Where is D'Entrecasteaux National Park?

D’Entrecasteaux National Park is a narrow strip of land up to 20 km (12 mi) wide which stretches along the south coast of Western Australia for more than 130 kilometres (81 mi), between Augusta and Walpole. It is the result of the amalgamation of various State forests and timber reserves, Crown land, Town of Manjimup reserves, conservation reserves, pastoral leases and freehold purchases between the 1970s and 1990s.

Point D’Entrecasteaux was named in 1792 when French Admiral Bruni D’Entrecasteaux sailed past on a French scientific expedition; the park takes its name from the point. Over many years, apart from sealers and whalers little interest was shown in the area until the 1850s, when pastoralists began to settle in nearby communities such as Pemberton and Manjimup.

These settlers used to bring their cattle into the park to graze on summer coastal pastures, a practice which continued up to the 1980s. Some of their droving tracks were later formalised into vehicle tracks and a few of the huts they used to stay in can still be found in the park.