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By: Monique Ceccato
Whether you’re looking for a spot to cast a line, a good launchpad for your canoe, or somewhere to get the perfect ‘jetty in the sunset’ photo, you’re spoilt for choice here in WA.
We’ve got jetties galore, and these 10 are some of the most iconic.
Busselton foreshore
No WA jetty is more iconic than the heritage-listed, 1.84km-long Busselton Jetty.
Not only is it the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere, but it’s also the only one in the state with a small passenger train running its length. It’s also the only one with an underwater observatory at its ocean end, where you can come face to face with the squid, wrasse, and nudibranches that live among the coral- and sponge-covered pylons some 8 metres below the surface.
Tickets to the observatory include a return train ride, but walking at least one leg of the journey is highly encouraged. As you wander, you’ll pass kids jumping off the deck, locals squid fishing, and perhaps even a school of bottlenose dolphins or a migratory whale. Once you’ve got your steps in, reward yourself with lunch at Shelter Brewery or The Goose on the foreshore, with the jetty you’ve just walked as your backdrop.
RAC members save 5% on Busselton Jetty experiences, including train rides and entry to the underwater observatory.
1 Jetty Road, Derby
The best place to witness the Southern Hemisphere’s largest tidal change is from the horseshoe-shaped Derby Jetty. Head out at the end of March or the end of April, and you’ll witness the largest of the king tides, with up to 12 metres of difference between low and high tide. It’s an unbelievable contrast, with the seemingly dry mudflats and fully exposed jetty pylons completely submerged just six hours later.
The original jetty was built in 1885 to serve early pastoralists, but these days, the 1960s rebuild is more a place of recreation. It’s a great place to sit and watch the sun set over King Sound, or go fishing. During the incoming tide, do as the locals do and drop a baited crab net or handline off the edge of the jetty to try your luck at catching dinner. Mudcrabs, barramundi, and northwest salmon are all at their most active as the water floods back into the sound, which happens twice every 24 hours. Keep an eye on the daily tides online to time your fishing trip to the tee.
Mermaid Avenue, Albany
U-shaped and floating, the jetty at Emu Point, just a few kilometres northeast of Albany city centre, is one of WA’s most unique. With no direct access from the sand, you have to wade or swim through the shallow, calm water to reach the jetty’s deck, which sits a few metres from shore.
On the beach side of the structure, kids splash, swim, and snorkel, unless they’re busy burning some energy on the outdoor playground just off the carpark. On the back side of the jetty, hobby anglers cast lines in with the hopes of hooking some King George whiting or bream to throw on the communal barbecues for lunch. If luck isn’t on the side of those fishing, Emu Point Cafe is conveniently located across the street.
It’s got all palates covered with local beer-battered fish and chips, burritos, and steak sandwiches all on the menu.
Roberts Street, Jurien Bay
Jurien Bay has gone from having two jetties to one, but the small holiday town has gained so much for it. The 162m-long, curved jetty—built in 2011 to replace the storm-damaged originals—is a hub of recreational activity. It’s used as a base for fishing for pink snapper and Spanish mackerel, a launch point for snorkelling the nearby coral bommies, and as a sunset and wildlife viewpoint.
The action extends beyond the pylons and deck, with young ones spending their mornings running, climbing, and sliding on the Dobbyn Park playground at the jetty’s base while mum and dad nurse a takeaway from the Jurien Bay Beach Cafe.
After your day at the jetty, the town’s best cafes and watering holes—Bay Bakery Cafe, Meraki Cafe, and Sandpiper Tavern and Pizzeria—are just a hop, skip, and jump away on Roberts Street.
Wulyibidi Yaninyina Walking Trail, Shark Bay
You can see Monkey Mia’s famed residents from one of two popular vantage points: on the shore, with the water lapping at your feet, or from above on the deck of the Monkey Mia Jetty.
Though technically, you’re a little farther from the action, being perched on the structure means nothing—or no one—gets between you and your view of the shallows and cruising dolphins. It’s also a prime sunrise or sunset-watching spot, as the structure's position in the bay means the sun both rises and sets over the ocean.
To see more marine life in Shark Bay Marine Park, board one of the catamarans that dock at the jetty and head out on a morning wildlife tour; sightings of turtles, manta rays, dugongs, and, of course, dolphins are all on the cards. They also run sunset tours, for a relaxing way to end the day.
Or, there’s always Boughshed Restaurant at RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort, serving chilled wine and cold beer, fresh goldband snapper, and perfect sunset views of the Monkey Mia Jetty.
