4x4 in Lancelin

Distance from Perth: 127 km north of Perth.
Nearest fuel: There are 2 Fuel stations in Lancelin, one as you come into town and the other in the heart of town (they both charge for using their air compressors so bring your own).

Size:

Approx 220 Hectares of sand dunes.

Time to allow: perfect for a day trip or a few days as there is plenty of accommodation and a lot to do.

The town is a small fishing town (mainly crayfish) and is home to the closest sand dunes from Perth. Lancelin attracts a lot of tourists during the holidays. Population is 600 and in the holidays it booms to well over 2250. For that reason there is plenty of accommodation ranging from Hotels/resorts to caravan parks.

The Endeavour Tavern is worth a visit for its good atmosphere and coastal view from the beer garden.

Most shops are open 7 days a week.

The Sand Dunes.

Be sure to read the signs on the way in and note this are is only open between 8:00am – 7:00pm every day.

Off Road Rules.

79 Series Land Cruiser at the sand dunes.

4 wheeling on the sand dunes are great fun, there is a huge area to explore which changes every day due to the strong winds. I've recently been there 2 times

2 weeks apart and the dunes had shifted and changed shape very significantly. Every time you visit it will be different.

Jeep Wrangler in the sand dunes at Lancelin.

Take care when approaching a sand dune, if you haven’t seen what's on the other side it really pays to have a look on foot, a lot of sand dunes may look flat, low or smooth at the top but 50% of the time it's a steep drop off on the other side (these are called razorback dunes), which can really end in a bad way.

Off road bikes are allowed at the sand dunes, about as many dirt bikes and quad bikes as 4WDs frequent to Lancelin.

Do take care if you know off road bikes and or 4WDs are near as collisions can happen to the unaware.

When hearing bikes approaching its best just to come to a rolling stop and wait for them to pass.

Sand Boarding.

Sand boarding is popular at Lancelin and is great fun, you can hire a board or buy a board, just remember to bring candle wax which you will need for waxing the sand board, this will help it slide on the sand.

You can only sand board in the designated sand boarding area where vehicles are prohibited. This area can be accessed by 2wd, close to the entrance of the off road area, it is well signed.

You can find more up to date information regarding off-road vehicle and sandboarding at: https://www.gingin.wa.gov.au/tourism/off-road-vehicle-information.aspx

Surfing.

There are a few good surfing spots along the beach, providing the wind isn't too strong surfing is actually pretty good at Lancelin.

You won't get very big waves but they do have a nice shape to them so it’s a good area to bring the kids for a paddle or surf.

On the real flat days you could take a wave ski or kayak out for a paddle.

Lancelin Beach.

The beach can be entered from the same entry as the off road area (sand dunes), just follow the signs and stick to the left hand track all the way until

you hit the beach, or for a more private spot head north of the sand dunes (see " Tracks at Northern end of the Dunes" below).

Tracks at Northern end of the Dunes.

4wd only there are a few tracks north of the sand dunes which lead to different beach areas which are great for fishing, relaxing or even just spending the day doing whatever you like at the beach.

One of these tacks will lead you to the military zone gate NO ACCESS, turn back and head west towards the beach. If you stick to the coastal side of Lancelin you shouldn't end up in the wrong area.

Things to do.

Spend the day at the beach
Fishing
4WD exploring the area, enjoying the sand dunes and hill climbs
Sand Boarding
Kite surfing and wind surfing is popular in Lancelin as it does get quite windy a lot of the time.
Quad or Trail bike riding
Take your boat or Jet Ski out (there is a good area for launching small boats and jet skis at the beach) (see GPS way points)

Track conditions and difficulty.

Easy - Medium (but can be hard depending on what dunes you take on).

Sand Dunes anywhere from 13-20 PSI is recommended for this area, entire sand dunes can shift or change shape from day to day and week to week so take care when revisiting as most areas will be different than your last visit. Sand flags should really be used in this area.

The tracks north of the sand dunes are easy, there are no real challenging sections (same PSI as sand dunes).

Lancelin Beach can be very soft at times, don't be surprised if you need to lower PSI lower than 13. Know the tides, some stretches of beach are very narrow.

Best time to visit.

All year round is good.

In summer it does get very hot and it's best to spend more time at the beach than at the sand dunes. In winter (unless it's raining really hard) it's rather enjoyable exploring the sand dunes as the sand is a bit more compacted which makes it great for 4WD dune climbing.

What to bring.

Beach tent or awning, sunscreen, bush hat, plenty of water, rated recovery gear (shovel is a must as the sand can be very soft at times, snatch strap), Air compressor, sand board (don't forget candle wax) or surf board.

GPS way points:

For information about How to enter the GPS Way-points into Google Earth see this video.

For information about How to enter the GPS Way-points into Google Earth

see this video.

Main entry track to Lancelin off road Area:

Latitude:

31° 0'14.34"S

Longitude:

115°19'41.18"E

Entry track to Lancelin beach, at this location head straight (North West) on for main beach access or turn right (East) for tracks north of the dunes for different beach access points:

Latitude:

30°59'25.87"S

Longitude:

115°19'20.42"E

Easy flat stretch of beach, good for launching a boat, Jet Ski or kite surfer:

Northern flat beach area:

Latitude:

31° 0'18.61"S

Longitude:

115°19'25.13"E

Southern flat beach area:

Latitude: