Canal Rocks is a series of

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

rocks in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

, just off the coast situated approximately south of

Yallingup Yallingup is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, south of Perth. Yallingup is a popular tourist destination because of its beaches and limestone caves, and proximity to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. History and industry ...

in the

South West Southwest is a compass point. Southwest, south-west, south west, southwestern or south-western or south western may also refer to: * Southwest (direction), an intercardinal direction Geography *South West Queensland, Australia *South West (Weste ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. The

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian people who live in the South West, Western Australia, south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton, Western Aus ...

name for this place is . The rock formation takes its name from the narrow channel between the rocks that has formed from the coastal waters eroding the granite-

gneiss Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...

away over time. The rocks that make up the canals are part of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, or Leeuwin complex. The rocks that make up the feature consist of hornblende-biotite monzogranite gneiss that are medium to coarse-grained and moderately foliated containing minerals such as

perthite Perthite or perthitic texture is used to describe an intergrowth of two feldspars: a host grain of potassium-rich alkali feldspar (near K-feldspar, KAlSi3O8, in composition) includes exsolved lamellae or irregular intergrowths of sodic alkali f ...

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...

, hornblende with accessory biotite, opaques, apatite, and zircon. The original rock that underwent medium metamorphism was granite. The estimated age of crystallisation is 702 ± 7 million years. The

Cape to Cape Track The Cape to Cape Walk Track is a long-distance hiking, walk trail located in the far south-west corner of Western Australia, south of Perth. It meanders along the whole length of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, which forms the backbone of the ...

passes near the lookout over the rocks. Facilities at the site include a car park, boat ramp, finger jetty and a walkway to access the closest rock formation. A small, unpatrolled beach is found to the lee-side of the rocks with low to subtidal sand and patchy rock reefs. The road through to the site, which was already a popular fishing and recreational area, was constructed in 1907 from Caves Road. Canal Rocks Walkway from above

A man went missing when

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

alone off the rocks in 2010, and a fisherman drowned when fishing off the rocks in 2014; his body was never recovered but he is thought to have been washed from the rocks by a freak wave.

References

{{subject bar , auto=y , portal1=Western Australia , portal2=Geography Rock formations of Western Australia Yallingup, Western Australia