When Derek and I were bush camping at Speeds Point near Streaky Bay in May 2015, I had cycled the Westall Way Loop. I remembered it as a great experience and had always hoped to return and write the ride up as a blog article.
In December 2017, we were back again, although this time we were staying in Streaky Bay Caravan Park. The forecast for the day was hot, so I got up early and drove 17 kilometres out to Tractor Beach, ready to start my ride at 6:15 am. (Bush camping is also permitted at Tractor Beach.)
Just after I arrived, the sun began to appear over the horizon.
Driving to my start point, I had seen over 20 brown kangaroos in and near the saltmarshes between Sceale Bay Road and Tractor Beach. In the first few kilometres of my ride I saw another five.
The road was quite corrugated, much more so than the Cape Bauer loop which I had cycled a couple of days previously. Soon I was climbing gradually towards High Cliff, where there were views across to a prominent headland and Hideaway Beach.
The Granites
From High Cliff it was less than a kilometre to the turnoff to the Granites. The track down to these granite boulders is steep, and then after that there is a stairwell with 110 steps down to sea level.
I didn’t do the stairs today, as I had done them the day before when driving the Westall Way Loop with Derek. This is what the Granites look like at sea level:
The Westall Way Loop continued past another lookout and Westall Point.
Smooth Pool
When I came to the turnoff to Smooth Pool, I had cycled nine kilometres so far. It was a long way down the track from the road and steep towards the end. Smooth Pool is a quiet lagoon, protected from the surf only metres away.
Once I had climbed the hill away from Smooth Pool, I passed Fisherman’s Paradise, which is a quaint collection of shacks and sheds. By now I had cycled 11 kilometres.
Yanerbie Sand Hills
It was starting to get warm as I turned away from the coast. The Yanerbie sand hills were on my right for the next ten kilometres.
I took a turnoff into the Yanerbie sand hills,
but soon realised that there was a lot of potential to get lost in such a place. I followed my bike tyre marks back to the road.
For the final eight kilometres I was cycling direct west. The sun was beating on my back. In fact, I later discovered that I had been sunburnt through my cycling top!
When I arrived back at Tractor Beach it was already 30 degrees, although it was still before 10 o’clock. I had cycled 31 kilometres and climbed 314 metres. Most of the climbing had been in the first nine kilometres.
In conclusion, although the Westall Way Loop is very scenic, this is a ride best suited for the cooler months of the year. The Cape Bauer Loop, also near Streaky Bay, is another lovely cycling loop in the area.
