15 Aug Camping in Francois Peron National Park, Shark Bay

Francois Peron is an absolute adventure. The National Park can be explored within one day and is 4wd access only. However, there is so much to see, we urge you to spend a few days camping in the park if you are equipped with a 4wd and some basic camping equipment. This way you can explore Francois Peron NP to its full potential. 

Francois Peron NP is 830km’s from perth which is approx 9hrs driving plus additional time to get into the national park camping sites.

It resembles the amazing landscape of Broome with the red sandy cliffs and the turquoise water. The best part is it can be easily accessed within a day’s drive unlike Broome which requires an expensive flight from Perth or a few days driving.

On our first visit to Shark Bay (back in 2020) we went and explored Francois Peron National Park for a day trip. We must admit, it felt like a lot of driving. We went from bay to bay sightseeing, threw a line in at bottle bay for a quick fish, had a premade sandwich at Cape Peron and then headed back down the long 2 hr 4wd track. It felt like a big exhausting day of exploring. While it was fun, it felt rushed. 

We loved our day trip so much, we decided to make another trip out the following year to camp here to fully experience and soak in the beauty of Francois Peron.

4wd only Access

Access is 4wd only. You can however access the Heritage Precinct on a 2wd, along a 5km unsealed road. Past this point it’s 4wd only. However we both know you are more interested in some good old 4wd-ing fun if you are serious about camping in Francois Peron NP. 

The 4wding is not advanced or difficult. It requires some basic driving skills, you will quickly get used to driving on sand, figure out where to take it slow and easy. Driving in the park is mostly long sandy and somewhat corrugated tracks. There are only a few rough sandy areas to take it slow and steady, the rough sandy stuff starts up at South Gregories and out at Herald Bight, everything else is pretty easy going. 

At the Precinct there is a tyre deflating and inflating station, if you have a 4wd but don’t have a compressor to inflate your tyres the park offers these facilities (for free). We recommend somewhere between 20-15psi.

What you need to know about camping in Francois Peron

All of the bays are unique in their own way but it is mostly off the grid style camping because you need to bring water, food and your own power. There are long drop toilets provided but no showers or ablution blocks.

You can’t book in advance. You must pay on arrival at the entrance station for the amount of days you want to stay and you can move around from camp to camp. It’s not a super busy park so unlikely to be 100% fully booked and we have never seen it fully booked past Big Lagoon. The school holidays will be busier than usual and Big Lagoon is the most likely to get booked out because it’s the closest most accessible campground. 

It is not recommended to take caravans past Big Lagoon. However, if you have experience 4wding or towing an off road camper or caravan you will be fine. Herald Bight would be the only one we would highly caution people towing a caravan or trailer too, due to the very soft sand and beach style camping. We towed a camper trailer to Gregories which was fine, anything bigger could be a bit difficult without experience. 

Camping Facilities in Francois Peron NP

All the campsites have long drop toilets.

No water is provided so you must bring sufficient drinking water for your trip.

Hot tip: if you need to fill up a few jerry cans. Look for the water tower just out of town. The Denham Water Corp has an office along the Monkey Mia Rd where you can pay $1 for 20L of water in a self serve water tap.

Cost + Fees

• $11 per night, per person. $3 for kids over 5yr’s.

• Entrance fee is $12 per car. 

You don’t have to pay the entrance fee if you have a WA Annual Parks Pass. This is a National Park Pass.

If you don’t have an Annual Parks pass you can buy it from here. OR RAC members can get a discounted pass here. The proceeds go towards paying for the facilities of these parks and the rangers that look after them. 

The rangers come around every day or 2 to check on the park and say hello and make sure everyone is behaving. If you wish to extend your stay by a day or 2 you can pay the rangers directly as they have facilities for payment.

Best time to camp in Shark Bay

Shark Bay is known for being windy and the best time to visit for the warmth is Autumn, Winter and Start of Spring. So anytime from April through to Sep and Oct. It will be warm in these months (although not super hot) but the winds are usually milder than in Summer. 

If you decide on a camping trip to Francois Peron check the weather and hope for off shore winds. Weather will always be unpredictable. For a more in depth WA weather blog post (click here) we did on when and where to travel WA. 

Our fav weather apps include Willy Weather and Predict Wind to help you plan your trips.

Camping Bays in Francois Peron NP

Big Lagoon

Is the closest bay on the Western side of the Park. From the Heritage Precinct its approx 12km to big lagoon along a relatively easy going 4wd track. 

