Paddling in D'Entrecasteaux National Park

D'Entrecasteaux National Park stretches along a remote section of Western Australia's southwest coast, protecting a landscape where tannin-dark rivers push through karri and jarrah forest before meeting the Southern Ocean.

The paddling here is quiet and slow — flatwater rivers, a large coastal inlet, and the biggest freshwater lake in southern WA — spread across country that demands self-sufficiency and rewards patience. Lake Jasper anchors the freshwater paddling.

It is the largest freshwater lake in southern Western Australia, and kayaking is one of the main draws. Access requires a 4WD on sandy tracks, which keeps the lake uncrowded and the water undisturbed.

The Donnelly River and the Warren River are the park's two significant river paddles — both tannin-stained, forest-lined, and suited to canoes and kayaks moving at the pace of the current.

Broke Inlet, where river meets coast in a broad sheltered basin, shifts the character entirely: tidal, open, and exposed to Southern Ocean weather in a way the rivers are not.

The park sits in a part of WA where road access to put-ins can close without warning — check alerts at emergency. wa. gov. au and alerts. dbca. wa. gov. au before you leave, not after you arrive.

The park's remoteness is real; there are no nearby outfitters, and conditions on the coast can change fast. DBCA charges a canoeing and kayaking fee for use of the park's waters.

Check directly with the department for current permit requirements and any site-specific rules before launching — the details that matter most are the ones most likely to have changed.

This is paddling that asks you to slow down and move through country rather than tick off a route. The rivers don't rush, the inlet is wide and still on calm mornings, and the forest comes down close to the water.

Come prepared to be somewhere genuinely remote.