The Mandurah foreshore is a magnet for picnickers enjoying the wide, grassy stretch lining the estuary, as well as families and couples. There are rugged beaches where you can explore in a four-wheel drive, such as Tims Thicket, or quieter swimming stretches including Town Beach and Halls Head Beach. There’s also the Peel-Harvey Estuary which is twice the size of Sydney Harbour and contains samphire salt marshes and the internationally significant Peel-Yalgorup Wetlands.
The first people of the region were the Bindjareb people of the Noongar Nation, who named the locality Mandjoogoordap (now Mandurah) which translates to ‘meeting place of the heart’. Travelers visiting the region can learn the stories, secrets and traditions of one of the oldest surviving cultures on earth on an Aboriginal history and culture tour such as Mandjoogoordap Dreaming, Goolamwiin, and Kaarak Dreaming.
In addition to nature-based adventures and aboriginal tours on offer, the small town has many exciting events lined up for 2023 and we’ve included a sampling below.
- The Channel Seven Mandurah Crab Fest is Mandurah’s (Mandjoogoordap) premier event, enjoyed by more than 100,000 locals and visitors who come together to celebrate the city’s vibrant coastal lifestyle and the iconic blue manna crab. The jam-packed weekend festival takes place March 18-19 and features a variety of fun-filled activities, including live performances from international and local talent, cooking displays, and free family entertainment. Of course, food is in abundance with tasty crab-inspired dishes, fresh seafood and sweet treat delicacies. Due to the popularity of the annual event, the WA Government recently announced a new three-year sponsorship to support the Channel 7 Mandurah Crab Fest through to 2025.
- Thomas Dambo’s Giants of Mandurah, a free world-class outdoor installation by internationally acclaimed Danish artist Thomas Dambo, lands in the Mandurah and Peel region of Western Australia at the end of 2022. Towering up to five meters high, Dambo’s artworks are an evocative, playful and gentle reminder of the environmental impact humans have had on the earth. Dambo’s work has a deep sustainability focus, with each sculpture carefully handcrafted from recycled, mostly locally sourced, timber. In this latest edition of the series, the unique wooden structures will call Australia home, shining a spotlight on the outstanding beauty of the areas in and around the Peel Inlet, Harvey Estuary, Greenfields, Dawesville and other locations close to Mandurah’s town center.
