That Time I Went Sandboarding in Western Australia
Aka sand in every crevice of my body
After finishing high school, I booked a one-way flight across the world. I spent the next 9 months working and travelling all across Australia. It was an incredible time and I learned a lot about myself as well as travelling solo.
Towards the end of the 9 months, I planned a 2-week trip up the Australian West Coast with 3 other people I only knew through a travel Facebook Group, starting in Perth and finishing in Exmouth (where we went swimming with whale sharks but that’s another story).
We actually all got on really well, which was a relief (it’s always a gamble when you travel with people you’ve literally never met before).
One of the first stops was Lancelin Sand Dunes, roughly 90 minutes north of Perth. Lancelin is famous for its excellent terrain for quad bikes and sandboarding, making it a must-stop for any adventure lovers.
We were all around 18 at the time and had just the right amount of excitement and arrogance to fully commit to this activity. None of us had been sandboarding before, which made it one of those bucket-list moments.
Driving our tiny, overpacked rental cars to the dunes alone was adventurous to say the least, but arriving there felt like entering a different world (or at least country).
Sand dunes as far as the eye could reach, so bright you couldn’t see without sunglasses on. I felt like I’d walked right into the Sahara desert (it was almost as hot anyway).
Entry to the dunes was (and still is) free and you can rent a board for $22.50 for up to 2 hours. After that, we were pretty much left to our own devices. I had been snowboarding for a few years at that point and found that sandboarding had a similar feeling to riding in powder snow. This means put your weight on your back foot and try to lift the front a little.
It was honestly unnerving at first, to throw yourself off these sand dunes which were pretty steep and obviously very different to snow. After the first time or two though we got over the fear and it was just so much fun. Just be prepared to faceplant a few times, soft landing though.
There’s just something about surfing sand dunes that makes you feel like the coolest person alive.
Until you get home that is and have sand in virtually every crevice of your body :) Still worth it though, an absolute must-do activity!
Learn about the beautiful capital of Western Australia, Perth, from Barb Dalton:
And why you absolutely should visit this incredible country from Adrienne Beaumont:
