Geographically the westernmost point of mainland Australia, the extremely scenic Shark Bay is a World Heritage Site. It is renowned for: having one of the largest seagrass beds in the world; a large population of dugongs; and its stromatolites (living fossils and the oldest living lifeforms on earth). Join us while we explore the top things to do in Shark Bay.
Date visited: Dec-2018
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Top Things to do in Shark Bay (Western Australia)
We flew into Perth and collected our campervan before making the long 1200 km drive north to Exmouth, Ningaloo Coast. After spending five days in Ningaloo Coast (see link) and Coral Bay (see link), we drove south to Shark Bay.
Most Australians would associate Shark Bay with Monkey Mia, one of the best places in the world for dolphin interaction. The beach at Monkey Mia is the only place in Australia where dolphins will visit daily. These daily morning dolphin interaction sessions are free and are the undisputed highlight for most travellers to the bay.
Another highlight for many travellers is Shell Beach. The beach is one of the few places on earth where visitors can marvel at vast stretches (up to 120km long!) of the shoreline made of shells that can get up to 10m deep.
Below are the must-see places in Shark Bay:
- Monkey Mia (dolphin interaction)*
- Ocean Park Aquarium*
- Eagle Bluff lookout*
- Shell Beach*
- Hamelin Pool (stromatolites)*
*For more details, see our travel notes below.
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The notes below are accurate as of Dec-2018.
1: Monkey Mia (Google Map)
- Monkey Mia entry fee applies (e.g. Single Day Permit: adult@$15, child@$5, family_2A/2C@$35).
- All other park passes are invalid at Monkey Mia.
- The daily dolphin interaction sessions (on the beach in front of the visitor centre) are free. Just gather near the beach when you reach.
- There are typically 3 interaction sessions per day (between 7.45am and 12noon).
- The first session starts at 7.45am. However, there are no fixed times for the 2nd/3rd sessions; it depends on when the dolphins come to the beach. On certain days, the 3rd session could end as early as 9am. Thus, it’s best to arrive early for the first 7.45am session to avoid any disappointment.
- The beach around Monkey Mia is scenic and the RAC campsite is a beauty (though expensive).
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2: Ocean Park Aquarium (Google Map)
- Entry fee applies (adult@$25, child@$18) and includes a guided tour of the aquarium.
- The guided tours (45-60 minutes) are hosted by marine biologists who will go through all the various marine life in the aquarium.
- The tours run in a loop from 9 am to 3 pm daily. Visitors could join and leave the tour at any segment.
- The highlight of the tour is the shark feeding session.
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3: Eagle Bluff lookout (Google Map)
- Excellent viewing point located at the top of a cliff.
- It is often possible to spot marine animals in the shallow waters off the cliff.
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4: Shell Beach (Google Map)
- One of the few places on earth where visitors could marvel at entire shorelines made of cockle shells that can get up to 10m deep.
- The shells are so compressed and hardened that they are used as blocks for some nearby buildings (in Denham).
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5: Hamelin Pool (stromatolites) (Google Map)
- Stromatolites are living fossils and the oldest living life forms on Earth. They are formed from single-cell organisms that were the first form of life around 3500 million years ago.
- Hamelin Pool boasts the most diverse and abundant range of stromatolites in the world.
- A 200m broad walk on the shoreline allows visitors to observe the stromatolites.
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Our 9 days Western Australia self-drive campervan trip (Dec-2018)
- Day#1-3 (Ningaloo Coast, Exmouth)
- Day#4-5 (Coral Bay)
- Day#6-7 (Shark Bay)
- See above
- Day#8-9 (Pinnacles, Lancelin Sand Dunes, Hutt Lagoon (Pink Lake))
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Our other travel blogs on Western Australia:
Related posts:
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- New South Wales
- Western Australia
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