Jimmy Newells Harbour

Jimmy Newell's Harb­our is a pictur­esque rocky inlet in Torndirrup Nation­al Park near The Gap, the Natur­al Bridge and Stony Hill.

The beauti­ful turquo­ise waters of the inlet look spect­acular when view­ed from the look­out near the car park.  The con­trast of the green hills and coast­al granite boulders can be breathtak­ing.  While this natur­al harb­our looks invit­ing, there is no offici­al track to the shorel­ine and the desc­ent can be very steep.

The beauti­ful turquo­ise waters of the inlet look spect­acular when view­ed from the look­out near the car park.

There is some con­troversy the naming of this inlet.  One story con­cerns Jimmy Newhill, an American whaler who desert­ed ship, hid on the Torndirrup Peninsula and was eventu­ally captur­ed near the inlet.  As punish­ment, he serv­ed time on a chain gang build­ing roads, and later marri­ed and settl­ed in Albany.

The second possibil­ity relates to James Newell, a con­vict trans­port­ed from Tasmania on the Brig Amity in 1826, who, after serv­ing his time brought his family to Albany.  He work­ed as a lime burner and sail­ed the coast hunt­ing mutton birds and seals.  James died in 1855.

While both stor­ies have many similari­ties, the offici­al name for the inlet is Jimmy Newell's Harb­our.

Locat­ed just off French­man Bay Road, a look­out is pro­vid­ed to give the best views of the inlet.  Take care in the area and stick to mark­ed trails as the rugg­ed coast can be danger­ous.

updated 01/11/2019