Hakea Trail - Whalebone Beach Hut to Quoin Head
We recognise and acknowledge the Goreng, Menang and Wudjari people as the traditional owners of Fitzgerald River National Park
More glorious, isolated coastal views today with new wildflowers to discover!
The elevation and distance details for the section from Whalebone Hut to Quoin Head and return if you’re following our recommended itinerary. If you do so, leisurely hikers will have time to walk down to the beach for lunch and explore the area, as well as ducking down to Whalebone Beach after returning to the hut.
An exciting find not far out of camp: the tiny Purple-Veined Ant Orchid, Caladenia doutchii
Looking back at the hut from the western slope.
Lovely Anticoryne ovalifolia
It’s a steep climb out of camp but the wildflowers are fantastic and, once you reach the top, most of the elevation is done.
Fitzgerald River National Park is renowned for its wildlife, more richly diverse than in any other Western Australian National Park. There are 41 reptile species, here a male Spotted Military Dragon (Ctenophorus maculatus) in his dapper uniform.
Spot the Not-Stick… and Not-Snake! The Common Scalyfoot is a legless lizard (Pygopus lepidopus)
Mitchell's Diurnal Cockroach (Polyzosteria mitchelli) wearing snazzy blue leggings and stripey jacket for an outing on the track, hopefully not to meet Misters Military Dragon or Scalyfoot!
We pass through a single patch of these spectacular Barrens Regelia (Melaleuca velutina). It’s strange how they grow in scattered patches - this is the only one population we seen on the entire hike.
Birthday candles (Stackhousia monogyna)
Another trigger plant, probably Stylidium breviscapum
A quick sit on the seat to enjoy the view but we don’t linger: it is insanely windy!
Fabulously vivid Calytrix leschenaultii
And more pink Melaleuca papillosa
A steep descent to a narrow valley…
… with a chain of rockpools. We stopped in this sheltered spot for a snack - it was just too windy on top.
And finally a glorious view over Quoin Head and beyond, still parkland to the horizon. Because we hiked this differently to our recommended itinerary (and the way we’ve structured the story), we didn’t have time or puff to go down to the beach itself. However, if leisurely hikers do this section as an out and return from Whalebone Hut, or stay at Quoin Head Beach as described in our Planning and Tips for alternative itineraries, you’ll have a much more relaxed day with time for a beach picnic.
What has been most surprising is the difference in the vegetation over the three sections of the hike. Although today has involved short sections of 4WD track, there has still been plenty to see, climaxing at the Quoin Head formation.
Even more astonishing is that we are here in peak wildflower season during the Flower Festival, yet we have seen just two other couples on the track over the entire three days. Solitude, scenery, spectacle and species… the Hakea Trail delivers on all!
Quoin Head with the beach just visible.
