Get set for a good dose of coastal drama today as you journey north from Freo all the way to Geraldton. But before you get there, pause in Yanchep National Park, a union of bush and wetlands that is as spectacular as it is sacred. The best way to understan d its significance to First Nations communities is in the company of an Aboriginal guide. On this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience,
hear how stories are taught, told and used, didgeridoo playing, and hands on learning with traditional tools. Just try not to leave more informed than when you arrived. Two national parks in one day your next stop is Nambung. We’ll forgive you for thinking you’ve been transported to the set of a sci fi movie when you arrive at this moonscape, studded with limestone pillars stre tching into the sky. Welcome to The Pinnacles. Arriving in Geraldton, more moving moments await at the evocative HMAS Sydney Memorial.

Get set for Monkey Mia, l ocated in the heart of the Shark Bay World Heritage region. Keep your sunnies handy at Shell Beach, a powder white cove formed from billions of coquina bivalve shells up to 10 metres deep, and Hamelin Pool, the world’s best known colony of stromatolites. B elieve it or not,
these rock like formations are alive. Aboriginal communities have lived on the land here for 65,000 years, and you’ll discover some of this history when you join proud Nhanda man Darren ‘Capes’ Capewell. This experience includes a tasting of bush tucker cooked over a campfire.

Bring your stamina today’s adventures begin early. But if there’s anything worth getting out of bed for, it’s Monkey Mia’s wild dolphins, which swim close to shore to greet visitors every morning. The rest of the day is at leisure. We wouldn’t blame you wandering barefoot along the beach, ordering sundowners as the day disappears in a blaze of glory. Perhaps the best way to gain perspective of the vast coastline is on a scenic flight over Shark Bay Marine Park (own expense).

Optional Experiences: Shark Bay Scenic Flight (25 Mins / 45Mins)

a. (25Mins)
This flight takes in the unique beauty of Francois Peron National Park with its red sands, aqua bays and startling
white beaches. Named after Francois Peron a naturalist, explorer and historian who sailed to Australia with
Nicholas Baudin on the ship “Geographe”. The Francois Peron National Park has stunning scenery which is often
sought after by photographers and artists for the amazing contrasts in the landscape and it is not unusual for to
see an array of marine life such as dolphins, sharks, rays and dugongs, all from the comfort of your aircraft seat.
Fly over the Denham town site, past bright blue Little Lagoon before reaching the stunning Big Lagoon, which
forms a magnificent mosaic of interconnected salt lagoons.The return to Shark Bay airport is via historic Peron
Homestead which was originally a sheep station now part of the Peron Heritage precinct.
b. (45Mins)
This flight crosses Freycinet Reach to the fascinating patchwork of salt ponds at Useless Loop. It then crosses the
sandy finger of Bellefin Prong and out over the rugged Zuytdorp Cliffs. Following the cliffs northward to Australia’s
most westerly landfall at Steep Point through the waters of South Passage. The flight crosses part of Dirk Hartog
Island and continues over shallow waters and sand bars adding to the astonishing range of blues and greens hues
of the area and then returns to Denham and Shark Bay airport.

Millions of years ago, the Murchison River carved its way through Kalbarri National Park, leaving behind echo inspiring gorges of red and white banded sandstone as well as soaring coastal cliffs. It’s quite the sight, and best taken in from a height. Enter the Kalbarri Skywalk, a precipitous projection 25 metres beyond the gorge rim and a dizzying 100 metres above the river. Here you’ll be welcomed to Country by an Indigenous guide, explaining the stories behind the land on which you stand. Learn about bush foods, medicine plants and the traditional uses of local flora. Hear stories about growing up on country and learn about the social history of the region from an Aboriginal perspective. Look around you there’s plenty to eat in the Aussie bush, not to men tion traditional medicines to cure what ails you.

If you thought you’d seen it all, wait until Hutt Lagoon appears on the horizon. One of Western Australia’s eye popping pink lakes, this body of highly salty water changes hue at different times of the year sometimes it’s bubblegum, often it’s lilac, occ asionally it’s red. It’s always incredible. What a blazing way to end your WA stay. But wait, you still have a Farewell Dinner and drinks with your new
friends.

Short and sweet, we hope your journey inspired extended West Australian wanderlust.