Bow Bridge, Western Australia

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Bow Bridge is a rural locality in the Shire of Denmark, in Western Australia’s Great Southern region. It sits on the South Coast Highway between Denmark and Walpole, on the Bow River. It’s about 451 km south of Perth and 37 km west of Denmark. The area covers about 112.9 square kilometres and sits around 13 metres above sea level. The postcode is 6333 and the population was 75 at the 2021 census.

Geography
To the south of Bow Bridge lies the Southern Ocean and Irwin Inlet, while the Kent River runs to the east. The western side includes Walpole-Nornalup National Park, and to the southwest are the Quarram and Mehniup Nature Reserves. Owingup Nature Reserve is partly in Bow Bridge, along the Kent River.

History and community
Farms were established in the area before 1917. Today the townsite is mainly a roadhouse that overlooks the Bow Bridge. The roadhouse, opened before 1960, provides a fuel station, post office, grocery, and cafe. The Kent River, Quarram, and Marks on the Elleker to Nornalup railway line were located in Bow Bridge; these stations opened in 1929 and closed in 1957.

Nature and protection
Several nature reserves lie within Bow Bridge, all in the Warren bioregion.