From Kalbarri we headed north – the goal was Denham, our next digs. The distance was about 400km, so naturally we needed to break it up so that the driver (Peter) was not too fatigued. 

The journey along Highway 1 was pretty uneventful, although there was a little more traffic coming against us and a lot more road trains. Road trains are pretty scary articulated vehicles, often over 35m long, that really barrel along. I have yet to need to pass one, but dread that eventuality.

Beige fury, our current hire car, has a bit of punch and handled the open road and 110km/hr speed limit pretty seamlessly. I got pretty good at picking empty stretches of road to pass slow caravans etc. Pretty impressed with the performance and handling of the Mazda 3 actually.

We stopped for lunch at the Overlander Roadhouse adjacent to the turnoff for Shark Bay, also picked up coffee for Jo and a Pepsi Max for the driver (hydration matters on such long drives, bladder breaks do also).

Heading out into the Shark Bay Wildlife Conservation area we drove some long straight roads up the peninsula. The area is vast, contains some unique and delicate ecosystems and is so different to what we are used to. 

First stop was Shell bay, a curious “beach” comprised of tiny shells of a bivalve that thrives in the saline microclimate. It appears there are some of the worlds largest seagrass meadows offshore, this creates a one way barrier that causes the inner waters to be twice as salty as normal seawater- perfect for a narrow range of species, the tiny cockle being one that has thrived in vast numbers.

We walked on the beach, down to the waterline, such a strange but unique place. Apparently you can swim there, but are more buoyant, and emerge with a salt crust. With no handy shower to clean up post swim, we decided against a dip even though it was so warm and inviting.