The Gap and Natural Bridge

On the granite headland of Torndirrup south of Albany, the Southern Ocean throws itself against the cliffs with a force that has to be felt. A steel viewing platform cantilevers out over The Gap, a sheer-sided chasm where the swell surges and booms forty metres below, and a short walk leads to the Natural Bridge, an arch the sea has carved clean through the rock. The exposed granite, the salt wind and the endless horizon make this one of the most elemental places on the Western Australian coast. Stay behind the rails; the ocean here is merciless.