Dongara Info & Accommodation, WA - Dongara/Port Denison, Australia

The twin towns of Port Denison & Dongara are located roughly 350km north of Perth, Western Australia and are known as the Lobster Capital of Western Australia. Although the area thrives mainly on it's healthy fishing industry, the towns also claim to off numerous tourist attractions coupled with a range of affordable accommodation and restaurants. Dongara and Port Denison are in the shire of Irwin (population 3,500) which boasts a relaxed lifestyle, beautiful beaches and many historical sites. The Dongara/Denison Visitors Centre can be found at 9 Waldeck St, Dongara.

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Dongara Tourist Park, WA

AKERS DOES AUS

African Reef Beach Resort Restaurant

Review of Dongara/Port Denison by Akerz, 14th July 2007.

If you are as unsure as I was, Port Denison & Dongara are from what I now understand, two separate suburbs that expanded to the point where they joined are now viewed as one destination. From the main drag in Dongara, it is about 5kms south to the Port Denison Marina, which was our first port of call (since we were heading north, of course).

Those pretty blue signs with the 'i' on them were once again our shining stars which we followed to the Dongara Tourist Centre which overflows with neatly organised tourist information. We gathered a bonfire worth of research material and sat at the beach creating a short list of things we should do while in Dongara. Our 'short list' was quite extensive leading us to believe we could stay in Dongara for several days without getting bored.

Regardless of the beautiful weather, it was in fact the middle of winter so let's presume Dongara is more lively in Summer. Blue Ocean Gallery... closed. Toko Restaurant... closed. Old Police Station Museum... closed. Live Lobster Tour... closed. Dongara Golf Course... closed. It was Friday the 13th (July, school holidays) so we thought that possibly Dongara / Denison folk were overly superstitious folk and closed everything down on this spooky day.

One set of tourist attractions that never closes is an array of mapped walks throughout the Dongara/Denison area. We gave one of these a crack using the Dongara Walks Map lifted from the Dongara Denison Visitors Centre. The walks are of varying distances from 1.5km to 9km and suit different interests. Recommended. Come on slackers, find thirty. We visited The Old Flour Mill which was quite impressive from the outside, not sure if it is ever open to the public to walk through.

Simply because it was the first of 5 caravan parks we drove past, we checked into the Dongara Tourist Park (see separate review) from which we witnesses an amazing 'shepherd's delight' style sunset.

The next day we had a bit more luck & discovered that the most happening place open in Dongara was the Transfer Station (rubbish tip). We noticed several vehicles going into the tip while we again sat outside the nearby Ocean Blue Gallery trying to decipher whether it was open or not (although the padlocked front gate did kinda give away the answer).

After some posing with Dongara's giant lobster, we drove north to the Silverdale Olive Orchard and then back tracked to the Irwin River Vineyard. Both of these were small family operated businesses not expectant of many visitors this time of year. The Olive Orchard and Vineyard both had quality products to offer so my unavoidable heart felt obligation to purchase something after tasting, was not a concern. The rare, tasty mix of GST (grenache, Shiraz, Touriga (?)) was later devoured that night while the olive oil shall make a nice gift to be sent home to Perth.

The Dongara Bakery, where we grabbed our pies & pasties for lunch, is worth checking out, particularly since we found it full of locals. Our visit to the Dongara Hotel for a pint did not leave us with a good impression. The staff were as friendly-as-can-be to locals but served us out of towners with clear distaste. If you like loud, rude bar staff with tourettes syndrome, be sure to pop into the Dongara Hotel for a beer or a snack.

The Dongara town centre along Moreton Terrace is lined with Moreton Bay fig tress which recently celebrated their 100th birthday having been planted in 1906. This is where we put our feet up and enjoyed a drink at the Coffee Tree Book cafe which offers interesting books & tasty meals in addition to quality coffee.

So where, oh where to eat dinner? The only nice restaurant on the Moreten Tce strip had been renamed to 'For Lease' so perhaps the pretty Priory Hotel is an option? An option we didn't take after we went to have a look and before seeing the menu, we discovered what night the Skimpys are serving and that bikies are not welcome if they are wearing their emblazoned jackets etc. Not near as nice as the brochures indicated but the restaurant & hotel section did look decent enough, just not for us at that stage.

We were planning in staying in Dongara/Port Denison for at least another night but were both over it all. After I yelled out 'Seeya Later Suckers' from the Akervan echoed by Snichy's 'Seeya Stinktown', we were outa there and off to Greenough & Geraldton.

Dongara/Denison... done & dusted. Carpe Diem Baby -Akerz.

Things to do in Dongara & Denison, Western Australia

Explore the Beaches - Seaspray Beach (Town Beach), Surf Beach, Granny's Beach & South Beach.
Fisherman's Scenic Lookout - Obelisk - One of two obelisks build in 1869. The lookout offers a panoramic view of the Port Denison & the fishing boat harbour. Fisherman's lookout is at the south end of the marina (Port Denison).
Port Denison Foreshore & Harbour - Grassed areas with bbqs, shaded picnic tables, playground & toilets. As well as a public boat ramp, there is special parking available for caravans & large motor homes.
Shipwreck Walk - Organised by the Dongara Historical Society, the Shipwreck Walk at the Port Denison foreshore explains about the shipwrecks of the Denison coast with a plaque dedicated to each shipwreck.
Old Police Station Museum - (visited by Akerz n Snichy) A must for history buffs but don't lose any sleep if you give it a miss and save $5 a head. Further north, the Historic Pioneer Museum in Greenough gets a higher Akerating.
Wildflowers - The Irwin (Crikey!) Shire has many species of flora with some species viewable all year. Best time to view wildflowers is from late July to October.
Dongara Sport & Tackle - Hire a set of golf clubs and take them down to the 18 hole Dongara Golf Course.
Drive in Cinema - Open during the summer months, the Drive-in shows new movies on Saturday nights. Treats available from the Kiosk.

Accommodation in Dongara Denison

Dongara Tourist Park - Caravan Park on the beach with luxury chalets also available.
Dongara Hotel Motel - Located in the heart of Dongara with 28 air-conditioned rooms.
Getaway Beach - Two bedroom beach houses with fantastic views
Sea Spray Beach Resort - Holiday Accommodation (& caravan park) right on the beach.

More information on Dongara/Port Denison, Australia/Dongara Info & Accommodation, WA can be found at this website.