Department of Environment and Conservation

About

 Shark Bay Marine Park and Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve brochure (3.79 MB)

Location

The marine park covers 8240 square kilometres east of Dirk Hartog Island and around the two large peninsulas that can be picked out instantly from a map of Western Australia. Denham, the closest town adjacent to the Shark Bay Marine Park, is 400 kilometres north of Geraldton and 330 kilometres from Carnarvon. Monkey Mia Reserve is 23 kilometres from Denham.

What's special?

The marine park and its vast seagrass banks form an important part of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. The Shark Bay Marine Park offers many shallow, but highly recommended, diving and snorkelling sites. The most renowned sites are at Monkey Rock and the wreck of the Gudrun, rated by the Western Australian Maritime Museum as one of the State's best wreck dives. Fish species in the area include estuary cod, many species of brightly-coloured wrasse such as cleaner fish and green moon wrasse, scissortail sergeant, lined butterflyfish, varieties of surgeonfish and brightly-coloured angelfish.

The waters of Monkey Mia, where several bottlenose dolphins regularly visit the beach, are also within the marine park. The dolphins are wild animals that come to the beach of their own free will to interact with people and accept fish from them.

The Shark Bay Marine Park is adjacent to the remarkable Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve, with its unique communities of stromatolites.

Getting there and getting around

To reach the Shark Bay Marine Park by road, take the Brand Highway to Geraldton and the North West Coastal Highway to Overlander, then turn left to Denham. Boat access is available via several boat ramps at Denham, Monkey Mia and Nanga. However, some of the most popular activities in the Shark Bay Marine Park are land based, such as meeting the dolphins that regularly visit Monkey Mia.

Enjoying the park

The bottlenose dolphins that regularly visit Monkey Mia are one of the marine park's major attractions. However, the marine park offers much more than dolphins.

Shark Bay Marine Park offers a quite unique dive experience with corals present, sometimes in large patches such as at Broadhurst. Monkey Rock out from Steep Point in about six to 18 metres, is one of the area's renowned dive site. Dive charters are available (by request) and this is recommended as the best way to dive in Shark Bay if you don't have good local knowledge.

Non-divers can have just as much fun, with an array of marine or boat-based adventures on offer. They include tours of a working pearl farm, boat cruises, fishing safaris, sea kayaking, whale watching and much more.

You are welcome to fish in most areas within the Shark Bay Marine Park (those outside sanctuary zones - see map) but make sure you first check the latest size, season and bag limits with the Department of Fisheries. Spearfishing (breath hold only) is permitted only in general use zones. Recreational boating, swimming, windsurfing and kitesurfing are also popular activities.

Facilities

There is a visitor centre at Monkey Mia as well as barbecues, shelters, lawns, shops, restaurants and a range of accommodation from resort-style to budget. Denham is fully serviced. There are public jetties and boat ramps at Denham and Monkey Mia.

Camping and accommodation

Contact the Shark Bay World Heritage Discovery Centre for further information about the wide range of camping and accommodation options available in Denham, Monkey Mia and Nanga.

Things to know before you go

The best time to visit is between June and October, when winds are generally lightest and temperatures average in the mid-20s. Temperatures can be extremely hot in the summer months.

Staying safe

Currents in the Shark Bay Marine Park can be quite tricky (and dangerous) due to strong tidal movement. Always dive or snorkel on a slack tide and be wary of dangerous marine animals such as stonefish.

Looking after the marine park

. Know marine park zone boundaries and permitted activities within each zone (see map).

. Fish for the future. Observe size, bag and possession limits and fish for a feed, not the freezer. Quickly return undersize and unwanted fish to the water. Use wet hands or a wet cloth when handling fish and avoid placing on hot, dry surfaces.

. Anchor in sand to protect fragile reef, sponge, seagrass and seaweed communities and please don't cross seagrass banks at low tide.

. Slow down to less than 8 knots if you see turtles or dugongs nearby, to avoid hitting these slow-moving animals.

