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During winter and spring, deep water and strong currents make the mouth of the Margaret River dangerous to cross.

Do not proceed to cross unless you are certain about the river depth and your ability to cross safely. An alternative route around the river mouth is available.

For more information and for a downloadable map, please visit DBCA Park Alerts.

Cape to Cape Track, Margaret River

Wadandi Noongar Country

The Cape to Cape Walk Track runs for 130 kilometres along the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, between the lighthouses of Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin in the far south-west of Western Australia.  It features spectacular coastal and forest scenery, a fascinating geology of cliffs, caves, headlands and rock formations and an ever-changing display of vegetation and wildflowers.

Trail Marker Capetocape Sg +6 Gallery
Trail difficulty
Moderate to difficult depending on section of trail.
Trail difficulty

Difficult trail with rough surface that may have very steep hills or extensive rock hopping. Directional signage may be limited. Bushwalking experience, navigation and emergency first aid skills, and good fitness required.

  • Length 130km
  • Est. time Multiple day
  • One-way
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Designed to bring people in close contact with the environment, the track mainly follows the coast, alternating spectacular sweeping clifftop views with stretches of pristine beach. There are several inland loops, which take in some lovely sheltered woodland sections as well as the magnificent Boranup karri forest.  

The trail varies between 4WD vehicle tracks, constructed pathways, firm well-graded tracks, rough stony paths and long stretches of soft, sandy beaches. There are easy sections, which make excellent half-day and day walks, while some of the wilder parts are rugged and hard going. To complete the track end-to-end takes 6 to 7 days, but multiple access points along the coast allow the track to be completed in smaller segments. 

Several tour operators offer fully-guided walks, and with camping along the track and many types of accommodation close by, all comfort levels are catered for.

For those interested in trying the track, but not wanting to commit to hiking end-to-end, here are some shorter highlight sections you can complete in a day. 

Day hikes and highlights (distances are one way)

  • Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse to Sugarloaf Rock (3.4km of sealed pathways suitable for assisted wheelchairs and prams). 
  • Smiths Point to Injidup Beach (5.8km).
  • Moses Rock to Quininup Falls (1.9km).
  • Redgate Beach to Bobs Hollow (2.7km).
  • Redgate Beach to Conto Road (6.6km).

DOWNLOADABLE ROUTE FILES 

The KML file depicted on the map may not be the most up-to-date.

Check out the links for the most up-to-date downloadable route files for the long trails: Cape to Cape Track, Munda Biddi Trail and Bibbulmun Track.

Friends of the Cape to Cape Track

Visitor Information Centres

National Parks

Other Links

Downloads

Wadandi Noongar Six Season calendar   

The Wadandi people of the South West region in Western Australia live by the six seasonal rotation. Moving and camping within their traditional area every two months upon the second full moon, paying close attention to the weather patterns while living in harmony with the environment. During the colder times they would move to inland lakes, river systems wetlands and waterholes. When the season changed to warmer periods, families moved back along sheltered bays, estuaries and coastal camping areas. By hunting certain animals at the right time of year and using traditional fire and farming techniques families can ensure their food sources are sustainable. Understanding the interconnectedness between plants, animals, weather movements allow Noongar people to have a strong connection to country, sense of belonging to the land identity spiritual connection. 

 

Dec/Jan - Birak - Dry and hot long days, cool nights. Hunting animals in scrublands & wetlands. Reptiles emerging from semi hibernation. Marron finished with eggs, Low tides exposed reef, good time to collect abalone and other shellfish. Ideal time for blue groper, reef fish, octopus, oysters & periwinkles. Flowering moodjar spirit tree paperbark woody pear and banksia, ceremony and family gathering time.  

 

Feb/Mar - Bunuru- Hot days with warm nights, good time to camp and fish along the west coast and south coastal areas for herring, taylor, bream and migrating salmon. Water levels low in river systems, reptiles still abundant good time to catch goanna, emu’s reunite flowering marri blossom and time to harvest emu plums. 

 

April/May- Djeran - Overcast days and nights cooling less light and low winds, time to fire manage country burning bush land areas. Start to move & camp back on coastal plains begin journey to inland along lakes and rivers. Collect vegetables and fruits, catch fish in estuaries and bays. Salmon migration finishing, long neck turtles on the move. 

 

Jun/July - Makuru - Cold days and nights, winter rains, strong southwest winds. Time to build strong paper bark mias. Hunt fat kangaroos & wallabies, use skins for warmth. Camping inland in sheltered areas, large cooking fires during the cold nights. First rains bring fertility to the soil, emus & marsupials nesting. 

 

Aug/Sep - Djilba - Warming days, cold nights season of birth and first flowers. Time to collect potatoes radishes and red onions, camp in sheltered bays and waterways. Second rains fill lakes and waterholes. Good time to hunt kangaroo while fat. Snapper, squid and skippy on the full moon high tide.   

