Take your time for the area around Shark Bay. We spent 3 days in the area, which was plenty of time to see it all: Shell Beach, Stromatolites, the Eagle Bluff Outlook, as well as Monkey Mia.
Our first stop was at Shell Beach. It's not a place for a common beach day. The beach consists of little tiny shells only, which make it complicated to walk on the beach. You better keep your shoes on. The waters in this area are said to be more salty than normal ocean water, which is the reason for the many shells as well as rare wildlife in the waters. You may spot some rays in the water, but do not expect anything else. Nevertheless, the landscape is amazing, the beach is a must see, and the water is so shallow that you can walk far of the beach - still having some shoes on.
Highlight of the trip is of course the interaction with the wild dolphins. The dolphins attract many tourists, nevertheless, it is an amazing thing in life to see these wild mammals so close. We were lucky and got the chance to give them a fish. The dolphins normally come to the shore 2 or 3 times a day and get needed max 10% of their daily demand. This is because fishermen feeded the dolphins in former days, so that the dolphins got addicted to the food supply of humans. Today, the dolphins only get a minimal of the daily demand - they are wild but still not afraid of human beings. But you definitely should mind going into the water when they come hunting to the beach. It is even better to watch this from outside, instead of being between them.After the dolphin interaction in the early morning we went out for a sailing cruise to spot some Dugongs. And an overall lazy day was rounded up by a sunset cruise. Both can be booked at the Denham tourist information centre.
This is also the place where you have to book your camping ground, if you want to sleep somewhere at the beach. There are no official camping grounds but we just searched for a nice place at the beach. AMAZING.
After 1 night in the off, you have to book another night directly in Denham. That's is the rules over there. Arriving at the campground in Denham, we realized why they force the people to stay there. Nobody would probably go to these grounds intrinsically motivated. For the off-side camping we chose the area around the Eagle Bluff Lookout. This is a 30 minutes drive from Denham. And you can expect camping on a lonely beach, with nothing but the nature and its inhabitants around you. There are no amenities nearby. You can enjoy yourself walking along the beach, having dinner at the beach, and falling into sleep under a blanket of stars.
Driving along the Shark Bay Area is a lonely experience as well - except many wallabies and kangaroos you can meet some blue tongue skinks enjoying the hot temperatures in the middle of the street. On the way back, we made a short stop to watch the Stromatolites. Who is interested in chemical processes and stones will be fascinated. As is was too hot to stay there longer, we did only a shortcut through all the explanations how these "stones" live. Overall it is fascinating, but do not expect too much. Ideal for a short break.
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