Natural environment

The Shark Bay World Heritage Area is one of the world's most extraordinary natural wonders. The region is known for its unique and abundant marine life and the rugged beauty of its wild landscape.

Shark Bay Marine Park-an important part of the World Heritage Area-boasts the world's largest meadows of seagrass and the largest number of seagrass species ever recorded in one place in the world, a population of more than 13,000 dugongs, large marine creatures such as humpback and killer whales, and of course the famous bottlenose dolphins of Monkey Mia. The many bays, inlets and islands in the Shark Bay Marine Park support a profusion of turtles, prawns, scallops, sea snakes and sharks. There are also colourful communities of corals, sponges and other invertebrates, together with a unique mix of tropical and temperate fish species.

Culture and history

People have lived in Shark Bay for at least 30,000 years. Long before European contact, the Yamatji (pronounced Yam-arji) people lived in the region and archaeological evidence of cave shelters and shell middens can still be seen today.

Shark Bay has a wealth of maritime history and is the place where the European history of Western Australia first began. Before Dirk Hartog unexpectedly landed on Dirk Hartog Island on 25 October 1616 the western coast of the mysterious ‘southland' was hitherto unknown. Dutch mariner Willem de Vlamingh sailed into Shark Bay, in the frigate Geelvink on 30 January 1697, accompanied by the Nijptang and Weseltje. and spent several days exploring in and around Dirk Hartog Island, discovering Hartog's inscribed pewter plate. English explorer William Dampier spent from 16 to 21 August 1699 sailing around Shark Bay aboard the Roebuck and gave Shark Bay its European name. The vessels that made up the French scientific expedition led by Post Captain Nicolas Baudin, the Géographe and Naturaliste, explored in and around the area now Shark Bay in 1801 and 1803.

Eventually, pearlshells collected from the area now in the Shark Bay Marine Park became the mainstay of Shark Bay's economy, and the town of Denham was originally a pearling camp known as Freshwater Bay. Today nature-based tourism such as visitation to the Monkey Mia dolphins, has become the region's main industry.

The Gudrun, the biggest wooden shipwreck found off Western Australia, sank at Shark Bay in 1901, carrying a load of jarrah from Bunbury to England, and lies in about six metres of water.

Guided activities

The wide array of marine or boat-based adventures on offer in the Shark Bay Marine Park includes tours of a working pearl farm, boat cruises, fishing safaris, sea kayaking and whale watching.

Nearest DEC Office: DEC's Gascoyne District Office is in Knight Terrace, Denham 6537. Phone (08) 9948 1208.

There is a Ranger Station at Monkey Mia. Phone (08) 9948 1366.

Gallery

Videos on YouTube

View Parks and Visitor Services WA on YouTube

More Information

Region: Midwest
Where is it: 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.
Access: 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.
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 (?C). Temperatures can be extremely hot in the summer months.
What to see and do: World's largest area of seagrass, dugongs, turtles, seabirds, secluded bays, beaches, boating, diving, snorkelling, watching marine life, fishing (outside sanctuary zones), windsurfing and swimming are popular and there are numerous boat ramps.
Safety information: Because local tides and conditions can be tricky people without local knowledge should only dive these sites with an experienced charter operator. Always dive or snorkel on a slack tide and be wary of dangerous marine animals such as stonefish. Regardless of whether you are snorkelling or scuba diving, always display a dive flag to warn boaters you are below and dive with a buddy. If diving from a vessel, make sure someone is left to watch the boat.
Camping: Available at Monkey Mia and Denham.
Facilities: There is a visitor centre at Monkey Mia as well as barbecues, shelters, lawns, shops, restaurants and a range of accommodation from resort-style to budget. Denham is fully serviced. There are public jetties and boat ramps at Denham and Monkey Mia.
Extra facilities:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Nearest DEC Office: Denham
Search by 'Experience': Sun sea and Surf
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3-M9TxWtJg