Shark Bay
Denham, on the shores of the Shark Bay Marine Park, is 400 kilometres north from Geraldton and 330 kilometres from Carnarvon. Monkey Mia Reserve is 23 kilometres from Denham.
Travelling time:
Denham is four hours from Geraldton and three hours drive from Carnarvon. Monkey Mia Reserve 15 minutes drive from Denham.
Commercial flights operate to Shark Bay and airfare and accommodation packages are available. There are boat ramps at Denham and Monkey Mia. By road, take the Brand Highway to Geraldton and the North West Coastal Highway to Overlander, then turn left to Denham.
Facilities
The town of Denham is fully serviced. However, no hire equipment or compressed air is available and if you wish to dive you will have to bring filled SCUBA tanks and other dive gear with you. Facilities at Monkey Mia include barbecues, shelters, lawns, a boat ramp and jetty and there is a range of accommodation from resort-style to budget. There are shops and a caravan park. Entry fees apply.
Other accomodation is available at Denham and Nanga Station, with camping at the Old Telegraph Station at Hamelin Pool.
Best season
The best time to visit the Bay is between June and October, when winds are generally lightest and the temperature is in the mid-20s (ºC). Temperatures can be extremely hot in the summer months.
What to see and do
School Holiday Activities in Shark Bay - Guided Interpretive Activity Program (104kB, pdf)
Boating, diving, snorkelling, watching marine life, fishing (outside sanctuary zones), windsurfing and swimming are popular and there are numerous boat ramps. See Dive & Snorkel Sites in Western Australia for mud maps and further information on suggested dive sites, including those below.
* Broadhurst corals. The Broadhurst coral patch is around 500 metres in diameter, and swarms with colourful sea life. Many species of staghorn, brain and plate corals vie for attention, and there are numerous soft corals. A bright purple sponge growing throughout the area is notable.
* Sandy Point. The coral and fish communities of Sandy Point lie on the eastern side of Dirk Hartog Island. There are numerous species of blue, purple, green and brown staghorn corals growing in a great diversity of forms. In one area, there is a virtual garden of beautiful blue staghorn coral. Brain corals and plate corals can also be seen.
Please note: Because local tides and conditions can be tricky people without local knowledge should only dive these sites with an experienced charter operator.
Nearest CALM Office: CALM's Gascoyne District Office is in Knight Terrace, Denham 6537. Phone (099) 481 208.
There is a Ranger Station at Monkey Mia. Phone (099) 481 366.
On October 25, 1616 Dirk Hartog landed on Cape Inscription. He was the first recorded white man to set foot on Australian soil. He commemorated his visit by nailing a pewter plate onto a post and a replica is now on display at the Shark Bay Shell Craft Museum.
The first Englishman to visit the west coast of Australia was William Dampier. In August of 1699 he spent seven days in Shark Bay examining the shore and naming the bay. In fact, most of the names of the islands and bays in Shark Bay are named after historical explorers and members of their expeditions.
The town of Denham derives its name from Captain H Denham, who charted the whole of Shark Bay in 1858 and his name still remains on the sea chart.
People overlooking display fish ponds at Ocean Park, near Denham The first pastoralists came to Shark Bay in the early 1860's, about the same time that traders in Perth became interested in the pearls and pearl shells which could be found in abundance. By the 1870's, many small settlements were scattered along the shores of Shark Bay, and pearling attracted many nationalities. European pearlers recruited Malays and Islanders, while the Chinese often bought their own vessels and operated in direct competition with the European pearlers.
After 70 years of trading, the onset of the depression finally caused the pearling industries closure. Subsequently, fishing became the mainstay of the remaining Shark Bay settlements and a cannery and processing works were established at Monkey Mia in 1912, then later at Herald Bight.
Sunset over the Denham waterfrontThe high point of any visit to Shark Bay is sure to be the dolphins of Monkey Mia. The magical thrill of being touched by these beautiful wild mammals has to be experienced to be believed. The fact that this piece of enchanting coastline is the only place in the world where dolphins freely choose to communicate with humans makes it particularly special.
The dolphins are only one of many natural wonders to be discovered there. The whole nature of the peninsula's and the many islands and inlets that make up Shark Bay, makes it like no other holiday destination in the world. The whole area of Shark Bay is teeming with wild creatures – kangaroos, emus, eagles as well as many sea creatures and plants unique to the region.
Couple looking at the stromatolites, found at Hamelin Pool In 1991 Shark Bay was listed as a World Heritage Area. Shark Bay is one of only 14 places in the world to meet all four natural criteria for World Heritage listing and is the only listing for Western Australia.
The region has some 700 species of wildflowers and the States longest flowering period. Some of the most common plants include the Shark Bay daisy, Royce's gum, Rogerson's grevillea and Golden Lambstail. In summer the Sceptre Banksia is in flower and after good winter rains the Everlastings appear as carpets on the landscape.
Couple overlooking Eagle Bluff, near Denham, in the Shark Bay World Heritage AreaShark Bay Marine Park
Shark Bay is Australia's largest marine embayment with over 1500 kilometres of meandering coastline. The Marine Park landscapes and habitats vary from rugged sea cliffs, to tranquil lagoons and beaches of sand or shell.
The shallow waters within the Bay sustain a diverse ecology including coral and hypersaline communities, mangroves and seagrass meadows. These provide home to a rich aquatic life of turtles, whales, dolphins, dugongs, sea snakes and sharks, as well as commercial stocks of fish, prawns, scallops and crabs.
Dolphin interaction, at Monkey Mia in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area There are an estimated 10,000 dugongs living in the waters of Shark Bay. This represents about 10% of the world's remaining population and is the world's largest and most secure population of this threatened species. Chater boat tours offer unique opportunities to witness dugongs in the wild.
Shark Bay Marine Park is the largest area and number of seagrass species recorded in one place in the world. In Shark Bay there are 12 species. These extensive seagrass beds provide a nutritious and protective habitat for other marine life.
There are many places in the Marine Park ideal for boating, swimming, fishing, snorkelling and diving.
Our Terms & Conditions of Use | Site Produced & Maintained by planiTweb
Copyright © 1999 - 2006 Wbay: Western Australia Facts Interesting Tourist Information Shark Bay
