Shark Bay isn’t a specific bay, but more of a region covering a huge area, renowned for its unique waters, abundance and variety of aquatic life, pest free spaces, spectacular scenery and quaint little townships. It is also the place where Europeans first set foot on Australian soil, way back in the 1600s. We have visited many places so far and this place is right up there with the best of them. It’s another of the places where we really wished we had tents or swags as well as the van to really experience some of it.
Hamelin Pool
Hamelin Pool is the first stop on the way into Shark Bay. It’s just off the highway and the closest accommodation option to Steep Point. Hamelin Pool has a small caravan park which we used as our base, as well as being the best access to see the stromatolites and old telegraph station. We used it as a launch point to Steep Point (as you cannot take caravans in).
Hamelin Pool is a section of the coastline where the water is hypersaline. It is rather unique, the main attraction being stromatolites. Unfortunately, the boardwalk that allow the best viewing was destroyed (and yet to be repaired) after a cyclone. We were lucky to still get a look at the big balls of bacteria.
The caravan park is funky, built around the old telegraph station, it has buildings made of shell bricks, still has the original telegraph station buildings and a tea house. It’s run down, but in a quaint way.
Steep Point
Steep Point was one of the main attractions for us, stepping onto the most Westerly point of the Australian mainland. It is not a simple exercise though, over 120km of dirt road driving is required to reach the start of the National Park, before you then start a 4WD journey (complete with soft sand and dune crossings) to reach the very tip.
It was a very big day, as weight restrictions had prevented us from being able to head away in tents or swags for a night or two. We made the most of it though and thoroughly enjoyed it. We successfully avoided the perils of the soft sand and headed straight for Steep Point.
It was quite special, with a natural stone window framing the Indian Ocean. We took our photos, both at the window and with the obligatory sign.
As we headed back, we took the easy route, retracing our steps to explore some of the beautiful beaches and having a swim. It was around this time, when we stopped at one of the campgrounds literally on the beach we really wished we could have stayed a night or two. Fortunately Christian had grown in confidence driving in this terrain throughout the day and the trip out was significantly faster than the way in.
The extra time meant we could also call in at False Entrance. It was a much smaller part of the National Park, but it could just have been accessible with our van. It had some towering cliffs and gave a view back towards Steep Point and of the Zuytdorp Cliffs. There were also some blowholes, which as we were trying to find them let their presence be known with an unexpectedly nearby eruption. We had the entirety of False Entrance to ourselves that late in the afternoon.
Our day at Steep Point made us realise we’d love to have made a visit to Dirk Harthog Island. Without unlimited funds we knew we had to give it a miss, but we certainly realised just how special it would be.
Shell Beach
We were keen visit to Shell Beach as Christian’s Mum had created a piece of art from shells from there many years ago. The is beach made entirely of shells. Not just a few shells, but they are up to 9m deep in sections. These are tiny little shells, the size of a fingernail. They belonged to one of the few creatures who can tolerate the hypersaline water and have piled up over 1000s of years.
It was a curious place. From the shoreline the water looked shallow for a long way out, before getting deeper. We decided to walk to the deeper water. It was an optical illusion, the water stayed between knee and thigh deep. We had a bit of a dip and the water was obviously saltier. For those with hairy legs, once it dried, it looked like a series of salt towers on your legs. We made good use of the caravan’s external shower to get the salt off before departure.
It’s also where one end of the predator proof fences ends, providing a safe environment for a myriad of native creature to thrive on the Cape Peron side.
Francois Peron National Park
Francois Peron National Park is the National Park covering the “other Cape” and includes Monkey Mia. It’s similar but different to Steep Point and our time there made this an unmissable stop.
Homestead
Peron National Park is a relatively new concept, emerging in the 1990’s when the pastoral lease on the Cape was finally put to rest. The past thirty years have allowed the vegetation to recover and with the predator proof fence wildlife return. There has even been some translocation of animals.
You can visit the old homestead and learn about the history of the station, the discovery of the area by the Dutch, the eventual end of the pastoral lease and finally its return to nature as a National Park. It was here was watched a father Emu shepherding his eight chicks through the carpark.
There was also an artesian hot tub at the homestead. It’s one of those insta-famous things. One look at it though was enough for us to pass up the opportunity. It was far too well loved.
Cape Peron and Skip Jack Point
After such an amazing experience at Steep Point we’d been looking forward to this all week. We weren’t disappointed either. Cape Peron is on par with Steep Point for a trip. It’s similar but different. They have stunning landscapes, sheer cliffs, beautiful beaches and remote camping in common.
Accessing Cape Peron is substantially more difficult than Steep Point. While the drive is shorter in length it is substantially more difficult. The sand is softer, deeper and almost constant. It was almost an entire day of soft sand driving. An error was going to have you digging your way back out. We saw others make a mistake and need to dig and nearly escaped ourselves until the last beach stop. A miscalculation as to how the track would play out left us stuck up to the running boards in sand.
We dug it out, took some more air from the tires, placed recovery boards underneath and with some gentle right foot we popped free.
The highlight though wasn’t the beaches, it was the wildlife at Skipjack Point. It’s a cliff-top lookout with views down to either side of the point. It is a marine life haven; sharks, two kinds of massive rays, birds, fish and dugongs were all putting on a show at some point. We were extra fortunate to have a knowledgeable local up there who was generous in pointing the animals out. It was so good we spent more time than we’d have thought possible just watching the water.
There were other lookouts where you could see ocean currents converge, creating a veritable washing machine. We were able to climb the ever changing dunes and see the plants and wildlife that have thrived since de-stocking. All up, it was an enjoyable day, worth the effort, the bogging and the heat.
Monkey Mia
Monkey Mia is (world) famous for its dolphin experiences. Back in the day, you could swim with them, feed them and touch them from the beach. In the modern world, this kind of thing is frowned upon and the dolphin experience has evolved.
These days, the rules are a little more restrictive for the good of the animals. You still get the chance to watch the dolphins fed (by Rangers) from the shoreline. They normally seem to operate to a consistent schedule; but in our case some serious patience was required. The usual one hour and wrapped became more of a three-hour game of staying power.
Seeing them come in was worth the wait. Watching them feed and even chase their own fish in the shallows was very cool. They are incredibly quick and agile through the water and they don’t seem to mind putting on a show. It made our expensive nights at Monkey Mia worth it.
Besides the dolphins though, the resort is certainly a pleasant enough place to spend a few days by the ocean. Although we did enjoy Denham more.
A trip to this part of Western Australia wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Shark Bay. There is so much to experience in one area that it is too compelling to pass by. Just bring a sense of adventure.