A wonderland of world-class natural attractions, the Shark Bay World Heritage Area was the first location in Western Australia to receive UNESCO status in 1991. The area meets four of the ten required natural criteria and remains one of only a handful of places in the world to achieve this high criteria status level.
The colourful and diverse landscapes, rare flora and fauna and world-class examples of Earth’s ecological processes all contribute to the region being World Heritage listed. The are contains plant species that are unique and considered new to science, five of Australia's 26 species of endangered Australian mammals, as well as 35% of all of Australia's bird species.
Learn more about the area by visiting the Shark Bay Discovery Centre.
Few of our top Shark Bay experiences include:
- White sandy beaches of Denham, and visiting our favourite beach - the Thong Shack!
- Camping and four-wheel driving in the rust-red sand dunes of Francois Peron National Park
- Famous Shell Beach, a truly amazing variety of marine life thrives in the clear turquoise waters.
- Learn about the indigenous culture on an aboriginal cultural tour
- Meet the friendly Monkey Mia dolphins
- Marvelling at the Hamelin Pool Stromatolites
- Spotting dugongs, turtles, dolphins, manta rays, humpback whales from the many coastal vantage points such as Eagle Bluff.
- Kayaking the natural pool of Little Lagoon
- Seeing all of these experiences from above by scenic tour, and fly over Useless Loop.
For those who like a little seclusion, Dirk Hartog Island offers a peaceful retreat of beautiful scenery and private white sandy beaches. The Island was the site of the first recorded landing on Australian soil by the Dutch (long before British Captain James Cook 'found' Sydney) and celebrated its 400 year anniversary in 2016. And those with a four-wheel drive and a passion for fishing will love Steep Point, the most Westerly point on mainland Australia.
Shark Bay is approximately 850 kilometres north of Perth (10 hours drive) or a 2-hour flight to Monkey Mia airport, which is a 10-minute drive from the popular holiday destination of Denham.
