Yanchep National Park

Yanchep is one of Western Australia's oldest national parks, gazetted in 1957 around a lake and wetland system in tuart and banksia woodland, with limestone caves beneath. Crystal Cave is shown on guided tours through chambers of stalactites and reflective pools. A raised boardwalk runs through an enclosure holding koalas, which are not native to Western Australia but have been kept here since the 1930s and are the park's best-known attraction. Around Loch McNess, black swans, kangaroos and waterbirds are common, Aboriginal cultural tours are run by Noongar guides, and Yanchep Inn, built in the 1930s in local limestone, still operates.

History

For thousands of years this was a noted hunting ground, and its Aboriginal name, Nyanyi-Yandjip, refers to the reeds around the lake, thought to resemble the mane of the Waugul; Yanchep comes from Yandjip, the local bulrush. The farmer John Butler, searching for lost cattle in 1834, was the first European visitor and was met by men of the Yellagonga people, Lieutenant George Grey noted the caves in 1838, the surveyor John Septimus Roe and Governor John Hutt visited them in 1841, a stock route crossed the area from 1865, and Henry White, who settled by Yonderup Lake in 1901, became caretaker and guide in 1903 (Wikipedia, Yanchep National Park).

What you'll find

• The koala boardwalk - a raised walkway over an enclosure of koalas.
• Crystal Cave - guided tours through decorated limestone chambers.
• Loch McNess - the wetland with black swans, kangaroos and birds.
• Yanchep Inn - the 1930s limestone hotel in the park.

When to go

April to November for comfortable walking and wildflowers in spring; summer is hot and dry. Cave tours run to a daily schedule and should be booked in holidays. Kangaroos graze the lawns at dusk.

Good to know

The koalas are an introduced display rather than wild animals, which some visitors find odd in a national park. Vehicle entry is charged. Summer heat and flies are significant, and the caves are the only cool option.

Nearby

Yanchep town and beaches lie west; Lancelin and the dunes are further north.

Key facts