Saltwater SANCTUARY

Protected by overlapping marine and coastal sanctuaries, this World Heritage Area is one of Australia’s best, but its location — 830km from Perth — saves it for the most determined of travellers.

Shark Bay is so far off the beaten track that the local town has its own desalination plant; yet this vast, sandy wilderness caters superbly for travellers with beachfront holiday parks and more big-ticket discoveries than you might expect.

In this sanctuary of 2.2 million hectares you’ll get close to wild, world-famous, Monkey Mia dolphins, tread a beach of cockle shells deposited 10m deep, ogle ancient stromatolites and stake out some of Australia’s rarest, rarely-seen marsupials. Need I add that the fishing and paddling and boating is out of this world, and that you can even soak in a pioneer-era hot tub?

“Unhitch the caravan in Denham or Monkey Mia, deflate your tyres and hit the sandy trails for an action-packed day spent exploring the Peron Peninsula”