Dirk Hartog Island National Park 

Jutting out from the far western edge of the Australian continent lies remote and rugged Dirk Hartog Island, one of our most important historic sites. The island has a prominent place in Australian maritime history as it was visited by several notable European explorers, many of them well before Captain Cook and the First Fleet. The arrival of Dirk Hartog in 1616 marked the first European landing on Australia’s west coast, and he was later followed by other Dutch explorers including Vlamingh in 1697 and Englishman, William Dampier in 1699. Several Frenchmen followed the Dutch including St Alouarn in 1772 and Baudin in 1801.

Steep cliffs on the island’s western side slope gradually eastward towards a low limestone coastline of shallow bays and secluded beaches. The vegetation is low, shrubby and harbours a surprising array of animal life from rare burrowing frogs to wrens found nowhere else in the world.

Today times are changing. The island’s recent history as a pastoral lease has come to an end and sheep grazing has made way for conservation. The island is now a national park  and the future looks bright for the island with bold plans underway to reintroduce some of the island’s rare mammals.

Who was Dirk Hartog? Click here to find out!
To find out more about Shark Bay’s maritime explorers click here.

 

Click the image to start the video (2min 8sec).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travelling to the island via vehicle barge between Steep Point and the island is a popular method of transport, giving you the freedom to use your own 4WD on the island. Note this is a challenging 4WD experience there is a limit of 8 vehicles allowed on the island at any one time.

To access the barge you will need to travel to Steep Point via a rough 4WD track and then take the 20 min trip across to the southern tip of the island. The barge service only runs in the morning and is subject to weather conditions. Bookings must be prearranged through the Dirk Hartog Island Homestead. For more info on the barge service click here.

Boat owners are welcome to visit the island either on a day trip, to camp or to stay at the homestead. Most people travel across from Denham, a journey of approximately 35km as the crow flies. During summer when strong southerly winds are the norm the journey may not be possible. Check local conditions and ensure you have all necessary safety equipment before crossing.

 

Charter boats are also an option and several companies in Denham offer this service. Costs vary depending on your group size. Visit the Shark Bay tourist information website for a list of companies and to make bookings.

Another option is to charter a small plane to fly to the island from the Denham airport. Charter flights can be arranged through the staff at the Dirk Hartog Island Homestead or through Shark Bay Air Charter.

Aside from the commercial accommodation at the island’s homestead, facilities are limited to a few small fishing shacks dotted around the coastline. A small number of rugged 4WD tracks give access to these sites located mainly on the northern and eastern sides of the island.

There are six designated camping locations around the island with very basic or no facilities. The sites include Urchin Point, The Block, Withnell Point, Sandy Point, Louisa Bay and Sammy’s Beach. When camping you will need to bring everything with you. For full details of the facilities and accommodation on the island visit the homestead website.

The spectacular dunes of Tetradon Loop on the eastern side of Dirk Hartog Island

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The remoteness of Dirk Hartog Island has been a major attraction for the few visitors that venture out to the island each year. Fishing For many visitors the main interest is fishing, whether it be some of Australia’s best cliff based angling or boat based game fishing, there is something for all anglers. For full details of the fishing on the island visit the Dirk Hartog Island Homestead website. Walking Whilst no formal walking tracks are in place, walkers will find plenty of places to explore including secluded beaches, coastlines along cliff tops and vast sand dunes.

Cliffs on the western side of Dirk Hartog Island

A number of designated campsites are located around the coastline. Very basic shelters are available at some sites whilst at others you will need to be totally self-sufficient. Campers often choose their destination based on the proximity to a particular fishing site. Remember when choosing your site that the prevailing south-westerly wind can affect comfort levels.

 

The many varied landforms of the island make great subjects for naturalists and photographers. The spectacular sand dunes near Tetradon Loop are a photographers dream and a short walk amongst the dunes at sunrise or sunset will provide plenty of opportunities for great photos. The east coast’s crescent shaped beaches are also great for exploring, with their ever-present range of seabirds and a wide variety of shells dotting the shoreline.

 

Cultural Sites Dirk Hartog Island is one of Australia’s most significant historic places. Cape Inscription, the site of Dirk Hartog’s famous first landing by a European in Western Australia back in 1616, is riddled with fascinating history. For hundreds of years many explorers visited the cape. Its prominent location, jutting out into the Indian Ocean, meant sailors who were blown off course were common visitors. Some of them left behind mementoes of their visit, hence the name Cape Inscription. To learn more about this fascinating history, visit our maritime exploration pages or even better make a visit to the World Heritage Discovery Centre in Denham. At Cape Inscription there are few visible cultural remains, however the nearby lighthouse stands proud over the cape, as if to protect the deep history of this special site. Other visible historic features on the island are remnants of the pastoral history. Windmills and old shearing sheds are dotted around the island and the occasional fence line breaks up the arid landscape.

Cape Inscription lighthouse

For a map of the island's key sites and general 4WD track locations click here. Note that this map is not suitable for navigation purposes.

 

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At present there are no Department of Environment and Conservation entrance fees for the island, however the homestead proprietors administer both the camping and barge fees (if you wish to take your vehicle over to the island). Access and camping fees for Steep Point are also in place and must be paid if you access this area in transit to the island. For the homestead’s current fee structure visit this site.

In the future a new fee structure will be introduced as the island’s transition to a national park occurs. Contact the DEC office in Denham for the current situation.

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