Two People’s Bay is a protected area in a nature reserve about 35kms from Albany in Western Australia. The bay consists of two secluded beaches which are thankfully protected from the Southern Ocean by a headland formed by the granite range of Mount Gardiner.
If it’s a peaceful location, white sands and beautiful blue waters you are looking for, Two People’s Bay is for you.
The bay was named by Nicolas Baudin after an incident that happened in 1803 when an American whaling ship sort shelter in the bay at the same time as Baudin’s French vessel was exploring the coastline of Albany.
In the 1840s naturalist, John Gilbert surveyed the area naming it the Gilbert’s Potoroo. During his exploration of the area, he discovered the Noisy Scrub bird. Since then, the little bird was thought to be extinct but in the 1960s a few were discovered at Two People’s Bay. As a result, the area was declared a Nature Reserve in 1967 to protect its habitat.
Today, thanks to the Department of Conservation and their translocation program, the little noisy scrub birds are flourishing on an island near Albany called Bald Head.
In February 2013, 150 pantropical spotted dolphins became stranded at Two People’s Bay. Wildlife officers used boats to drive the dolphins out to the ocean. Only one dolphin died during the rescue.
Two People’s Bay Nature Reserve is free to access.