There’s nothing like a stand up paddle on the Swan River on a beautiful warm, sunny day followed by a hot coffee on the grassy foreshore taking in the stunning river views.
The grassy foreshore of Freshwater Bay Peppermint Grove is a lovely spot to launch your stand up paddle board with parking parallel to the foreshore so you don’t have to carry your gear too far. Parking is free and there are no time limits.
Mrs Herberts Park Claremont is a good destination point from here for a 2 hour round stand up paddle. Depending on the weather and how much time you spend enjoy some of the beautiful spots along the way it could take a little longer. To make your way to Mrs Herberts Park, take off from Freshwater Bay and paddle out amongst the boats that are moored here towards the jetty and the light yellow boat shed on the left.
From here cruise alongside the beautiful cliff faces of Freshwater Bay as you make your way to the north western corner of the bay where it’s well protected from the wind. There are some beautiful rock formations where the cliffs meet the water that are worth getting up close to for a look.
From the north east section of Freshwater Bay it’s not far to Mrs Herberts Park. As you head east you’ll pass the staircase entry to the river from the rear of Methodist Ladies College and it’s best to paddle out in front of the Claremont Yacht Club boat mooring area.
It’s a lovely paddle past the Claremont Jetty as you admire the beautiful homes that back onto the river, some gorgeous stand out trees and the sandy foreshore of this section of the Swan River.
You can’t miss Mrs Herberts Park as you approach, it’s a large grassy reserve with playground and picnic facilities with a white sandy beach and crystal clear water. You could stop here to enjoy a packed lunch (getting yourself a dry bag to carry food, keys, cameras, phones is highly recommended so you bring some supplies with you for your SUP adventure). You could also start here, paddle to Freshwater Bay for a coffee, then paddle back again. There is less parking available here, than Freshwater Bay however. Parking here is free with no time limit also.
Depending on the wind direction you’ll have an easy or more difficult paddle back the way you came to return to the Freshwater Bay Foreshore, for that much deserved coffee. Look out for bird life and the iconic Swan River Swans along the way, as well as dolphins as they are often sighted here.
When you get back to the foreshore you can enjoy a coffee or other warm drink and a meal or light snack from Freshwaters Cafe. It’s open daily for breakfast and lunch.
They have both indoor and outdoor dining or you can grab your order to go and enjoy it by the waters edge on the grass or retaining wall. Both the Freshwater Bay Foreshore and Freshwaters Cafe are dog friendly (on the lead) so if your dog is a SUP’er too you can bring them along. There is also an off the lead dog exercise section to the north of the foreshore reserve or across the road at Manners Hill Park.
Freshwater Bay is the perfect location to enjoy stand up paddle boarding on the river and has a perfectly located cafe right on the grass foreshore making this the perfect SUP and coffee combination on a warm, sunny day. Freshwater Bay has a long recreational history and it’s not surprising, this spot is just stunning for outdoor activities on a warm and sunny day.
I personally choose an inflatable stand up paddle board for my paddle boarding adventures. It’s easy to store and transport and doesn’t take long to inflate. I also use a dry bag that I attach to my stand up paddle board to hold my keys and phone. Head to Catch to check out the huge range of affordable inflatable stand up paddle boards and dry bags ranging from 2 – 65L.
Start: Freshwater Bay (free street side parking and carpark past cafe).
Distance: ~3km
Time: ~2 hrs
Toilets: Located at the Freshwater Cafe and also at the Keane’s Point Playground to the south
Freshwaters Cafe: open daily for breakfast and lunch. See facebook page for open times.
Dogs: Permitted on a lead on the foreshore and at the cafe in outdoor dining areas only.
Map:
Don’t have space for a SUP? Don’t have a car to transport a SUP? Check out the big range of SUP’s and grab a bargain at Catch.com.au!
Lauren Angove is an adventurous Perth (Western Australia) Mum of two boys who loves to blog about her experiences to inspire other mid-lifers to choose their most adventurous lives now. Keep up to date with her latest adventure inspiration and advice at Always Adventure Ready on facebook.