South Peron
South Peron is flanked by Hamelin Pool on one side and Henri Freycinet Harbour on the other. This landscape of low shrubland on red sand dunes was part of the Peron Pastoral Lease until Peron Peninsula was bought by the Western Australian government in 1990. While the northern part of the peninsula became Francois Peron National Park in 1993, South Peron remains unallocated government land.
Shark Bay Road, also known as the World Heritage Drive, provides access to sites along the peninsula. Please do not drive onto beaches at these places as vehicle traffic will disturb nesting seabirds and crush their nests.
Eagle Bluff, Fowler’s Camp, Whalebone and Goulet Bluff are four coastal sites south of Denham. These campsites have no amenities and are accessible using a two-wheel drive vehicle via unsealed roads. There is a maximum of four cars allowed per camping site and bookings are managed by the Shark Bay World Heritage Discovery & Visitor Centre on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
To book an overnight camp
- You must have a permit, which cost $15 per night per vehicle for up to four people.
- Permits can only be issued on the day that you intend to camp.
- To buy a permit, please contact the Shark Bay World Heritage Discovery & Visitor Centre in person or via the telephone (9948 1590) to pay via credit card.
- The sites are patrolled by a Ranger, however permits cannot be purchased from the Ranger.
- Permits are for 24 hours and restricted to ONE NIGHT ONLY at ANY of the four campsites. For example if you stay at Eagle Bluff one night, you cannot stay at Fowlers camp the following night.
Eagle Bluff is a great place to view marine life from a height. The shallow waters below the boardwalk are full of life – sharks, rays, turtles, fish and the occasional dugong. The boardwalk also has views of two small limestone islands where seabirds breed. On a clear day you can see Heirisson Prong across the water.
Although there are no formal tracks or boardwalks at Fowlers Camp, Whalebone and Goulet Bluff, you can explore remote beaches by foot from these sites.
Shell Beach is just off the Shark Bay Road 44km from Denham and 84km from the North West Coastal Highway.
As the name implies the beach at Shell Beach is made up of shells. Trillions of tiny shells from one type of animal, the Fragum cockle, make up the beaches here and around L’haridon Bight. Deposits are 10 metres deep in places.
One of the characteristics that limits life in the waters is hypersalinity. As with Hamelin Pool, the combination of high evaporation and the Faure Sill limiting water flow causes the water here to be twice as salty as the sea. The result is a lack of competition and predators for the Fragum cockle, leading to an incredible abundance of this one species.
You will float well in these super-salty shallow waters. Find out more about Shark Bay’s salinity on the Geology page. Interpretive signs along the short walk between the carpark and beach tell the cockle’s story.
Just south of Shell Beach is an electrified fence stretching several kilometres across the narrow part of the peninsula. This fence is a vital part of Project Eden, a conservation project limiting feral animals on Peron Peninsula.
There is a pit toilet but camping is not permitted at Shell Beach.
Nanga Bay on the western side of Peron Peninsula is a beachside resort with access to Henri Freycinet Harbour. Once part of a pastoral station, this area now has accommodation and other facilities while the rest of the former pastoral property was purchased for conservation purposes.
Nanga is accessed from the Shark Bay Road 50km south of Denham and 77km from the North West Coastal Highway.