Your Ultimate Guide To Seeing The Giants Of Mandurah And More

Seaside getaways are a dime a dozen in Western Australia. But none have quite the same charm as Mandurah.

Mandurah is an outer-metro region rippled with canals, wetlands, and gaping bays. The lifestyle here is unhurried, with visitors and residents leaning heavily into boating, camping, and fishing. It feels nostalgic, reminiscent of those ice cream-filled family getaways of your childhood – and it’s become famous for the incredible Giants of Mandurah .

Mandurah aerial — Relax into the laid-back lifestyle on Mandurah. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo has installed five large-scale art pieces – known as the Giants of Mandurah – around the region (and one more in Subiaco) in an Australian-first outdoor exhibition. Heading out on the interactive trail to find them is a great excuse to get out and about in the city, exploring the natural landscapes and many meandering waterways.

How to get to Mandurah:

Mandurah is just 70km south of the Perth CBD, a 50-minute drive along the Kwinana Freeway or a 55-minute train from the Perth Underground Train Station. It’s ideally located en route to the Margaret River Region.

Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone Giant, giants of mandurah — Marvel at the Giants of Mandurah, like Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone Giant. (Image: Visit Mandurah)

If you have one day:

Twenty-four hours mightn’t seem so long, but there’s plenty you can pack in on a one-dayer. Start with the hunt for Giants of Mandurah, ticking off two of the most easily accessible installations, Santi Ikto and Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone.

The bushy-bearded Santi Ikto sits cross-legged at Halls Head, a 10-minute drive from the Mandurah Visitor Centre and your starting point on the Giant hunt. Follow the bitumen path from the car park and through the dunes to find him, enjoying the coastal wildflowers and ocean views as you wander.

Santi Ikto Giant, giants of mandurah — Find Santi Ikto Giant at Halls Head. (Image: Visit Mandurah)

Another 10 minutes in the car, and you’ll be at Coodanup Foreshore, where the friendly-faced Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone lies, the newest of the five pieces. It’s just around the corner from the 29-hectare Creery Wetlands: a marshy habitat for some 22 species of migratory shorebirds and native quendas.

Cycling between the Giants is also an option, just hire an e-bike or electric scooter from The Bike Kiosk , also conveniently located at the Mandurah Visitor Centre. Book in on their three-hour Ride the Giants or 4.5-hour Big Kahuna tour, and you’ll get the lay of the land as you go.

The Bike Kiosk e-bike tour, Mandurah — Book a three-hour Ride the Giants tour with The Bike Kiosk. (Images: Visit Mandurah)

If you’re hoping to see more in a day, hop aboard a coach tour to see all five giants without the need to navigate for yourself. There are several options, which you can find here .

Drop the bikes back, or farewell your bus tour, and make a beeline for dinner at Boundary Island Brewery . Keep it light with a chorizo and squid duo and some local chilli mussels to share. Or, dive straight into their extensive pizza menu and a pint of one of their Australian International Beer Award -winning brews.

If you have two days:

Ramp up the giant hunt and add another two to the list for your second day in Mandurah. Finding Little Lui will take you to swampland at Marlee Reserve, 10 minutes north of town. Head off in the early morning, parking in the small carpark off Marlee Road and following the signposted track 20 minutes into the heart of the reserve to the seated Giant. He’s propped up against a naturally fallen tree, the roots of which make up part of his unruly mane.

Little Lui, giants of mandurah — Wander through Marlee Reserve to find Little Lui. (Image: Visit Mandurah)

Rather than walking out to see Seba’s Song perched on the rocky Wannanup/Dawesville Channel Groyne, join a Soulmate Charters’ Scenic Cruise and see it from the water. It’s the only way to get a front-on view of the installation. The cruise leaves from the Port Bouvard Marina each hour, making its way up the Port Bouvard Channel, to the giant and back, in 45 minutes.

