Beach WA 253 commences on the western side of the headland and curves gently to the west-south-west for 2.3 km to terminate against the Hopetoun jetty. The eastern half of the beach is backed by densely vegetated 10 m high dunes. The dunes continue to the jetty, with a foreshore reserve then the small town of Hopetoun and backing the dune along the western half of the beach. Wave height decreases slowly to the west with the beach usually narrow, steep and reflective, with the shallow nearshore dominated by reefs and seagrass meadows. Hopetoun is a small town of about 300, located right on the coast at Mary Ann Haven. The town owes it origin to the shelter afforded by the reefs off the haven, which lead to its establishment in 1901. This was followed by the development the original jetty in 1906 and the railway in 1908 to service the copper and gold mine at Ravensthorpe. Following World War 1 the mine closed and the town stagnated. In the past decade has it begun to reestablish itself as a tourist and retirement destination. It offers a service station, store, hotel and post office, as well as a range of accommodation. It provides ready access to the Fitzgerald River National Park to the west, as well as the numerous beaches to the east. The old timber jetty was replaced by a large rock jetty in 1984, which also serves as a boat ramp. The Hopetoun jetty forms an artificial boundary between the long sweep of beaches to the east and the five beaches (WA 254-258) that extend for 10 m to the west across the mouth of Culham Inlet, to terminate against the steep slopes of East Mount Barren). The beaches are initially sheltered by the extensive reefs that lie off Mary Ann Haven, becoming more exposed along Four Mile Beach. Hopetoun and Hopetoun caravan park then the Whale Bay subdivision back the first 3 km of beaches, with relatively natural conditions extending to the west. read more

Beach Length: 2.3km