Lodge Review: Yanchep Inn, Western Australia

Nothing beats staying in a National Park such as Yanchep to have the best access to early morning birding.  It’s so easily reached from Perth too!

Yanchep

 

Be greeted by the official welcoming committee of Western Grey Kangaroos!IMG_6616

 

The reception area and adjacent restaurant have a warm safari lodge feel to them.  You can get budget priced meal-of-the-day or order from a nice selection on the menu at higher prices.IMG_6619 IMG_6645a

Cars can be parked reasonably close to the units so you don’t have to carry your bags far.IMG_6544 IMG_6545

 

This was our room, we could see lots of birds just sitting on the patio like Carnaby’s Cockatoos flying overhead and Splendid Fairy-wrens hopping around the bushes.IMG_6550

Everything you need is here including a toaster and mini-fridge.  Not fancy but with all the wildlife around you won’t be spending much time in your room.IMG_6549Fancier rooms with spa bath and lake views are available if you are after a romantic getaway with a side dish of nature!

The Lakeview rooms are the newest addition to our accommodation. All rooms contain King Size beds, are air-conditioned, contain a television, bar fridge and large bathrooms. The Ensuites are fitted with a walk in Shower in the Standards or a Bath with Spa jets in our Spa rooms. All Lakeview rooms have either a Balcony or Veranda overlooking the Kangaroos and Loch McNess.

Whatever you choose, try to spend a couple days here to take in all the birds and just relax.  Rooms are easily booked online.

Kangaroos Everywhere!

There’s no escaping them, not that most visitors to Yanchep would want to.  Western Grey Kangaroos are literally everywhere!

They greet you as you drive into the property.

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They are all over the lawn.

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They come close to your room!

IMG_6608This is where you come to get those up-close shots of wild kangaroos to make your friends jealous!  They are used to people taking photos and are pretty calm about it.

Easy Birding At Yanchep National Park

In my last post, I talked about Yanchep as a destination.  The nice thing about Yanchep is you can be as active or as lazy as you want and you will STILL see lots of birds!  I’m in the lazy camp.  I did do one hike around the small lake opposite Yanchep Inn but mostly I just kicked back at a picnic table or my room’s porch.  Eremaea has a good bird list to give you an idea what to expect.  Here’s some of the birds I saw.

Lots of Waterbirds

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Cheeky Galahs

IMG_6526aCarnaby’s Cockatoos

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Black SwansIMG_6459

Australian Ringnecks

IMG_6445a IMG_6609Laughing Kookaburras (they will try to steal your food!)

IMG_6540 IMG_6542 IMG_6446Purple Swamphens

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Scarlet Robins

 

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Brown Honeyeater

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Splendid Fairy-wrens (vivid males and duller females)

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Australian Wood Ducks (I think)

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Australian MagpieIMG_6438 IMG_6461

Red Wattlebird IMG_6469

Australian Wood Ducks (I think)

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Red Wattlebird IMG_6496

Australian Wood DuckIMG_6527

Red Wattlebird

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Welcome SwallowsIMG_6610

Destination: Yanchep National Park, Western Australia

There are so many things to love about Yanchep National Park in Western Australia!  The scenery is stunning, it’s easily accessible from Perth, accommodation is reasonable and of course there are lots of beautiful birds to watch!

At less than an hour’s drive from Perth, there is no reason even business travelers can’t sneak in a day trip to commune with nature but if you have time it’s well worth spending a couple days here.

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Fees apply though these appear to be built into the room rates if you are staying at Yanchep Inn.

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You can download a full brochure here but I will point out a few of the highlights.  It’s a small park and easily walkable.

YanchepOn the left side of the map, you can see the hiking trail that circumnavigates the lake.  It takes about half an hour but you will want to take it slower than that to keep an eye out for birds.  It’s a well-marked trail with bridges and planks to keep you safe.  Really active people may want to hike all the way to the Crystal Caves (right side of map).

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The Koala Park is right next to the Yanchep Inn and park volunteers give very interesting talks at certain times of day and are happy to answer any questions.

IMG_6487 IMG_6488 IMG_6489 IMG_6492There’s a nice gift shop with a good variety of nature-themed and Aussie-made souvenirs.  even if you don’t like shopping the display is worth a look.  It doubles as a visitor centre and the staff are happy to offer advice on what to do and see in the park.IMG_6503 IMG_6504 IMG_6505 IMG_6506 IMG_6507 IMG_6508 IMG_6502Just near the gift shop is a small cafe for coffee, snacks and ice cream.

IMG_6512 IMG_6500Since we stayed two nights at the Yanchep Inn, I will review it on a separate post.

 

 

Kangaroos & Cockatoos – The Road To Yanchep

After leaving Kalbarri, we drove through the National Park and met up with route 1 headed south going through Gerladton.  Here are some of the highlights we encountered along the way.

Kangaroos still within the park boundaries.

IMG_6379 IMG_6382Red-tailed Black Cockatoos just south of the park.

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Carnaby’s Cockatoos – not sure of exact location but about 2 hours before we reached Yanchep.

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