Dirk Hartog Island National Park

Dirk Hartog Island National Park is wild and beautiful. Fishing is among the world's best at Dirk Hartog Island in the Shark Bay Marine Park. Fish from the side of a boat and you could snare a pink snapper, mackerel, yellow-fin tuna or sailfish. Other marine creatures are regularly spotted off the beaches of Dirk Hartog Island including pods of Bottlenose dolphins, Humpback whales, Manta rays, Dugongs and Turtles. This remote eco-tourism island is a great place for four-wheel driving along pristine beaches and over massive sand dunes. Snorkelling is out of this world and beaches are ideal for swimming and relaxing. Dirk Hartog Island has a unique place within Australia's history, as the site of the first recorded European landing on Australian soil, in 1616 by the island's namesake Dutch captain Dirk Hartog. This landing was more than 150 years before Captain James Cook officially discovered Australia. Visit the island on a day trip from Denham or pitch a tent and camp overnight. The island's homestead is located with the original limestone shearer's quarters, built over a century ago. It offers catered accommodation for up to 14 people.