Yanchep Western Australia
Lovely suburb with amazing natural charm not far from urban centres.
At a Glance
Yanchep, being one of the northernmost suburb of metropolitan Perth, is surprising quiet and charming. Its popularity is gradually increasing as interest grew to develop the area into a major urban centre.
Perhaps one of the most well known place to visit in Yanchep is the Yanchep National Park, it is an amazing place full of wild flora and fauna. The park is especially striking during the spring season when the wildflowers start blooming. This is the place to go if you want to look at the iconic Australian animals - the kangaroo and the koala - in their natural habitat. Yanchep is also known for its gorgeous lagoon, a perfect sheltered swimming spot.
Where is Yanchep?
Yanchep is 56 kilometres north of Perth.
Yanchep is one of the northern suburb of Perth, situated between Two Rocks to the north and other rural localities to the south. The urban population of the suburb is located nearer to the coast of the Indian Ocean, with most other part of the suburbs enveloped in the Yanchep National Park. The area was known for its unique landscape with lakes and caves. One of the best ways to get to Yanchep is to hire a car from Perth Airport.
Things to see in Yanchep
Yanchep Lagoon Beach
Yanchep Lagoon Beach is the perfect place for swimming, snorkeling and fishing. The lagoon itself is gorgeous, with clear aqua blue water against the white glistering sand, separated by reefs. The lagoon is not very deep, and therefore is suitable also for children. Beach fishing is popular here and is done outside of the flag boundaries, the area is also known for its availability of abalone.
Image © Jpoeta2
Yanchep National Park
The Yanchep National Park takes up a huge chunk of the Yanchep suburb, and is a perfect place for nature lovers. Due to its large size, there are a huge variety of activities you can do here. The more adventurous can go on some of the walk trails in the park, there are nine walk trails designed to suit people of different abilities, they range from short treks of 500m to a challenging distance of 46.2km. Else, you can just relax along the banksia woodlands and have a picnic there, barbecue facilities are available there. There is also a koala boardwalk there, allowing you to admire these adorable animal at their natural habitat.
Image © Ausxan
Crystal Cave
Located within the Yanchep National Park are more than 400 different caves. One of them is the Crystal Cave, where you can have an unique experience of the underground world. The cave is lined with limestones and has lots of peculiar geological formations that were formed through centuries of geological processes. A guided tour of the cave is available, educating you on the creatures that inhabit this labyrinth as well as how the cave itself is formed.
Image © Parks and Wildlife Service WA
Golf Courses
There are multiple golf courses in the Yanchep area. They are considered the few best golf course in the region, being located so close to the natural bushlands and woodlands. You may even spot some kangaroos chilling around the premise while enjoying your sport!
Image © Tourism Western Australia
What's the weather like?
As a suburb of Perth, Yanchep has a very similar climate to other places in the area, having long sunlight hours. Yanchep follows a southern hemisphere Mediterranean climate where summers are warm and dry, while winters are cool and wet. In Summer (December to February), the average maximum temperature is 31°C with an average minimum temperature of 19°C. In Winter (June to August), the average maximum temperature is 16°C with an average minimum temperature of 9°C.
Get to know Yanchep's history
The area around Yanchep was a popular hunting site of the local Noongar aboriginal people for many millennia. The tribe named to area 'Nyanyi-Yandjip' after the geographic features that they thought is similar to a mythological dreamtime creature called Waugul. The name 'Yanchep' itself came from the latter part of the aboriginal naming 'Yandjip', which refers to the local reeds found near the lakes here.
The area was first visited by a European in 1834 while searching for his lost cattle. Subsequent visitor came to survey the land and to visit the caves that were known in the area. Infrastructure were improved subsequently that would be used by drovers. The settling of the area took place in 1901 and the area was mainly a sheep station until the 1970s, when a city was proposed by Alan Bond to be built on the area. This led to a more substantial infrastructural boost and development in the area.