby

Albany lies west; Cheynes Beach and the Fitzgerald park are further east.

Key facts