 

Oct/Nov - Kambarang - Days warm with nights still cool and winds easing. Lots of baby ducks, emus, possums and kangaroos. Time to start moving camp towards the coastal areas, estuary systems and river mouths to maintain fish traps more blue crab and squid, spring tides ideal diving for crayfish and time to make fishing spears.  

Flora and Fauna Statistics

1000+
Flowering plant species
200+
Bird species

The remarkable Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park stretches 120 kilometres between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin with a diverse landscape of rugged coastal heathlands, bushland, tall tree forests, and caves. There is a huge diversity of plant and animal life, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

The region boasts an incredible 7000+ plant species, including the karrri tree - the third tallest tree in the world. You will find these giants along the more sheltered inland areas of the southern sections of the national park, whereas the country in the northern parts are more wooded with jarrah-marri forest, mixed with sheoak. Peppermint groves are found throughout the area, along with banksia and Rottnest tea-trees. Dense coastal heath dominates the windswept, western slopes, where a colourful wildflower display can be found in spring, inlcuding yellow buttercups, blue fanflowers and red cockies tongues. Climbing plants are a major feature of the forest and coastal parts, including purple wisteria, red coral vine and white clematis. For the keen eyed, there are many species of orchids, that flower most months of the year.

The vegetation along the waterways and wetland systems of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge are home for several native fauna species including wetstern grey kangaroos and threatened mammals such as the western ringtail possum, chuditch and brush-tailed phascogale. Along the beaches you can often see humpback and southern right whales migrating up and down the coast, bottlenose dolphins surfing in the bays, shorebirds such as plovers and oystercatchers feeding in the shallows, and osprey circling overhead. Crabs, periwinkles and limpets can be found clinging to the shoreline rocks, with a variety of seagrasses and colourful seaweeds washed up on the beach.

Keep an eye out for these species:

Red-winged Fairy-wren

Malurus (Leggeornis) elegans

Animalia: Aves

Australian Peregrine Falcon

Falco (Hierofalco) peregrinus macropus

Animalia: Aves

Brush-tailed Phascogale

Phascogale tapoatafa

Animalia: Mammalia

Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

Animalia: Mammalia

Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

Animalia: Mammalia

Common Ringtail Possum

Pseudocheirus peregrinus

Animalia: Mammalia

Bobtail

Tiliqua rugosa

Animalia: Reptilia

Pink Rice-flower

Pimelea ferruginea

Plantae: Equisetopsida

Giant Banksia

Banksia grandis

Plantae: Equisetopsida

Basket Bush

Spyridium globulosum

Plantae: Equisetopsida

Forest Mantis Orchid

Caladenia attingens

Plantae: Equisetopsida

Yellow Buttercups

Hibbertia hypericoides subsp. hypericoides

Plantae: Equisetopsida

Cockies Tongue

Templetonia retusa

Plantae: Equisetopsida

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Koomal Dreaming

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Be trail ready

Here is everything you need to know before visiting this trail.

Time / Duration

5 to 7 days end-to-end. Trail can be hiked in smaller sections including day hikes.

Length

130km one way, end-to-end.

Trail Access

By road, Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, 265km from Perth

Trail Start

Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, 13km from Dunsborough, which is 265km (3 hours) south of Perth.

Get directions

Trail End

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, Leeuwin Road, Augusta which is 330km (3hrs 30mins) south of Perth.

Get directions

When to go

During cooler months - September to November and March to May.

What’s the weather like?

Bush Walk

Class 4

Difficult trail with rough surface that may have very steep hills or extensive rock hopping. Directional signage may be limited. Bushwalking experience, navigation and emergency first aid skills, and good fitness required.

Additional information

Moderate to difficult depending on section of trail.

What To Pack

Hazards & Warnings

Take care at water crossings. Beaches may be washed out after heavy storms and require an alternate route. During winter and spring the Margaret River mouth has an annual diversion inland between Kilcarnup and Wallcliffe Road. 

Limestone cliffs are unstable and can collapse at any time. Stay back from cliff edges and do not sit under cliff overhangs. 

Prohibited items

No pets, bikes or motorbikes. No campfires permitted at track campsites, use a fuel stove for cooking. 

Facilities

There are four campsites with tent areas, picnic tables, pit toilets and water tanks - accessible only by hikers.

Camping anywhere other than at official track campsites or formal campgrounds is not permitted.

There are drive in campgrounds, which can be accessed from the track, including Conto and Point Road (4WD only). Bookings are a must and can be made at Park Stay.

In addition there are also several privately managed campgrounds with vehicle access, e.g. Yallingup, Gracetown, Prevelly and Hamelin Bay.

The first 3.4km of the track is wheelchair accessible. See Cape Naturaliste to Sugarloaf Rock. 

