Shark Bay

Shark Bay - a World Heritage Area due to its unique and abundance marine life. To be inscribed, properties must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one of ten selection criteria set by the UNESCO. Shark Bay satisfied all four of the natural criteria for World Heritage listing.

Denham - Having an evening beer at the most westerly bar, in the most westerly hotel (pub for those in the uk) in the most westerly town in the whole of Australia. At this present time there was no one drinking beer, in a bar, in a town, west of us until you get to South Africa and they would have been in bed so probably Brazil!

Monkey Mia - Home to the world famous Monkey Mia Dolphins. Morning time, Penny, Fleur and Ellie (specially chosen to feed the dolphins) unsure about who was going to hold the fish to give to Puck the dolphin. Puck who was born in 1976 and been coming to Monkey Mia ever since has never had to wait so long for her one fish breakfast.

Ellie playing Lego outside the caravan was surprised to find that one of the locals wanted to join in. Fleur had barricaded herself inside the caravan to watch from the safety afforded by the fly screen. 

Evening sailing in Shark Bay Marine Park, a major fish nursery with extensive sea grass meadows that provides the food for the wide array of marine life. We got to see a number of dugongs and dolphins along with a turtle. Both Mark and Fleur lost their hats due to the wind which are now consigned to litter this world heritage area.   

Shell Beach - an amazing pure white beach that has been created naturally from hundreds of millions of tiny sea shells (Fragum cockles) that grow in profusion in the bay. Extending 120km long and over 10m deep, scientists are puzzled by the proliferation and extensive deposits of these shells thought to be up to 4000 year old. Compacted shells were quarried for building blocks and the local church in Denham was constructed using these shell blocks.

Hamelin Bay - Ellie hanging out with the Stromatolites in Hamelin Pool. The living microbes that construct the Stromatolites are similar to the earliest forms of life on earth dating back 3000 million years and are responsible for the production of the oxygen in the atmosphere and therefore all other life. Not much to look at but one of only two sites in the world where they still exist.