Cervantes is a town in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

located off of Indian Ocean Drive about north-north-west of the state capital,

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

in the

Shire of Dandaragan The Shire of Dandaragan is a local government area located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about north of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of Jurien Bay. History T ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

. At the

2016 census Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...

, Cervantes had a population of 527. The town was named after a ship that was wrecked nearby. The ship, in turn, was named after Miguel de Cervantes, author of '' Don Quixote''. The principal industry in the town is

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

. The Pinnacles are nearby in Nambung National Park which makes for a small industry from tourism. The saline

Lake Thetis Lake Thetis is a saline coastal lake in the Mid West region of Western Australia. The lake is situated east of the small town Cervantes, inland from the Indian Ocean, on a Quaternary limestone pavement. The lake is part of Nambung National Pa ...

, which contains stromatolites, is nearby. An arts festival is held every year in the town, usually on the last weekend of October. Cervantes lies on the shore of the Jurien Bay Marine Park.Department of Fisheries site on Jurien Bay Marine Park
Most of the streets are named after cities, regions and rivers in Spain.

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Coastal towns in Western Australia Shire of Dandaragan {{WesternAustralia-geo-stub