Francois Peron National Park
Encyclopedia
Francois Peron National Park is a national park on the Peron Peninsula
in Western Australia
(Australia
), 726 km north of Perth
, and located within the boundary of the Shark Bay World Heritage area
. The nearest towns to the park are Denham
, which is found on the southern edge of the park and Carnarvon
which is found about 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) to the north.
were the initial inhabitants of the area and have been living there for over 26,000 years. The local peoples who speak the Malgana language call the area Wulyibidi.
It is named after the French naturalist and explorer François Péron
who was the zoologist aboard Nicholas Baudin's 1801 and 1803 scientific expeditions to Western Australia, and is situated within the bounds of the earlier pastoral lease
of the Peron Station.
Locations from the French exploration era include:
A pearling
camp was established on the peninsula at Herald Bight in the 1880s and the remains of the shells can still be found along the beach.
Used as a sheep station
from the early 1900s onwards the station was sold to the state government
in 1990.
It was gazetted on 8 January 1993 as a National Park - through the purchase of Peron Station (Pastoral Lease 3114/761) in 1990
to the west, north and east, and by the Denham
to Monkey Mia
road to the south.
Peron Peninsula
Peron Peninsula is a long narrow peninsula located in the Shark Bay World Heritage site in Western Australia, at about 25o51' S longitude and 113o30' E latitude. It is some 80 miles long, running north-northwesterly, located east of Henri Freycinet Harbour and west of Havre Hamelin and Faure...
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
(Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
), 726 km north of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, and located within the boundary of the Shark Bay World Heritage area
Shark Bay, Western Australia
Shark Bay is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. It is an area centred approximately on , 800 kilometres north of Perth, on the westernmost point of Australia. An expedition led by Dirk Hartog happened upon the area in 1616, becoming the second group of Europeans...
. The nearest towns to the park are Denham
Denham, Western Australia
Denham is the administrative town for the Shire of Shark Bay, Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Denham had a population of 607.Located on the western coast of the Peron Peninsula north of Perth, Denham is the westernmost town in Australia, and is named in honour of Captain Henry Mangles...
, which is found on the southern edge of the park and Carnarvon
Carnarvon, Western Australia
Carnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately 900 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The popular Shark Bay world heritage area lies to the south of the town and the Ningaloo Reef lies to the north...
which is found about 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) to the north.
Names and earlier uses
Indigenous AustraliansAustralian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
were the initial inhabitants of the area and have been living there for over 26,000 years. The local peoples who speak the Malgana language call the area Wulyibidi.
It is named after the French naturalist and explorer François Péron
François Péron
François Auguste Péron was a French naturalist and explorer. He is credited with the first use of the term anthropology.-Explorations:...
who was the zoologist aboard Nicholas Baudin's 1801 and 1803 scientific expeditions to Western Australia, and is situated within the bounds of the earlier pastoral lease
Pastoral lease
A pastoral lease is Crown land that government allows to be leased, generally for the purposes of farming.-Australia:Pastoral leases exist in both Australian commonwealth law and state jurisdictions....
of the Peron Station.
Locations from the French exploration era include:
- Guichenault (east coast of the Peron Peninsula)
- Cape Lesueur (west coast of the Peron Peninsula)
- Lake Montbazin
A pearling
Pearling
Pearling may refer to:* Pearl hunting, the practice of diving for pearls* Pearling , a form of genital beading...
camp was established on the peninsula at Herald Bight in the 1880s and the remains of the shells can still be found along the beach.
Used as a sheep station
Sheep station
A sheep station is a large property in Australia or New Zealand whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or south-west of the country. In New Zealand the Merinos are usually in the high country of the South...
from the early 1900s onwards the station was sold to the state government
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
in 1990.
It was gazetted on 8 January 1993 as a National Park - through the purchase of Peron Station (Pastoral Lease 3114/761) in 1990
Location
It is adjacent to and surrounded by the Shark Bay Marine ParkShark Bay Marine Park
Shark Bay Marine Park is located at Shark Bay World Heritage Site, Western Australia, over north of Perth. It is the site of the world's largest seagrass meadows, with a total of twelve species of seagrass in the park....
to the west, north and east, and by the Denham
Denham
- People :* Carl Denham, fictional character from King Kong* Daryl Denham, British radio DJ* Digby Denham, Australian politician* Dixon Denham, British explorer* Henry Denham, British printer* Henry Mangles Denham, , Royal navy...
to Monkey Mia
Monkey Mia
Monkey Mia is a popular tourist resort located about 800 km north of Perth, Western Australia. The resort is 25 km northeast of the town of Denham in the Shark Bay Marine Park and World Heritage Site....
road to the south.
Facilities
Picnic, boat launching and camping areas along the west coast of the Peninsula include:-- Big Lagoon
- Cape Lesueur
- Cattle Well
- South Gregories
- Gregories
- Bottle Bay
Further reading
- Edward DuykerEdward DuykerEdward Duyker is an Australian historian and author born in Melbourne, Victoria, to a father from the Netherlands and a mother from Mauritius...
François Péron: An Impetuous Life: Naturalist and Voyager, Miegunyah/MUP, Melb., 2006, pp. 349, ISBN 978 0522 85260 8 [winner Frank Broeze Maritime History Prize, 2007].