This bay is suitable for off-road caravans because the track is quite easy to access. It offers 7 caravan suitable bays and an additional 5 tent camping bays.

This is a popular spot so there is a camp host present. You can choose to pay when you arrive at Big Lagoon, instead of at the entrance if you are concerned with paying before you know there is availability.

The lagoon is quite protected especially at low tide. A great place for kayaking, SUP boarding, relaxing and exploring the lagoon and adjoining beach. Fishing only south of the campsite and on the beach.

Herald Bight

This campsite is unique because it offers 6 cleared sandy patches in the dunes. You can literally camp on the beach, prime beach camping.

Situated on the North East side of the peninsula, it will be protected from the South West winds. When the wind is perfect this bay is amazingly glassy and sheltered.

Getting to the bay is approx 27 km’s so allow at least 45mins to 1hr for the drive. Access is soft and sandy at the entrance so if you are towing. I would recommend being experienced at towing off-road vehicles in the sand as this is right on the beach. If you are not experienced with towing off road trailers don’t risk it here, just bring a tent or a swag.

Herald Bight is known for its fishing so be prepared with some bait and a few beers. The beach is mostly just a traditional white sandy beach so if you are looking for the red sand and red cliffs this isn’t the camp spot for you. 

South Gregories

6 cleared bays for camping just meters from the beach, in the dunes.

4wding beach however it’s not a very long bay/beach. Sth Gregories apparently offers good beach fishing and it’s a good place to launch a boat if you are bringing a tinny. South Gregories is approx 30 km’s into the Park. Allow approx 1hr ¼ – ½ to reach this bay. The road at times is sandy which is fun but will slow the journey a bit. 

Gregories

With 6 cleared bays for camping. Just meters from the beach, the bays are nicely spaced apart from your potential neighbours.

There is no 4wd access to this beach. However, the bay is quite a bit bigger than Sth Gregories which offers a bit more beach space. The bay itself is protected by a reef spit, so it can be nice and protected from the swells. This also allows for great fishing off the reef/rocks.

Gregories is approx 40 km’s into the Park. Allow approx 1hr ¼ – ½ to reach this bay. 

We ended up settling on camping here on our visit to Francois Peron NP. We were towing a camper trailer when we visited so the journey to this bay was a bit slower than planned but we managed to get a trailer out here with no issues.

Bottle Bay

14 campsites total with 7 large cleared sites for camper trailers, or larger groups of people and 7 smaller sites aimed at tents and roof top tent setups. It’s a popular spot so it can get busier than other bays.

Bottle bay is a 4wding beach and a very popular fishing beach. You can drive a good distance along the bay to get to a reef, rocky section which makes for good fishing. If you head north to the end of the bay you reach another bay where some of the most amazing red cliffs start.

Exploring the other attractions at Francois Peron NP.

The Park has more attractions to visit and enjoy like Cattle Wells, Cape Peron and Skipjack Point. It is worth a visit to the red cliffs at Cape Peron and the Skipjack Point at very top of the park. 

 The park is quite remote and that is (in our opinion) part of its charm and part of the reason it’s not overly busy. People visiting are turned off by the fact that you can’t book a campsite in advance or they are just dropping in for a day trip. Luckily, Denham or Monkey Mia offer loads of accommodation and caravan parks. There’s comfort in knowing there are plenty of accommodation options outside the park.

The park is stunning. With the harsh bright red sandy cliffs contrasting against the turquoise water at Cape Peron and Skipjack Point make this a very picturesque place to explore. 

The 4wding is easy enough to explore if you are an armature. There are plenty of people around if you ever get stuck or bogged because its a popular park. If you plan on doing any 4wding it is common sense to bring recovery equipment (air compressor and max tracks etc).

Best fishing beaches include Herald Bight, Cattle Wells, Sth Gregories, Gregories and Bottle Bay. 

4wding beaches include Herald Bight, Sth Gregories and Bottle Bay.

This is a national park with plenty of wildlife around. Snakes included! Although we didn’t see any roos or rabbits there are heaps of animal tracks so they are around. When we arrived at our campsite we saw a heap of cigarette butts scattered around by the previous people. Leave no trace you were there so it’s enjoyable for everyone. When visiting the national parks please be respectful of the landscape and wildlife, pick up your rubbish.

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