Dongara and Port Denison are two adjacent small towns on the Batavia Coast of Western Australia. Dongara lies north and Port Denison south of the outlet of the River Irwin, but for practical purposes they can be regarded as a single settlement. Lying 351 km / 210 miles north of Perth, their main interest to travellers is as an overnight stop on the Brand Highway north towards Monkey Mia, Exmouth and Broome.
"Dongara" derives from the Wattandee aboriginal name "Thung-arra" for the river estuary, meaning "sea-lion place". The area became settled by European cattle farmers in the mid 19th C, and in 1890 it was connected by rail to Perth. Today the main industries are tourism, lobster & crayfishing, and support for the Dongara Gas Field.
- Irwin District Museum, 5 Waldeck St Dongara, +61 8 9927 1323. 10 am - noon Mon-Sat. Small museum set in 19th C courthouse, police station & jail.
- Dongara Nature Reserve, part of the larger Yardalonga Reserve, is a duneland area at the north edge of town.
Irwin District Museum, 5 Waldeck St Dongara, +61 8 9927 1323. 10 am - noon Mon-Sat. Small museum set in 19th C courthouse, police station & jail.
There's a dozen easy walking itineraries listed in the local tourist brochure Walk Dongara Denison.
The safest swimming is off Harbour Beach, Port Denison, sheltered by breakwaters and seldom bothered by sharks, but stay clear of the boat launching area.
The best surf is on South Beach, at the far south end of Port Denison - you'll have a bit of a walk if you don't have 4WD.
Fill up on fuel. Going north on Highway 1, the filing station near the town turn-off has decent prices, as has the "S-bend" station 30 km north. Then prices will jump 10% as you approach Geraldton. Going south, there's reasonable choice on Highway 1, but fuel on Coastal Highway 60 is sparse, pricey and harder to locate - it may involve a long turn-off diversion to a village pump that's not always open.
Centrally in Dongara are a pizzeria, the Season Tree cafe, a bakery, and the hotel restaurants (see "sleep" listings) of Dongara Hotel Motel and The Priory just across the creek in Port D.
On Port Denison seafront are Southerlys Harbour View Restaurant, and the Starfish Cafe at the southern edge of town.
The Priory Hotel bar has a great atmosphere, see "Sleep" listing.
The road north brings you by Geraldton, Kalbarri with its National Park, the Monkey Mia beach area and Dirk Hartog Island, and on towards Ningaloo, Exmouth and Broome.
The road east inland joins Highway 123 from Geraldton to Mt Magnet on the Great Northern Highway.
The road south towards Perth divides: recommended for cars and for tourist sights is the Coastal Highway 60. Highway 1 further inland is the trucking route and has less to see.
Westwards, the small islands 50 km or so out to sea are noted for wildlife and scuba, but you need to go to Geraldton to access them.