Peron Peninsula

Geographical location

It is 130 km long and extends in a northwesterly direction from Henri Freycinet Harbour, and west to Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve, and Faure Iceland.

Location

It is the largest peninsula in Shark Bay, on which the settlements Denham and Monkey Mia is. Also, an air port, Shark Bay Airport, is located there. The Peron Peninsula is the area of the early settlers of Peron and Nanga Station.

The Peron Peninsula is an important part of the World Heritage Shark Bay. The northerly area of the peninsula including the Francois Peron National Park, which is surrounded by the Shark Bay Marine Park and connected in the high, south-eastern part of the Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve.

The narrowest part of the peninsula is located between Nanga and Goulet Bluff; there is the Shell Beach, located on the eastern side in the L' Haridon Bight.

The northernmost point of the peninsula is the Cape Peron, that is not to be confused with the Cape Peron in Perth.

History

The peninsula is named after the Naturwissenschaftlier François Péron, who reached this area with the Baudin expedition in the years 1801-1803. The peninsula was used for agriculture from 1880 to sheep farming, until the land was bought by the government in 1990.

The Peron Historical Homestead with a visitor center is located near Denham. The Peron Peninsula is part of the Carnarvon Basin, a geological sedimentation tank, which is filled with fresh water. During the early 1900s, drilling was conducted to obtain a larger and higher quality of water quantity. The recovered artesian water was 35 - 60oC hot and had a high salt and mineral content.