In the far, far west where rolling red dunes stud a tricoloured coastline, dugongs, dolphins and turtles commune in some of the clearest water on earth.
Protected by overlapping marine and coastal sanctuaries, this World Heritage Area is one of Australia’s best, but its location – 830km from Perth – saves it for the most determined of travellers.
Shark Bay is so far off-the-beaten track that the local town has its own desalination plant; yet this vast, sandy wilderness caters superbly for travellers with beachfront holiday parks and more big-ticket discoveries than you might expect.
In this sanctuary of 2.2 million hectares you’ll get close to wild, world-famous, Monkey Mia dolphins, tread a beach of cockle shells deposited 10 metres deep, ogle ancient stromatolites and stake out some of Australia’s rarest, rarely-seen marsupials. Need I add that the fishing; paddling and boating is out of this world and you can even soak in a pioneer-era hot tub.
There’s plenty of elbow room at the water’s edge this far west
Red Dirt Discoveries
In Denham or Monkey Mia, deflate your tyres and hit the sandy trails for an action-packed day spent exploring the Peron Peninsula’s gin-clear lagoons and arcing red dunes. The first stop is Big Lagoon, the largest tidal inlet in Shark Bay WHA and an excellent place to launch a tinny.
In the early morning, silent paddlers will most likely spot dugongs and turtles feeding on seagrass beds in Big Lagoon’s warm, see-through waters. On the other side of this tranquil lagoon you can climb the giant dunes that hug the sea.
Beyond Big Lagoon, the track pushes north to a beach fishing spot at Cattle Well that’s great for whiting, and close by are three excellent beachfront camps. I love Gregories Beach for the easy-to-access, coral-fringed wall that’s teaming with marine life, and after your chilly snorkel you can climb the rusty sand dunes beyond to warm up while searching for shell middens and pearling relics.
At Bottle Bay you can drive your 4WD on the beach and spend time swimming, fishing and picnicking. Afterwards, head to twin lookouts at the tip of the peninsula at Cape Peron and Skipjack Point. The Wanamalu Trail links the two, carved atop red cliffs of 250,000-year-old Peron sandstone and providing a bird’s-eye view of eagle rays, green turtles and shovel-nosed sharks hunting in the shallows far below.
Shark Bay’s coastal sanctuary teems with loggerhead and green sea turtles, a whopping 10 percent of the world’s dugongs, and quite a few sharks too. If you’d rather not meet them in the sea, the Wanamalu Trail elevates above it all and you might witness a very rare sight: female bottlenose dolphins rounding up sea mullet in the shallows (1.5km/45 minutes one way).
All great days in Francois Peron National Park end with either a rod in your hand and your feet dug into the sand, or with a scorching dunk in Peron Homestead’s artesian hot tub.
Located on the bitumen at the national park entrance, the hot tub overflows with 44-degree artesian bore water, and while you’ll feel a little like a frog in a hot pot, gradually daring yourself deeper and deeper into the water, it’s a perfect antidote to a day of corrugated, off-road action. Peron Homestead’s heritage precinct also provides a small interpretive centre and the Pepper Trail if you fancy a short stroll (45mins return).
Due to the soft sandy tracks, RVs are not permitted in Francois Peron National Park, but camper trailers (and small hybrids) are, so if that’s you, why not spend a night. The five waterfront camps at Big Lagoon, Gregories, South Gregories, Bottle Bay or Herald Bight all provide free gas BBQs, toilets, picnic tables and basic boat ramps (fees apply).
If you stay overnight in the park, you might encounter one of its rising stars: greater bilbies and malleefowls, both of which were once locally extinct but are now thriving on the peninsula thanks to captive breeding and release programs. Day-trippers should allow around 90 minutes to tackle the 50km drive to the tip of Cape Peron, and extra time for play and detours.
