Peron Peninsula
Encyclopedia
Peron Peninsula is a long narrow peninsula
located in the Shark Bay World Heritage site
in Western Australia
, at about 25o51' S longitude and 113o30' E latitude. It is some 80 miles (130 km) long, running north-northwesterly, located east of Henri Freycinet Harbour
and west of Havre Hamelin and Faure Island
. It is the largest of the Shark Bay peninsulas. Significant settlements include Denham
and Monkey Mia
. An airport (Shark Bay Airport
) is located there.
It is the location of former Pastoral lease
s Peron and Nanga stations.
It is the main location of land access to points within the World Heritage site. The northern area contains the Francois Peron National Park
. It is surrounded by the Shark Bay Marine Park
and its lower southeast part is adjacent to the Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve
.
The narrowest section of the peninsula is between Nanga and Goulet Bluff - which has Shell Beach
located on the eastern side which lies in the L'Haridon Bight
.
The northernmost point is Cape Peron which has a namesake further south in the metropolitan Perth
coastal area.
, who visited the area with the
Geographe expeditions of 1801 and 1803. The peninsula was used as a sheep station from the late 1880s until being purchased by the national government in 1990.
(available as a photocopy at Battye Library)
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
located in the Shark Bay World Heritage site
Shark Bay, Western Australia
Shark Bay is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. It is an area centred approximately on , 800 kilometres north of Perth, on the westernmost point of Australia. An expedition led by Dirk Hartog happened upon the area in 1616, becoming the second group of Europeans...
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, at about 25o51' S longitude and 113o30' E latitude. It is some 80 miles (130 km) long, running north-northwesterly, located east of Henri Freycinet Harbour
Henri Freycinet Harbour
Henri Freycinet Harbour also known as Freycinet Estuary is one of the inner gulfs of Shark Bay World Heritage area that lies to the west of the Peron Peninsula....
and west of Havre Hamelin and Faure Island
Faure Island
Faure Island is a 58 km2 island pastoral lease and nature reserve, east of the Francois Peron National Park on the Peron Peninsula, in Shark Bay, Western Australia. It lies in line with the Monkey Mia resort to the west, and the Wooramel River on the eastern shore of Shark Bay...
. It is the largest of the Shark Bay peninsulas. Significant settlements include Denham
Denham
- People :* Carl Denham, fictional character from King Kong* Daryl Denham, British radio DJ* Digby Denham, Australian politician* Dixon Denham, British explorer* Henry Denham, British printer* Henry Mangles Denham, , Royal navy...
and Monkey Mia
Monkey Mia
Monkey Mia is a popular tourist resort located about 800 km north of Perth, Western Australia. The resort is 25 km northeast of the town of Denham in the Shark Bay Marine Park and World Heritage Site....
. An airport (Shark Bay Airport
Shark Bay Airport
Shark Bay Airport is an airport located on the Peron Peninsula within the Shark Bay World Heritage site in the Gascoyne region serving Monkey Mia, a resort in Western Australia, and the nearby town of Denham....
) is located there.
It is the location of former Pastoral lease
Pastoral lease
A pastoral lease is Crown land that government allows to be leased, generally for the purposes of farming.-Australia:Pastoral leases exist in both Australian commonwealth law and state jurisdictions....
s Peron and Nanga stations.
It is the main location of land access to points within the World Heritage site. The northern area contains the Francois Peron National Park
Francois Peron National Park
Francois Peron National Park is a national park on the Peron Peninsula in Western Australia , 726 km north of Perth, and located within the boundary of the Shark Bay World Heritage area...
. It is surrounded by the Shark Bay Marine Park
Shark Bay Marine Park
Shark Bay Marine Park is located at Shark Bay World Heritage Site, Western Australia, over north of Perth. It is the site of the world's largest seagrass meadows, with a total of twelve species of seagrass in the park....
and its lower southeast part is adjacent to the Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve
Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve
Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve is located in the Shark Bay World Heritage Site of Western Australia adjacent to the historic Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station about west of the Overlander Roadhouse on the North West Coastal Highway. Access is via Hamelin Pool Rd and then through the Hamelin Pool...
.
The narrowest section of the peninsula is between Nanga and Goulet Bluff - which has Shell Beach
Shell Beach, Western Australia
Shell Beach is a beach in the Shark Bay region of Western Australia, 45 kilometres south-east of Denham.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....
located on the eastern side which lies in the L'Haridon Bight
L'Haridon Bight
L'Haridon Bight is one of the bays on the eastern side of the Peron Peninsula in the Shark Bay World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia....
.
The northernmost point is Cape Peron which has a namesake further south in the metropolitan Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
coastal area.
History
The peninsula is named for French naturalist François PéronFrançois Péron
François Auguste Péron was a French naturalist and explorer. He is credited with the first use of the term anthropology.-Explorations:...
, who visited the area with the
Geographe expeditions of 1801 and 1803. The peninsula was used as a sheep station from the late 1880s until being purchased by the national government in 1990.
Peron Homestead Artesian Bore
The Peron Historical Homestead is near Denham. It includes a visitor center. Peron Peninsula is part of the Carnarvon Basin, a geological structure lacking permanent fresh surface water. During the 1900s artesian bores were sunk to provide a greater quantity and quality of water. The resulting water comes up hot (35-60oC and has high salt and mineral content.Further reading
- (1830) Account of Peron's Peninsula, in Shark's Bay, Western Australia : with remarks on its capabilities and fitness to receive a small fishing settlement : compiled from various sources by a gentleman in the service of the Hon. East India Company. From the Edinburgh Journal of Natural and Geographical Science, Vol. II, 1830, pp. 249-257.
(available as a photocopy at Battye Library)
- * Thomson, Carolyn (1997) Discovering Shark Bay Marine Park and Monkey Mia Como, W.A. Department of Conservation and Land Management. ISBN 0-7309-6854-5 page 52 for aspects of Cape Peron