Shell Beach
Shell Beach remains one of the world’s most extraordinary coastal features and is still located in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, approximately:
- 44 km south-east of Denham
- 84 km from the North West Coastal Highway turn-off
Key facts:
- The beach is made almost entirely of tiny white cardiid bivalve shells from the species Fragum erugatum(commonly called the fragum cockle or heart cockle).
- In L’Haridon Bight, these shells have accumulated over thousands of years in a hypersaline environment where predators of the cockles are scarce, allowing massive populations to thrive and die off.
- Shell deposits in places are 7–10 metres deep and extend several kilometres along the shore.
- The water at Shell Beach is still extremely salty (often 1.5–2 times saltier than the open ocean), which is why you can float effortlessly and why the shells have not been dissolved or broken down.
Monkey MIA
Monkey Mia is celebrated worldwide for its magical wild dolphin encounters. Framed by striking rust-red sand dunes, blindingly white beaches, its turquoise shallows teem with life. Alongside the famous bottlenose dolphins, lucky visitors often spot dugongs grazing on seagrass, sharks gliding past, graceful rays, sea turtles, and a dazzling array of fish.
On land, cheeky emus wander the shoreline, pelicans patrol the water’s edge, and the elusive Western grasswren can be glimpsed flitting through the spinifex near the carpark.
It’s a place where the desert dramatically meets the sea, and wildlife feels close.
Hamelin Pool
Hamelin Pool is home to the world’s most diverse, best-preserved collection of stromatolites – extraordinary “living fossils” built by microbes. These layered structures are modern-day echoes of Earth’s earliest life forms, thriving here much as they did over 3.5 billion years ago when our planet had no plants, animals, or complex organisms.
A 200-metre elevated boardwalk lets you peer down into the hypersaline shallows and marvel at the stromatolites, microbialites, and shimmering microbial mats in perfect safety. Please help protect these irreplaceable relics of ancient Earth by staying on the boardwalk at all times.
Francois Peron National Park
François Peron National Park is a breathtaking clash of fiery red sand dunes cloaked in hardy acacias, low scrub, plunging straight into electric turquoise bays. To the Malgana Aboriginal people, this dramatic peninsula is known as Wulyibidi, a culturally significant landscape they have called home for tens of thousands of years.
Once a working sheep station, the land was purchased by the Western Australian government in 1990 and transformed into a protected national park in 1993.
Today, its rugged 4WD tracks, pristine beaches, and vivid outback-meets-ocean scenery make it one of Shark Bay’s most spectacular highlights.
Shark Bay Marine Reserve
More than 70% of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area is marine – and it’s beneath the glassy turquoise surface that the real magic unfolds.
These sheltered waters shelter one of Earth’s largest dugong populations (over 10,000 strong), the planet’s most extensive seagrass meadows (spanning 4,800 km²), and the extraordinary living stromatolites of Hamelin Pool – ancient structures that offer a window into life on Earth billions of years ago.
Covering 748,725 hectares, the Shark Bay Marine Park, together with the 132,000-hectare Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve, protects this irreplaceable underwater wonderland, ensuring its breathtaking beauty and ecological treasures endure for generations to come.
Steep Point
Steep Point & Edel Land National Park – Ultimate Bucket-List Tick! 🪣✅
Buckle up for a wild 4WD adventure to the very edge of the continent. Steep Point is the most westerly tip of mainland Australia, where sheer 200-metre cliffs plunge straight into the roaring Indian Ocean and the next stop west is literally Africa.
Part of the rugged Edel Land National Park (also known as Carrarang Peninsula), this is raw, wind-whipped Outback meeting the full fury of the Southern Ocean. Think epic fishing off the cliffs, jaw-dropping sunsets, and the thrill of standing at Australia’s westernmost mainland point.
A proper red-dirt, deflate-your-tyres, heart-in-mouth kind of journey – but 100% worth it.
Dirk Hartog Island National Park
Western Australia’s longest island – is a raw, wind-sculpted paradise of towering limestone cliffs, blinding-white beaches, and turquoise lagoons stretching as far as the eye can see.
Completely off-grid and gloriously untamed, this 63,000-hectare island (accessible by barge or 4WD boat) delivers pure wilderness: blowholes thundering along the coast, secluded bays perfect for snorkelling, and endless dunes where the only footprints are yours and the resident thorny devils’.
Step ashore where Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog nailed his pewter plate in 1616 – the first documented European landing on Australian soil – and feel the full force of Shark Bay’s wild western frontier
Eagle Bluff
Perched high above Shark Bay, the Eagle Bluff Lookout boardwalk is your front-row seat to one of Australia’s most mesmerising natural aquariums.
Stroll the easy walkway as it juts out over crystal-clear shallows and peer straight down into the water below.
On any given day you might spot reef sharks gliding past, massive stingrays flapping like underwater birds, sea turtles cruising by, and schools of fish shimmering in the sunlight – all framed by sweeping panoramic views.
It’s like snorkelling without getting wet. Bring binoculars, patience, and a camera.
Little Lagoon
The ultimate chill-out spot. This sparkling, turquoise saltwater lagoon is ringed by soft white sand and calm, crystal-clear water that’s perfect for swimming, snorkelling, stand-up paddleboarding, windsurfing, or kitesurfing when the breeze picks up.
Fire up the free gas BBQs, spread out a picnic, or simply kick back in the shallows and let the afternoon slip away. As the day fades, grab a front-row seat on the sand for one of Shark Bay’s ridiculously beautiful sunsets – the sky turns electric pink and orange while the water glows like liquid gold.
Pure coastal bliss.