Annear Place, Carnarvon
In 2017, Carnarvon’s famed One Mile Jetty—built in 1898 to transport wood, livestock, bananas, and beans from the Gascoyne to the world—closed to the public because of safety risks. In April 2021, Cyclone Seroja swept through, further damaging the already fragile structure. Now, almost 10 years after its closure, $4.5 million is being invested in refurbishing the jetty, expected to be completed around mid-2027.
You can’t walk out on the jetty just yet, but there’s still reason to visit, with plenty to see and do within the One Mile Jetty Heritage Precinct. At the One Mile Jetty Museum, you can learn more about Australia's biggest naval disaster, which happened off the Carnarvon Coast.
Outside, the open-air Babbage Island Rail Museum features a collection of trains and vintage machinery that tells the story of how the jetty tramway once transported shipped goods. And, to get your 10,000 steps in for the day, there are walking trails to the mouth of the Gascoyne River and to the mangrove boardwalk.
9 Dampier Terrace, Broome
No part of Broome is untouched by its pearling history, and the shoreline at the end of Short Street is no different. In 1897, a small channel was cut through the mangrove forest, and English pearl dealers E. W. Streeter and Co built a jetty so they could access Broome via Dampier Creek. Through storms and king tides, Streeter's Jetty still stands, last reconstructed in 2021.
Take the 2.5km self-guided Yawuru Jetty to Jetty walk, linking both Streeter’s and Town Beach jetties, to learn more of their history. 13 marked historical sites along the way offer deeper insight into the Yawuru people and culture, and Broome’s fascinating pearling industry.
Time your arrival at Streeter’s Jetty for low tide to see the mud flats in all their glory, or wait for high tide to see the striking turquoise water contrast against the mangroves.
Ellis Street, Augusta
Kayaking trips on the Blackwood River in Augusta begin and end at Old Ellis Street Jetty. It’s the perfect place to launch your arm-powered vessel for a few hours of peaceful paddling, but there’s also an adjacent boat ramp should you prefer utilising horsepower instead.
In the absence of either, you can explore the river’s shoreline via the river boardwalk. It begins at the old jetty and leads right around to the river mouth and The Colour Patch Cafe, weaving through peppermints and paperbarks along the way.
Back at Old Ellis Street Jetty, refuel after your paddle or walk with coffee and cake, or a piping-hot serve of fish and chips, from one of the cafes along Blackwood Ave. It’s the town's main street, just one block up from the jetty.
The Esplanade, Esperance
Opened in March 2021, the new 415-meter-long Tanker Jetty pays homage to the former curved structure that stood there since 1935.
It was once an important part of the logistical chain for getting oil to the Goldfields, but activity at the jetty ceased in the mid-70s when operations moved to the newer, larger port.
Now, the Tanker Jetty is one part of a larger lifestyle precinct. At the end of the structure, a diving platform leads onto an artificial reef and dive trail, one of the few places in Australia where you can see the rare leafy seadragon.
Fishing is another common pastime, with herring, whiting, and squid all fair game. At the jetty’s base is a large grassed area, a shaded playground, and Coffee Cat, where you can pick up something caffeinated to keep you going as the kids run amok.
Cockburn Road, Coogee
The biggest clue to Woodman Point Ammo Jetty’s history is in its name. Built in 1903, the Coogee landing was once a busy hub, with ships docking to load and unload large quantities of commercial and military explosives. Elsewhere in the nature reserve that abuts the beach, near the intersection of Cockburn Road and Nyyerbup Circle, the dilapidated remains of the magazine/ammunition bunkers stand as a reminder of the jetty’s past.
The future of Woodman Point Ammo Jetty looks bright, with works underway to improve access and create more space on the deck for recreation. Though currently closed, swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving, and fishing on and around the jetty are expected to resume in summer 2027.
With the work carried out carefully around the marine-life-covered piles installed in 1939, the habitat will be preserved, and it should be business as usual beneath the surface.
Hamelin Bay
Only a few pylons remain of the old Hamelin Bay Jetty, built in 1881 to support the timber industry and left to rot after its closure in 1913.
Though it barely resembles a jetty anymore, it’s still considered one of WA’s most iconic. It’s likely one of the more photographed, too, with many camera-wielders finding the weathered timber and the bay’s crystal-clear shallows a tempting subject.
Add in the resident rays, and it’s a picture-perfect scene. Almost every day in the summer, smooth stingrays, black stingrays, and eagle rays glide through the shallows by the pylons and boat ramp, foraging for food. They’re docile, so there’s no need to be afraid of them. But as with any wildlife encounter, keep your distance and don’t touch or feed them.
Banner image: Scott Slawinksi
