Peppermint Grove Beach, Western Australia


Peppermint Grove Beach is a residential subdivision and beachside town in the South West region of Western Australia. Its local government area is the Shire of Capel and it is located northwest of Capel on the Geographe Bay coast near the Capel River mouth.
Peppermint Grove Beach, sometimes called Peppermint Grove Beach Estate, is situated on land that was first farmed by James McCourt, an Irish Catholic settler in the 19th century. During World War II, the Australian Army established a lookout tower on top of the main dune - the highest point between Bunbury and Busselton - to look out for Japanese warships. McCourt's daughter, Mrs Hardy, sold the farm to one of the servicemen, Alex Campbell. Alex Campbell sold land to property developers, but was the first to subdivide and sell land for housing. Much of the original McCourt farm is now residential housing. Remnants of McCourt's original house remain on an undeveloped section of land.
Much of the estate is in the immediate vicinity of the ocean, and there is beach access in several locations. Facilities and attractions include a small park near the main beach access, and a caravan park.