11 things to do in Denham, WA, that are worth your time…

The best things to do in Denham, WA, include walking the Denham Discovery Trail, swimming at Little Lagoon and Shark Bay cruises from the Ocean Park Aquarium.

Denham, WA, is what passes for the major town in the Shark Bay region. It’s a surprisingly pleasant bayside spot with more attractions than you’d expect for a population of under 1,000.

This Western Australian town is a good base for exploring Shark Bay’s most famous attractions – the stromatolites at Hamelin Pool and the dolphin-feeding at Monkey Mia. But there are more things to do in Denham.

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Things to do in Denham, WA: Shark Bay World Heritage Discovery & Visitor Centre

The Shark Bay World Heritage Discovery and Visitor Centre makes for a logical starting point. This is a bit more than your usual visitor information centre, with a mini-museum section. This museum looks at the extraordinary natural qualities of Shark Bay – particularly the stromatolites and massive sea grass beds that attract dugongs. But it also looks at the region’s fascinating history. This was one of the first parts of Australia visited by Europeans, when Dutch sailor Dirk Hartog popped by in 1616.

Other things to do in Denham, WA, include walking the 2.3km Denham Discovery Trail. This walk pulls together sites of interest in the town itself, including the Anglican Church, Old Gaol and Peron Station.

What to do in Denham, WA: Nicholson Point Trail to Little Lagoon

For a longer walk take the 5km Nicholson Point Trail north to Little Lagoon. There are good wildlife-spotting opportunities on the way, and once there, Little Lagoon is a fabulous, safe swimming spot for families. There are sandy beaches, and none of the big-toothed fish that give Shark Bay its distinctly non-ironic name.

Just south of Denham is one of Western Australia’s quirkier attractions – the Thong Shack. This is probably best described as a collaborative artwork. Over the years, people have left their tatty old flip-flops attached to a wooden frame. The more thongs that are attached, the sillier it looks.

The Thong Shack is on the beach, about half way towards the Ocean Park Aquarium.

Things to do in Denham, WA: Ocean Park Aquarium

The Ocean Park Aquarium is arguably the top attraction in Denham. It’s decent enough as an aquarium, but the real strength is the sunset wildlife cruise. This 2.5 hour Shark Bay cruise goes out in search of sharks, dugongs, turtles, dolphins and rays. It usually finds them, too.

Dolphin at South Passage near Denham, Western Australia. Photo courtesy of Tourism Western Australia.

An alternative tour option from Denham is Shark Bay Coastal Tours. These 4WD tours stay on land, checking out the wildflowers and heading into Francois Peron National Park. Wildlife-spotting at Big Lagoon in the national park is a highlight.

That said, many visitors prefer to stay in Monkey Mia further north. The Denham to Monkey Mia drive cuts across the southern edge of the Francois Peron National Park, where you’ll find Big Lagoon and Cape Peron. This drive is 26km long and takes about 18 minutes.

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