Seba's Song, giants of mandurah — Join a Soulmate Charters’ Scenic Cruise to spot Seba’s Song. (Image: Visit Mandurah)

For a longer, more sumptuous day on the water, hop aboard Mandurah Cruises’ Wild Seafood Experience , which meanders through Mandurah’s inland waterways for 3.5 hours. As you cruise, Howard Park sparkling in hand, no less than seven blue manna crab and crayfish-laden courses will be served, the menu designed by ex-Cape Lodge chef Tony Howell.

If you’re still hungry after seven courses, stop in at Brewvino – home of Mandurah’s best steaks – for one last dinner. Dine on a grass-fed beef rib eye, or a loaded seafood linguine with unparalleled views of Mandjar Bay.

If you have three days:

Start the morning gently with an hour on Mandurah’s glassy waterways. A pitstop at the WA Gold Plate Award-winning Wood & Stone Cafe for a bacon, chilli, and mushroom scramble or their delectable pancakes is the perfect precursor to your Mandurah Cruises Dolphin Cruise embarkation at 10.00am. It’s a succinct tour, but dolphin sightings are almost immediate, the experienced guides heading straight out to the regular hotspots.

Wood & Stone Cafe, mandurah — Fuel up for the day at Wood & Stone Cafe. (Image: Visit Mandurah)

If you’d prefer to be your own skipper, hire a vessel or kayak from Mandurah Boat Hire to navigate the canals. Another option is having a unique houseboat holiday (with a minimum hire of three days and two nights) and call the Murray River home.

Those heading onwards to Margaret River after Mandurah can see the fifth and final Giant on the way down. Jyttes Hytte and his spear stand guard at a secret location in the Yalgorup National Park, the Swan Coastal Plain’s largest national park, just a half-hour drive south of Mandurah. But don’t just make a beeline for Jyttes, there’s plenty to be seen in and around this 12,888-hectare RAMSAR-recognised wetland system.

Jyttes Hytte, giants of mandurah — Seek out Jyttes Hytte standing guard at a secret location. (Image: Visit Mandurah)

Some 10 lakes span the national park, a thriving natural habitat for migratory waterbirds, kangaroos, and wallabies. The most renowned lake, Lake Clifton, is home to a more unique species: the otherworldly thrombolites. Follow the boardwalk out atop the 2,000-year-old living rocks and marvel at their form before stopping in at the nearby Thorny Devil Brewery for a sampler of their Kakadu Plum sour or Choc-Maple imperial stout. It makes for a fitting finale to your time in Mandurah.

Lake Clifton, Yalgorup National Park — Take your time to enjoy Yalgorup National Park. (Image: Visit Mandurah)

This remote corner of Australia is one of the world’s last frontiers. This is how to see it properly.

Vast, rugged and deeply spiritual, the Kimberley coast in Australia’s North West feels a world away from everyday Australia – and there are countless ways to explore it. But if you want to reach ancient rock art, hidden gorges and lonely waterfalls, it has to be by boat. Whether you’re aboard a nimble expedition vessel or a luxury yacht with all the trimmings, exploring by the water brings exclusive experiences, shows unique views and makes travel easier than any other mode. And that’s just the beginning of Australia’s North West cruises.

The True North Adventure Cruise in between sandstone cliffs. — Adventure starts where the road ends.

1. Discover Broome, and beyond

Explore your launchpad before you set sail: Broome. Here camels and their riders stride along the 22 kilometres of powdery Cable Beach at sunset. That’s just the start.

At Gantheaume Point, red pindan cliffs plunge into the turquoise sea, whose low tide uncovers fossilised dinosaur footprints. Broome’s pearling history runs deep. Japanese, Chinese, Malay and Aboriginal divers once worked these waters, and their legacy lives on in boutiques where South Sea pearls still shine.

If the moon’s right, you may catch the Staircase to the Moon over Roebuck Bay. Or simply kick back with a cold beverage and a film under the stars at Sun Pictures , screening since 1916.

Ride a camel along Cable Beach as the sun sinks into the Indian Ocean, casting golden light across the sand and sea. — Ride a camel along Cable Beach. (Image: Nick Dunn)

2. Unmatched access to The Kimberley

Once you’re onboard, expect a backstage pass to some of the most isolated places on Earth. No roads. No ports. No phone reception.

