From
Steep point we just had to revisit
Francois Peron National Park an area of 52,000ha of arid shrub lands, rolling sandplains and clay pans bounded by spectacular coastal scenery. Our memories of
red cliffs, white beaches, green vegetation and blue waters were the draw card.
The park plays a key role in PROJECT EDEN, a bold environmental project that is attempting to reintroduce locally extinct species to the peninsula by controlling feral predators. Bilbies and malleefowl have been returned to the park and the woma pythons are flourishing.
At the southern end of the park is the
Peron Heritage Precinct which offers and insight into what life was like during the pastoral era. The old hot tub is also a popular place to soak in artesian waters.
Air down
Salt pan
New vegetation on the salt pan
Deep, soft sand tracks
South Gregories - Camped just above the beach
South Gregories looking south
South Gregories looking north
Young gulls playing
Beautiful colours
An ‘air station’ is provided for deflating tyres before proceeding on the deep, soft sand tracks. Adding contrast to the sand we past vast areas of salt lakes. It is these areas that make the track impassable in wet weather.
The strong prevailing wind was from the NE/SE so Herald Bite, the one
camp on the eastern side was out of the question. However, the park provides a number of sites on the western side from which to choose ..
Big Lagoon, South Gregories, Gregories and Bottle Bay. We made our way to Gregories and settled in for the afternoon. At high tide the adventurous can
snorkel and explore one of the most accessible reef systems within
Shark Bay. But, one must always remember why it is called,
Shark Bay.
We took a walk along
the beach to the nearby headland and watched the cormorants on the rocks drying their wings. A never before sight for us was a group of 15 very
young gulls playing on the sand and in the water.
The Blue Wren
I only just captured this bird
The vegetation was coming to life
White sand at Bottle Beach
The orange sand at Cape Peron
Afternoon sun on the cliffs
Down below the birds gather to fish
The birds just jump in and catch a fish
Heading toward Skipjack Point
The colours were beautiful and back at
camp it was very relaxing watching the swallows and blue wrens flitting about in the scrub. Try as I may I failed to capture them on camera, most were too fast.
In the morning we continued north 8km to Cape
Peron. It was just as we remembered it, picturesque! From the
orange sand on the
cliff top we could see a line where ocean and bay waters converge. Hundreds of birds, predominantly cormorants, gathered to fish. If you are lucky you will often see
sharks, turtles, manta rays and dugongs. We had to settle for a few rays.
A beautiful
cliff top walk took us to Skipjack Point where an extensive boardwalk enabled us to walk very close to the
cliff. I sat on the
seat and took in the view of the
lighthouse, the colourful cliffs, the sand and the endless ocean that stretched out before me.
Looking over to Skipjack Point and out to sea
Rocky section at Gregories
Relaxing with a beer at Gregories
I thought I would try my hand at fishing
Gregories - What a way to end the day
Inflating the tyres before hitting the sealed road
Eagle Bluff camp site south of Denham
The Shells
Shell Beach
We headed south through the park to South Gregories for our second evening. This
camping area is very popular spot for fishermen as it is right on
the beach. It was a wonderful afternoon and evening.
Completely satisfied with our second visit to this park we made our way back to the ‘air station’, inflated our tyres, and headed south to
Denham, an overnight stop at
Eagle Bluff campsite,
Shell Beach, Hamlin
Pool and back out onto the highway.
Next blog we finally get to see Wreath Flowers, Leschenaultia macrantha