Woman dies in Indian Ocean Drive, man dead after car hit tree in Wannamal, between Bindoon and New Norcia

A young woman has died and three others are in hospital following a crash on a notorious stretch of Indian Ocean Drive.

It was one of two fatal crashes to occur north of Perth on Thursday morning. In the second, a man in his 80s died after a car collided with a tree in Wannamal, between Bindoon and New Norcia.

The first happened after the group’s car, a grey BMW, left Indian Ocean Drive near the intersection of Seabird Road and flipped into trees just before 8am.

Emergency services were called to the district of Breton Bay and a rescue helicopter was also dispatched, but ultimately was not used.

The woman, a front-seat passenger aged 22, died at the scene.

Three others in the car — including two 21-year-old men, one of which who was the driver, and one younger woman — were hurt but their injuries are not considered life-threatening.

The two men were taken to Royal Perth Hospital where they remain in stable condition, while the younger person is at Perth Children’s Hospital.

Indian Ocean Drive has a long history of severe and fatal collisions, particularly near the Seabird and Lancelin turnoffs. In June 2017, a fatal head-on collision near Seabird closed the highway and required multiple emergency airlifts.

Two years later, in August 2019, another head-on crash involving a tourist bus north of Seabird Road triggered a massive emergency response and left one driver dead.

More recently, in December 2023, a driver died in neighbouring Gabbadah when their ute struck a tree.

Anyone with information or dashcam footage of Thursday’s incident can contact Crime Stoppers.