Cape to Cape Track, WA Lighthouse to lighthouse in five days

Two lighthouses, 125-odd kilometres of cliff, beach and karri forest, and not much in between but the Indian Ocean. Here's how to break it into five good days, what to carry, and the one river that decides which way you walk.

By Down to Earth, Busselton · Checked against Parks and Wildlife and the Cape to Cape Track Foundation, September 2026

Distance
125–130 kmFoundation says 125, Parks and Wildlife says 130
Time
5 to 7 daysVery fit walkers do it in 4 or 5
Best months
Spring, autumnSummer is hot; winter floods the river mouth
Water
4 L a dayPer person when camping, 2 L for a day walk

Plan around the river first

Halfway down, the Margaret River runs out to sea at Prevelly. Most of the year you can cross at the mouth with care, usually over the sandbar. From about June to October it can run deep and fast, and some days nobody's getting across at all.

Heading south, that's an inconvenience: there's a winter detour inland to the bridge. Heading north, it's a problem. You can only drive to the river mouth from the south side, so if it's running too high, the only way out is back the way you came.

Red months: the crossing can be dangerous or closed.

Five days, north to south

127 kilometres in five days, each one ending somewhere with a bed or a campsite. Scroll down and the line walks the coast with you.

  1. DAY 1 24 km

    Cape Naturaliste to Injidup

    The friendliest start you'll find on a long walk. The first 3.4 km, lighthouse to Sugarloaf Rock, is sealed path, suitable for assisted wheelchairs and prams, so bring whoever's seeing you off. They can wave goodbye at the rock.

    Then the real track begins: limestone cliff tops, a clamber down to the beaches around Yallingup and Smiths, and the first sand in your shoes. Get used to it.

    SLEEPMount Duckworth walker campsite, or a bed in Yallingup
    WATERCampsite tank, untreated, can run low
    GROUNDSealed path, then cliff top and sand

    BEFORE YOU START

    Eagle Bay Olives is on Cape Naturaliste Road, on your way to the lighthouse: a family-run grove planted back in 1998. Buy a bottle for the drive home. Your pack has enough to carry.

  2. DAY 2 23 km

    Injidup to Gracetown

    Cliffs, coves and one of the track's best short stretches: Moses Rock to Quininup Falls, just 1.9 km, and worth slowing right down for.

    You finish at Gracetown on Cowaramup Bay, where there's a caravan park for the night.

    SLEEPGracetown
    WATERRefill in town
    GROUNDCliff top, coves, beach

    A SHORT DRIVE INLAND

    Cowaramup is ten minutes inland. Seven Seas Tea hand-blends loose-leaf on the main street, and a small bag weighs next to nothing, so there's no excuse. Temper Temper makes chocolate on the same stretch of highway. Call it supplies.

  3. DAY 3 29 km

    Gracetown to Redgate

    The longest day, and the one with the river. You reach the Margaret River mouth at Prevelly partway through. Outside winter it can usually be crossed with care. In winter, check it before you leave Gracetown, not when you're standing on the bank.

    If your legs start filing complaints, this is the easy day to split. Prevelly and Margaret River have beds, and you rejoin the track for Redgate the next morning.

    SLEEPPrevelly or Margaret River area
    CROSSINGMargaret River mouth, June to Oct risk
    GROUNDBeach and cliff, soft sand in places

    REST DAY IN TOWN

    Margaret River town is a short drive from the river mouth. Vasse Virgin has made olive oil soap since the 1990s and has a store in the township. A bar for the end-of-week shower is the one luxury worth its weight.

  4. DAY 4 28 km

    Redgate to Hamelin Bay

    The day the track turns its back on the sea. It heads inland through the karri trees of Boranup Forest, cool and shaded after three days of open coast, then drops back to the water at Hamelin Bay.

    South of here it gets wilder: fewer people, fewer roads, more coast to yourself.

    SLEEPHamelin Bay, or Boranup and Contos campgrounds nearby
    BOOKContos: numbered sites on ParkStay since June 2026
    GROUNDForest track, then beach
  5. DAY 5 23 km

    Hamelin Bay to Cape Leeuwin

    The home straight. It ends at Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, where the Indian and Southern oceans meet, and where you'll want a lift sorted before you ever set off. Augusta is the nearest town.

    FINISHCape Leeuwin Lighthouse
    WATERFill up at Hamelin Bay
    GROUNDRemote coast, beach and cliff

    FOR THE LIGHTHOUSE

    Pack one good bar of chocolate on day one and don't touch it until Leeuwin. Bahen & Co grinds its chocolate on stone at a family farm near Margaret River. You'll have earned it.

Four short sections Parks and Wildlife picks out as highlights. One way, so plan a pick-up or walk back.

Cape Naturaliste to Sugarloaf Rock

3.4 km

Sealed path, fine for assisted wheelchairs and prams.

Smiths Point to Injidup Beach

5.8 km

Coves and cliff tops around Yallingup.

Moses Rock to Quininup Falls

1.9 km

The shortest of the four.

Every morning, before you walk

  1. Check the Fire Danger Rating on Emergency WA. Extreme or Catastrophic means you don't walk today.
  2. Check Park Alerts from Parks and Wildlife. Burns and bushfire risk can close or reroute parts of the track.
  3. Tell someone where you're sleeping tonight. Parks and Wildlife has a trip intentions form for exactly this.
  4. Charge your phone. Coverage comes and goes, and without it you can't call 000.

Packing list

Tick things off as they go in the pack. Your ticks stay saved on this phone or computer, so you can wander off and come back.

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Water

Staying found

Weather

Camp

Feet and food

Leave at home

The dog. No dogs, horses or other pets anywhere on the track.

Cape to Cape questions

How many days does the Cape to Cape Track take?

Five to seven days end to end for most walkers; the Foundation says six or seven is most common. Very fit walkers finish in four or five. You can also walk it in sections using the access roads.

Can beginners walk the Cape to Cape?

Yes, if they pick their sections. The first 3.4 km from Cape Naturaliste is sealed path. The full track has steep, rough stretches and plenty of soft sand, so first-timers are happier with shorter days or the four short walks above.

Where can you get water on the track?

In towns, from springs, and from tanks at the walker campsites. Tanks can run low when the track is busy, and none of the tank or stream water is treated, so carry a way to treat it and about 4 litres a day.

Do you need to book campsites?

The track's own walker campsites can't be booked; groups are asked to let Parks and Wildlife know ahead. Contos campground is different: since 8 June 2026 you book a numbered site through ParkStay WA. Fees apply at the campgrounds.

Which direction should you walk?

Either works most of the year. In winter, walk north to south: if the Margaret River mouth can't be crossed, southbound walkers have an inland diversion and northbound walkers have to turn back.

Can you take a dog on the Cape to Cape?

No. Dogs, horses and other pets aren't allowed anywhere on the track.