Dad turned 75 last year. And with family catchups tough to come by these days, my two brothers and I decided a trip south of Perth for the weekend was the opportune time to celebrate his solid innings—maybe with an adventure or two thrown in. He’d never been 4WDing. And never thought he’d spend an hour bouncing along a 4WD track like Bob’s Track.
Where is Bob’s Track?
Bob’s Track is in the heart of a beautiful Karri forest in Boranup, WA. The Boranup region—about 20km south of Margaret River township—is very well known for its incredible surfing, long golden sandy beaches and beautiful tall trees, the latter accessible for viewing and a stroll by pulling into a dirt carpark along Cave’s Road. It also forms part of the Cape to Cape trail, a huge 123km stretch of hiking track.
But south of this tourist magnet on Caves Road, and prior to the turn off to the magnificent Hamelin Bay, you can whip your trusty vehicle westbound into the small dirt entry to Reserve Road. If you see several 4WD tragics bleeding the air out of their tyres, you’ll know you’ve found the right place: the start of Bob’s Track.
Is there another way to Boranup Beach via road?
Yes and no. Grace Road is north of Bob’s, with only a few potholes and rock challenges. We actually took this road first, as Dad was keen to take it slow and easy. However, it only takes you to a lookout with a dirt carpark and drop toilet. You’ll have to grab all your gear and slide down the sandy slope to the beach, and then walk the super wide beach to the water. It’s no fun compared to parking your vehicle on your own slice of heaven on one the southwest’s best beaches.
At the end of Grace Road, standing atop the Boranup Lookout and with the knowledge that the westerly winds were within two hours of arriving, Dad and I used our hands as visors. Even my old man, watching a few Pajeros ripping along the open beach, couldn’t hide his jealousy. “You reckon we could try the difficult track?”
My brothers beat me to it: “F#$% yes.”
Our experience on the track
Once you’ve deflated to about 15-20 PSI, the first incline will greet you with a stretch of potholes and jagged rock. Fun, fun. Honestly, it’s pretty brutal right off the bat, but the road is relatively (relatively) wide enough to choose your own adventure. Keep it in low gear and consider your rear diff lock for the more technical parts. To be honest, I didn’t need the latter, despite the rubber coming off the road every now and then.
My pulse was ripping from the get go. I hadn’t ever expected to be on this track but as you’ll soon find out, jealousy and a little ego changed my mind. And thank god it did, because I was having fun very quickly.
A few concerns
I never came close to truly bottoming out, even with the pressure of my 75-year-old dad saying, “You sure about this, Dave?” every twenty-five seconds in the first section of Bob’s. It does calm a little bit after the first few rocky challenges, with some narrow shoots to calm the nerves and give you glimpses of the stunning ocean that awaits.
That said, most of these flat sections have extremely jagged rock poking out, even if you duck and weave your way through, you’ll inevitably have your tyres tested. A spare is definitely recommended, as we did see one poor sod changing his tyre with a queue of cars behind him. We slipped by, gave him a polite nod (he’d said he was fine) and continued on our way.
Now, us brothers and my dad are all amateur fishermen. But wanted to send our lines from the beach at Boranup. We’d heard amazing things about the fishing down there, but our only trouble was I could feel the westerly wind kicking up. That gave me the impulse to put my foot down a little.
Seemingly endless 4WD terrain
I was soon staring at the backs of two Prados, fully stocked with all the gear and with apparently less care about the wind than us. I don’t condone going faster on a track like Bob’s than you need, nor would I push anyone ahead of me. But they soon got the hint, and I saw a hand out of the driver’s window waving me through.
Passing them felt good. Only a couple years earlier on my virgin 4WD expedition at Tim’s Thicket, I’d cringingly asked a bloke crouched at his tyre and with his bonnet up whether he was in need of help. The stumped fella politely nodded his head; even Dad (who was in my back seat then, too) realised the guy was just pumping up his tyres.
Now look at me go: halfway through the toughest 4WD track in the southwest, the infamous Bob’s Track, and passing two fully loaded Prados in my decade-old Mitsubishi Challenger.
With the ocean in sight, the road seemed to never want to end. We drifted down the gradient, a few deep potholes slowing me up and making me pivot the steering wheel over the most jagged rock, careful not to pierce the side of my tyres. The doink of the undercarriage kissing limestone became a common tune as we gradually descended.
