Shark Bay
 
The Shark Bay World Heritage Area is located on the western edge of the Australian continent, where the far west coast meets the sea. It is one of the world's greatest wilderness treasures, spanning an area of more than 2.2 million hectares between 24 and 27 degrees south of the equator.
This westernmost region of Australia has a one-of-a-kind combination of wildlife, flora, and breathtaking scenery. Shark Bay consists of two bays separated by peninsulas and a long island.
 
Gutharraguda, which means "two waters" in Malgana, is the local Aboriginal name for it.
Shark Bay's shoreline is shaped like a 'W' by the Edel Land peninsula and Dirk Hartog Island to the west, the Peron Peninsula in the centre, and the eastern coastal strip.
 
Edel Land is distinguished by rocky limestone formations and long, white sand dunes. The western edge of this peninsula has dramatic cliffs that drop into the Indian Ocean, while the eastern side has shallow sandy bays punctuated by small rocky islands.
 
Dirk Hartog, Dorre, and Bernier islands are elongated limestone islands covered in sand dunes to the west and north.
 
Peron Peninsula, located in the heart of Shark Bay, has rolling red sand hills and plains interspersed with salty gypsum hollows known locally as birridas. Tidal flats and an adjacent low-lying plain characterise the coastal strip that extends north to Carnarvon.
 
The Shark Bay World Heritage Area is made up of 70% marine environments. The clear sheltered waters have an average depth of nine metres and are beautifully patterned with seagrass meadows, channels, and banks.
 
The 'W' shape results in a coastline that stretches for over 1,500 kilometres. It consists of tidal flats, mangrove communities, and white shell beaches in the bay's shelter, as well as rocky reefs and cliffs on the seaward sides.
 
Shark Bay's peninsulas, prongs, islands, and bays are home to a variety of flora and creatures found nowhere else in the world. Shark Bay is also home to the world's most abundant marine stromatolites, which are living fossils that represent the Earth's oldest forms of life.