  • Camping
  • Lookouts
  • Public Toilet
  • Sheltered Area
  • Car Park
  • Picnic Area
More tips for being Trail Ready

Today Aug 09, 10:11pm

14°C

Feels like 13°C

Max 16°

Min 10°

Precipitation: 99%

Visibility: 10km

Wind: 6km/h W

8-day forecast

Sun

16°

10°

Mon

14°

8°

Tue

15°

9°

Wed

16°

11°

Thu

15°

10°

Fri

17°

8°

Sat

19°

10°

Sun

19°

11°

Weather data provided by:

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9 trail goers have rated this trail as 4.89 out of 5!

We love to hear from people who've been on our Western Australian trails, so it would be most appreciated it if you wanted to leave a review.

Profile photo for Jacob W
Jacob W

Reviewed 9 Apr 2024, 10:28am

Truthfully one of the most enjoyable multi-day hikes I could imagine doing, though be warned, it can be a pretty difficult mental and physical battle.

Myself and a mate completed the C2C in 5 nights and 6 days, making use of the provided free campsites to silently give up and sleep as our blisters rubbed raw (didn't help that my shoes weren't broken in properly.)

Utilising the free campsites made for some lengthy and difficult days. Going from Boranup Forest with its (beautiful but painful) ascents and descents, to Hamelin Bays very very long stretch of flat sand, was a pretty rough battle to complete in the same day, although incredibly worth it (in retrospect..)

Each free campsite had plenty of unfiltered rain-water, so we didn't need to worry about dehydration, as long as we had enough purification drops. (Though this could change depending on the season I'm sure). The free campsites also had well looked after drop-toilets and lots of seating areas to have some yarns with fellow hikers.
Despite making for some long days, the free campsite approach to the Cape was a really rewarding and a good way to do it if you're not afraid to punish yourself a bit!

My only advice to anyone (like myself and my mate) who doesn't think too much about what happens after reaching the end, is put some time into planning into how to get back to wherever your car is.
We finished in Cape Leeuwin and realised that we weren't able to make it to Augusta in time for the bus back to Dunsborough, so we ended up hitch-hiking back to Cape Naturaliste, a very lengthy and daunting process as we'd essentially just finished the Cape to Cape and needed to do even MORE walking!?!?! Thankfully we met 5 absolute legends that helped us get to our car before we started to lose hope.
(Massive MASSIVE shout out to Andrew down Duns ways, you're a real G for picking us up during that final stretch. Cut down what would have been the most difficult 3 hours of the whole trip into a 15 minute drive, bossman!!)

TL;DR - The Cape to Cape is an absolutely amazing hike. I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone capable of pushing through some gnarly terrain and with enough sense to break in their shoes properly. Make sure you put some time into thinking about the end game of getting back to your car/location, and enjoy what is one of the best walks I've had the privilege of experiencing in recent years!
Mario RIBEIRO

Reviewed 6 Dec 2023, 10:22pm

Amazing range of landscapes, be prepared for lots of soft sand!
Donna Kirkham

Reviewed 26 Jul 2023, 8:42am

This is a gorgeous long distance walk! With cliff tops, beaches, rocky outcrops, forest, rivers, scrub, coastal towns, every day is a new experience.
I did the end to end solo, unassisted over 7 days and it was definitely a bucket list adventure :) (If you prefer wholesome meals and a soft bed, you could still enjoy this walk with a tour group)
At the right time of year you can see the whales migrating along the coast. I definitely recommend choosing a cooler week for the walk as there is no shade at all (at least until the Boranup Forest grows back) and the days are long!
Be prepared for endless hills and long beach walks through soft sand, but that's what we love right? ;D You will finish this hike much fitter than you began!
The campsites are nice and well maintained. All are free except for Conto (it's not much) or you can plan to stay in some of the towns along the way. 10/10 would do this again.
Jo Hinch

Reviewed 26 Jun 2023, 7:38pm

Brilliant walk .. challenging .. did it solo unassisted so much fun
Steve McBride

Reviewed 20 Jul 2022, 7:55pm

Delightful walk along a stunning part of the Australian coast, in parts reminding me of Ireland and Scotland. Diverse too with the beautiful shaded Karri forests and miles along deserted beaches. Did a hybrid trip, that is part guest houses and part camping, north to south. Well worth the effort and would like to do it again from south to north for the different views and perspectives.
Mike Crane

Reviewed 18 Nov 2016, 3:38pm

Great walk over six days with my son, not to be taken lightly. To train for this walk, put 15kg on your back and walk up and down sand dunes for eight hours at a time! I couldn't make up my mind what hurt the most, the sunburn, the sandflies, my calves, my knees or my back.
We would do it again tomorrow.
Kate Runs

Reviewed 12 Nov 2016, 8:50am

Ran a half marathon on part of this track, absolutely beautiful and great mixed terrain for a trail run!
steve bennett

Reviewed 24 Aug 2015, 9:02am

Excellent walk, took our time over 7 days and loved every second. Lots of variety of sand, trail, caves, bush and towns. The coast is spectacular.
steve bennett

Reviewed 20 Mar 2014, 11:55am

This is a must do for every bucket list. One week is all you need and the scenery is absolutely magnificent.

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