It is pleasingly hard to believe that such wonderfully wild, unspoilt shoreline could be so very easy to reach.
All photos copyright Doug Spencer, 14 September 2020.
Mandalay Beach is just inside the eastern boundary of D’Entrecasteaux National Park
The featured image was taken from the western end of the beach, looking out to Chatham Island, which is circa three kilometres offshore.
The photo below, taken 55 minutes later, and circa 10 minutes worth of westward walking, looks east.
Perchance you are driving south, down Highway 1, be sure to turn right at Crystal Springs, and take the unsealed but 2WD-friendly road to Mandalay Beach, which is only a few minutes away.
If you are heading west, from Walpole, that turnoff is on your left, within 20 minutes of Walpole.
Mandalay Beach sits at the southwestern edge of the so-called Walpole Wilderness.
That “wilderness” will be celebrated in a future post, after the conclusion of the present series; meanwhile, click here for a Walpole Wilderness overview.
Mandalay Beach takes its name from a Norwegian ship that was wrecked off its shore in 1911; more than a century later, the ever-shifting sands still sometimes briefly allow visitors a glimpse of the wreck.
Click this for more info.
By this location’s standards, the sea was relatively “flat” on this particular day, but even so…
The road in is safe and easy, as are pedestrian access to the beach, and walking along it.
The sea here is (very) full force Southern Ocean; even on “calm” days the rips are potentially lethal.
At Mandalay, always stay on the beach – do not immerse yourself in the ocean.