Travel guide - Powerful forces at work in Torndirrup National Park

While there is no guarantee the Torndrirrup National Park Blowholes will be whooshing on the day you arrive, you can be rest assured the national park still looks amazing in any weather.

Location: Torndrirrup National Park, 18km south of Albany Western Australia The Blowhole's are best seen during a large, slow swell which has unbroken waves. A low pressure in the Southern Ocean or a south-westerly front could also indicate the Blowholes will give you a sneak peak of their power.

My experience It turns our we were lucky! It was freezing and raining when we arrived. We almost didn't get out of the car, yet surprisingly we decided to make a run for it. The 800m concrete walkway with its 78 small steps were very easy to navigate. You could creep out over the rocks as there were no barriers however one whoosh of air is enough to scare you back towards safety! That and the many warnings everywhere that there can be sudden gusts of wind! I snapped the footage and ran back to the car. Happy I saw the blowholes in action, it was only when I looked at the sign again on my camera, that I realised how lucky I was to see them! It turns out the forces of the water and wind through the blowholes are the very pressures that created them over 1,800 million years ago.

The storm waves forced the granite to explode under the pressure, and crack it's way from sea level to where I stood on the cliff face. While I saw the Blowholes whoosh out over a metre, under strong conditions the spray can spurt out over 3 metres high! The waves can reach above the viewing platform which is truly unbelievable to believe given the height of the cliff. If the Blowholes aren't performing, 

The Gap and Natural Bridge also in Torndrirrup National Park are also spectacular sights or further along the cape, King George Sound is amazing. The beautiful beach of Frenchman Bay is well known for the Vancouver Survey Expedition between 1791-1795 led by Captain George Vancouver on the Discovery.

To view the The Blowholes, Gap and Natural Bridge as well as the picturesque King George Sound, click on the video below:

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