Cape Peron, Shark Bay, WA: Access, wildlife & Skipjack Point Walk

The red cliffs and marine life make Cape Peron in Shark Bay special. Take in the views on the walk to Skipjack Point while you’re there.

Cape Peron in Shark Bay, Western Australia, is one of Australia’s great unsung beauty spots.

Inside Francois Peron National Park on the drive from Denham to Monkey Mia, Cape Peron is also a great wildlife-viewing destination.

Getting to Cape Peron, Shark Bay

Getting to Cape Peron takes some effort. As with other locations in Francois Peron National Park, such as Big Lagoon, you’ll need a 4WD vehicle to reach it.

The cape juts north into Shark Bay at the northern tip of the jagged peninsula that hosts both Denham and Monkey Mia. It’s where two major currents meet, which brings in a massive amount of aquatic life.

Wildlife at Cape Peron, Shark Bay

From the cliffs at Cape Peron, you can often see dugongs, turtles, dolphins, manta rays and sharks. It’s essentially a feeding frenzy in the water. This, obviously, makes Cape Peron a very appealing destination for fishing. It is, however, part of Shark Bay Marine Park, so set netting and spearfishing are banned.

What makes Cape Peron truly memorable, however, is the colours. Here, deep red cliffs contrast to startling effect with white sand beaches and dreamy blue-teal waters. Photographers will have just as fruitful a time as the fishermen.

Cape Peron in the Francois Peron National Park, Western Australia. Photo courtesy of Tourism Western Australia.

Walk to Skipjack Point from Cape Peron

If visiting Cape Peron, the neighbouring Skipjack Point lookout is worth walking to for shots of the red cliffs and coastline. The 1.5km walk along the Wanamalu Trail takes about 45 minutes

What you don’t want to do at Cape Peron, however, is go swimming. Quite aside from those sharks happily feeding on schools of fish, the currents make getting in the water incredibly dangerous.

There aren’t many visitor facilities at Cape Peron, although there is a picnic shelter and drop toilet. Camping is not permitted at either Cape Peron or Skipjack Point.