At Horizontal Falls/ Garaanngaddim, 10-metre tides surge through twin gorges like a natural waterpark ride that’ll make your palms sweat. Then there’s Montgomery Reef/ Yowjab: a giant living platform of coral and seagrass, where the sea pulls back to reveal waterfalls, sea turtles and ospreys.

Up north, King George Falls/ Oomari rage 80 metres down red cliffs. Zodiac boats often nudge in closer so you can feel the spray on your sun-warmed cheeks. You might even fly in to reach Mitchell Falls/ Punamii-unpuu, a four-tiered cascade where you can swim in freshwater pools above the drop.

Come spring, some itineraries veer west to Rowley Shoals: an atoll chain of white sand and reef walls. Then it’s up the winding Prince Regent River to King Cascade/ Maamboolbadda, tumbling over rock terraces, and into a Zodiac to view the Gwion Gwion rock art, whose slender, ochre-painted figures are older than the pyramids.

A cruise drifts beneath King George Falls, where sheer sandstone cliffs frame the thunderous plunge into turquoise waters. — Get closer to the Kimberley than ever before.

3. Taste the Kimberley with onboard hospitality

You might spend your days clambering over slippery rocks or charging past waterfalls. But when you’re back on the water, it’s a different story. Meals are chef-prepared and regionally inspired: grilled barramundi, pearl meat sashimi, mango tarts, and bush tomato chutney. One night it’s barefoot beach barbecues with your shipmates; the next, alfresco dining on the ship.

Small expedition ships each have their own personality, but many carry just 12 to 36 guests, making being out on the water a whole other experience. You might sink into a spa on the foredeck or sip coffee in a lounge while watching crocodiles cruise by. It’s choose-your-own-relaxation, Kimberley style.

4. Expert-led excursions through the Kimberley

These voyages are led by people who know the Kimberley like the back of their sunburnt hand. Attenborough-esque naturalists might gently tap your shoulder to point out rare birds or tell the story beneath a slab of rock. Historians can explain exactly how that rusted World War II relic came to rest here.

If your ship has a helipad, you might chopper straight to a waterfall-fed swimming hole. If not, you’ll still be hopping ashore for that wet landing at a secret creek.

Then come the evenings: songlines shared by Traditional Owners under the stars, or astronomy sessions that link what’s overhead with what’s underfoot and what’s within.

A small group glides through Kimberley’s rugged coastline by boat, passing ancient cliffs. — Explore with naturalists and historians by your side.

5. Relax in luxurious lodgings

Just because you’re off-grid doesn’t mean you have to rough it. These Kimberley vessels are small in size, but mighty in luxury. True North’s ships come with their own helicopters and a no-sea-days policy, so you’re always in the thick of it. Try the luxurious offerings from Ocean Dream Charters for exploration in style. Kimberley Quest offers a fast boat for easy, off-ship adventures. On the larger end of the scale, Coral Expeditions has open-deck bars and curated wine cellars. And then there’s Ponant’s luxury yachts – sleek and incredibly stylish French sailing yachts.

A helicopter soars above the sea, with a sleek cruise ship gliding in the distance. — See the Kimberley from sky to shore.

6. The adventure continues with pre- and post-cruise experiences

You’ve already come this far – so, why not go further? Broome makes it easy to ease in before you board, or wind down when your voyage ends, and there is no reason to stop there.

Head an hour and a half south to Eco Beach to stay off-grid and off the clock. Join a Yawuru guide for a mangrove walk or ocean forage. Dive even deeper into Broome’s pearling past at Willie Creek or Cygnet Bay, where divers and craftspeople still pull the seawater-slicked gems from the deep.

If you’re still craving adventure, it’s time to go further. Soar over the Buccaneer Archipelago, or detour inland with a 4WD trip along the Gibb River Road. Book a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles. Or – because you never know when you’ll be back – do all three.

aerial of people walking on eco beach in the kimberley western australia — Stay off grid at Eco Beach. (Image: Tourism WA)

Find out more about your trip to Australia’s North West at australiasnorthwest.com .

Your ultimate guide to seeing the Giants of Mandurah and more