Bremer Bay is not a place to accept at face value — ‘Look deeper’ is what the south-west hideaway’s slogan should be. 

Western Australia’s Bremer Bay is the south’s sleeping beauty — peaceful, pure and a dream to wander. Its natural splendour of secluded coves, granite headlands, bubble-gum blue beaches, exotic flora, and snaking bush trails can leave you eager to venture beyond its realm, even if that means finding yourself at the edge of a continental shelf.

Far from its farming origins, Bremer Bay captures imaginations with its extraordinary wildlife. It lures those who like to venture out of their comfort zone to see its famed residents despite their nightmarish-sounding names — mythical-looking leafy and weedy sea dragons and killer whales.

I felt a bit disoriented when I first arrived at this emerging tourist destination 500km south-east of Perth. There is no main thoroughfare strip with local institutions such as an old faithful country bakery or historic pub — just residential housing with ad hoc establishments in between. 

See more: Beauty And The Ocean Beasts