Finally, after an hour or so, we found the soft stuff, a downward slope to Boranup Beach, an unbelievable and seemingly infinite stretch of white sandy beach and turquoise waters. The heart rate slowed a little, and then kicked into gear: we’d bloody done it.
The water was stunning. Turquoise, with small waves lapping on the shore. I let the tyres down to 10 PSI and we ripped northbound to find our own stretch of paradise. Our only concern now was the white caps appearing about a kilometre from shore…
How challenging is Bob’s Track… really?
I’d just completed a 4WD course up near Yanchep, and with plenty of beach drives under my timing belt, I was up for the challenge. Once we headed back out on Caves Road, pulled into Reserve Road and let the tyres down, it was straight into difficult 4WDing terrain.
I’ll admit, I was right. I was comfortable. It was super fun. But again, that’s because I’ve had at least some experience in hectic terrain.
Without either years of experience in offroading or overlanding, or a solid 4WD course like the one I’d been on, I wouldn’t recommend this track. It’s incredibly undulating, with only a few straight shoots that will have your teeth clenched given the narrowness of the path. If you’re worried about the sharp branches scratching your brand new paint job, then you probably shouldn’t be on Bob’s Track. At day’s end, it looked as if several kindergarteners had keyed my black Challenger, but almost every mark buffed out eventually.
That’s the other thing: oncoming traffic. There’s only a couple sections of dual-lane track on Bob’s, which means you’ll need to be comfortable getting your fourby right against the jagged bush to let traffic through.
Want to download our 4WD beach driving checklist? No problem, just click here to download the PDF [124kb].
Do you need a 4WD for Bob’s?
Ab-so-lutely. You need a four-wheel drive vehicle for Bob’s Track. Don’t even consider an All-Wheel Drive vehicle, you need all the instruments at your disposal, you need a full range 4WD system, perhaps even rear diff lock capabilities.
Maybe just as important as a capable offroad vehicle is solid offroad competence.
What’s the reward for your troubles?
Honestly, even as a southwest frequenter and WA boy, Boranup is my favourite beach of all time. The surf is unbelievable, so many peaks on offer, barrels in the right conditions and fun walls to carve all day. I’ve had several-hour sessions surfing Boranup, for very good reason.
There’s also great rock climbing at the end of Bob’s, called Bob’s Hollow. You’ll find it at the end of Bob’s Track if you look for the cliffs and the cave. We’ve got a more detailed account of it in our post on the best outdoor climbing spots in Perth.
Even just heading to Boranup for a nice lunch at the back of the car is tremendous. The kids will love it, so much soft sand to play and for the adults to dig their toes into while cracking a beer.
The fishing is also fantastic, easily castable from the shallows. For us, after tackling Bob’s Track, we missed the calm spell of the day, and the wind ate up any chance of a reasonable catch. We weren’t going to miss out though, and so went head-on into the westerly wind. The birthday boy was happy—that’s all that counted.
My tips for tackling Bob’s Track in your 4WD
- Drop your tyre pressure: Deflate to around 15-20 PSI before hitting the track. This will help with traction on the rocky terrain and prevent punctures on jagged surfaces. Once you’re on the beach, 10-12 PSI is the go.
- Engage low gear & consider activating your diff lock: The first section is rough with steep inclines, potholes and rock. Keeping it in low gear ensures better control, and using rear diff lock can help with the more technical spots.
- Be prepared for oncoming traffic: The track is narrow with only a few spots wide enough for two vehicles. Be ready to hug the bush or reverse when needed.
- Bring a spare tyre (or two): The sharp rocks will test your tyres, and you don’t want to be that person holding up a queue while changing a flat.
- Expect scratches & undercarriage bumps: If you’re precious about your paint job, this isn’t the track for you. Branches will scrape your vehicle, and the undercarriage will likely take a few knocks on the limestone.
For more info on Bob’s Track, from its latest reported condition to recent photos, check out the Bob’s Track Facebook Group.
Want more reads like this? How about a trip to Rotto hunting for crays? Read Dave and Mike’s favourite spots to dive for crays on Rottnest here.
