Shell Beach & Eagle Bluff, Shark Bay, WA

Shell Beach & Eagle Bluff, Shark Bay, WA

Part 1-- Hamelin Pool and Stromatolites, Shark Bay

http://jeffchentramp.blogspot.co.nz/2016/07/hamelin-pool-and-stromatolites-shark.html

Part 2-- Shell Beach & Eagle Bluff, Shark Bay

http://jeffchentramp.blogspot.co.nz/2016/07/shell-beach-eagle-bluff-shark-bay-wa.html

Part 3-- Francois Peron National Park - Denham & Monkey Mia, Shark Bay

http://jeffchentramp.blogspot.co.nz/2016/07/francois-peron-national-park-denham.html

Shark Bay World Heritage Area

Shark Bay World Heritage Area became Western Australia's first world heritage listed area in 1991. It covers 2.2 million hectares (2.2 square km) on the coast of Western Australia and is located approximately 800 km north of Perth, on the westernmost point of the Australia continent. Its colorful and diverse landscapes are home for animals and plants, including some found nowhere else on Earth. Its vast seagrass meadows feed and shelter globally endangered species.

The major geographical features and highlights in the area include:

(1) Hamelin Pool and Stromatolites

(2) Shell Beach & Eagle Bluff

(3) Denham & Monkey Mia

(4) Francois Peron National Park

Shell Beach

Driving around 60 km (40 min along Hamelin Pool Road and Shark Bay Road) toward Denham from Hamelin Pool Old Telegraph Station, it lies Shell Beach. It's another 45 km driving north-west to Denham Township. Shell Beach is situated on the northeastern side of the Taillefer Isthmus. It covers a 110 km long stretch of coast along the L'Haridon Bight. It is one of only two beaches in the world made entirely from shells.

The seawater in the L'Haridon Bight has a high salinity due to both the geomorphology and local climate of the area. This high salinity has allowed the cockle to grow fast. The beach was named "Shell Beach" because of the great abundance of shells of cockle species. The shells typically reach a depth of 7 to 10 m. Over time, the shells have formed a limestone that is known as Coquina. Before Shark Bay became a World Heritage Site, the limestone was mined and used for the construction of a number of buildings in the local town of Denham.

Eagle Bluff

Driving further 30 km along Shark Bay Road toward Denham from Shell Beach car park, you can find the sign of Eagle Bluff. Turn left to reach the car park by Indian Ocean. An elevated boardwalk and lookout overlooking the Eagle Islands, two small limestone islands once mined for coquina and now important breeding bird colonies.

Eagle Bluff is one of the best places in Shark Bay to view marine life and one of the most magnificent sunset in the west. Some of the nearby remote beaches at Nanga, Whalebone and Goulet Bluff are worth a visit.