South West WA

Motorcycle Trip: Riding Down South West of Perth

Leaving Lake Moyanup behind us, it was another 33-kilometre push deeper south down the highway to reach the pristine forest waters of Lake Harvey. The ride down was a masterclass in open-road freedom as the farming plains began to give way to thicker, older timber blocks and the winding foothills of the scarp. When we finally rolled off the main road and down toward the banks, the sheer scale of the place took our breath away. We rode right down onto the edge of the foreshore, parked our CRFs on the grass, and pulled our camping chairs out from the gear bags. It was mesmerizing. Look at it yourself.

The view from the water edge is completely hypnotic. The deep blue expanse stretches out until it meets a wall of dark green jarrah and pine forests marching right over the surrounding peaks. There is an incredible peace when you hear the water softly lapping at the bank. In that moment, surrounded by nothing but massive waters, towering forests, and boundless blue skies, you realize this is exactly why we left the comfort of Byford behind. 

After absorbing the views and relaxing a bit, we packed up the chairs and turned the CRFs inland toward the hills of Collie. A short fifty-kilometre ride through the winding Mornington Road forest tracks brought us to the edge of Black Diamond Lake. They say this lake has the bluest water in the world, and guess what, it really does live up to its hype because the vibrant turquoise colour against the white limestone cliffs is unreal. Look at the photo below.

We admired the lake for a while before clicking the CRFs back into gear for a short twenty-three kilometre run down into the deep valley of Wellington National Park. Our destination was Honeymoon Pool, and the moment you descend into the park the scenery changes completely. The wide-open skies disappear as you ride under a dense, overhead canopy of towering jarrah and marri forest trees. We pulled up right beside the winding Collie River where the water forms a wide swimming hole shaded completely by the ancient forest. And there is a camping spot right next to it which we have already marked for our next camping trip.

By now our stomachs were completely empty and the hunger was hitting us hard. We packed up and decided to point the front wheels toward the coast for a thirty-nine kilometre cruise down to the ocean. Our target was the Dôme Café right on the water at Koombana Bay in Bunbury. The promise of a massive hot lunch and a cold drink by the beach was the only motivation we needed to twist the throttles and hit the open highway.

We parked the bikes right outside the café. I ordered a hearty beef lasagna while Mustafa smashed down a chicken parmigiana. With our energy fully restored, we geared back up for an 89 kilometre afternoon push straight down toward our final stop for the night at Yallingup. The highway opened up as we rode further south, tracing the edge of the Geographe Bay before turning onto the twisting paths of Caves Road. We pulled up to the coast in Yallingup just as the sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the sky in deep shades of orange and pink. It was spectacular. We spent an unforgettable evening relaxing on the headland, watching the waves roll in, and letting the absolute stillness of the coast sink in.