News: 2009
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National Park for Dirk Hartog Island
Chris Thomson, WA Today, October 27th 2009
Australia's westernmost point, and first European landing site - Dirk Hartog Island - will soon be declared a national park.
WA Environment Minister Donna Faragher said the government would establish the new park over most of the island's 63,000 hectares.
"Dirk Hartog Island forms the westernmost point of Australia and is an incredibly biodiverse area with outstanding natural values including more than 250 native plant species, three endemic threatened bird species and a number of threatened reptiles," Ms Faragher said.
The island is nationally significant because Dutch sea captain Dirk Hartog's landing there on October 25, 1616 is the first evidence of European arrival in Australia.
Located 37km west of Denham in WA's Midwest, Dirk Hartog is part of the Shark Bay World Heritage area.
Ms Faragher said the declaration would help WA's tourism industry market the island as an important attraction alongside the world-famous dolphins of Monkey Mia.
"Creating the national park will open it up to tourists under carefully managed sustainable tourism arrangements," she said.
"It will also provide a pathway for the traditional owners of Dirk Hartog Island, the Malgana people, to engage in the ongoing management and conservation of the region."
Management of the national park will include sheep and feral goat removal.
"Native animals on Dirk Hartog Island have suffered from feral goats and cats, with 12 of the 15 original native mammal species now believed to be locally extinct on the island,” Ms Faragher said.
A small piece of freehold land will be retained for nature-based tourism facilities by the Wardle family, which has held the pastoral lease on the island since 1968.A reserve will also be created at Tumbledown Point for the use of the Malgana Aboriginal people.
August
August '09
We are all getting excited for the last few weeks of the 2009 - Tourism Season on Dirk.
August is over and it is finally warming up here on the island. Apart from the wind, the weather hasn't let us down in the last few weeks. We did have quite a bit of rain, which transformed the island into a wildflower paradise!
On our tours to the south and north end of the island several humpback whales have been sighted breaching and diving along the coastline of the island. We were able to show our guests these giants of the sea from the land and this week's group was able to spot a humpback while having breakfast on the verandah of the Lodge.
The month started out with a young group of friends visiting us at the Lodge. While the boys went out hunting for dinner, the girls enjoyed the relaxation in the Homestead Bay.
Rob Torelli - Blue Water Hunting Internatioal -brought up some keen spearfishermen to Dirk Hartog Island. The strong winds and the high swell could not keep these Fishing Enthusiast out of the water and they came home every night with the most amazing photos and stories about their dives at Cape Inscription, Turtle Bay and the south end of the island. We are all excited to watch the photos and the movie Rob will create out of this weeks' adventures. The team on Dirk Hartog Island is looking forward to a successful cooperation with Blue Water Hunting International in the next few years!
Mid August Carnarvon School of the Air held their Mini-Camp on Dirk Hartog Island. Will and Ollie enjoyed the alternation from their daily life and loved having all their friends from Air live on the island!
Children, Parents and Teachers alike had two unforgettable days on the island full of fun activities, like sand boarding, 4WDing and playing at the beach!
The kids learned a lot about the Flora and Fauna of the island and enjoyed an interesting history lesson with Kieran and Tory.
We were proud to host this event and hope to welcome everyone back on the island in the near future!
Camping August '09
We will still be operating the Camping Holidays on Dirk Hartog Island in future.
Together with the DEC we will maintain the existing campsite and improve the holiday experience on the island.
This month has been a full success for the 4WD & Camping Enthusiasts on Dirk. And everyone enjoyed their holiday on the island.
A big THANK YOU to Garry Haddon and his crew for cleaning up the Urchin Point Camp Site and leaving it so clean and well maintained!
Book your next 4WD-Holiday or find out more about our Special Camping Holiday Offer !!!
July
Family Holidays on Dirk Hartog Island
We are now in the last few months of the season 2009 and can't believe how fast time is running!
The sun is shining and it is lovely and warm at daytime. The nights are a bit cooler, but with a jumper and some uggboots easy to handle!
The July school holidays have been great fun for parents and children alike!
The first week, Col Roberts from Fishing Wild stayed together with his family at the island's Lodge! He spent his time fishing on our Charter Boat and discovering the amazing landscape fishing spots on Dirk. We are all excited to read your article in Fishing Wild soon, Col!
Six parents and their 8 children enjoyed the second week of the July School Holidays at the island's Lodge! We were busy Fishing and Snorkelling, Sandboarding and exploring the island from morning until night time. This funny and lovely group introduced the new sport on Dirk - Beach Cricket! Thanks guys for the great time we had together!
That life starts with 50 + prooved a small group of Western Australian couples in the last week of July! These lovely people went out fishing every day and caught the biggest fish just in the Homestead Bay! Unbelievable! They had fun together from morning until night time and staff and guests alike enjoyed evenings playing pool and drinking wine together!
Our Island Interlude Tours are still running every Tuesday and Friday from Denham! Book in advance to enjoy an amazing day on Dirk Hartog Island and discover the South End, including Surf Point and The Blowholes!
Fishing July '09
Why going somewhere else if you can catch the biggest fish in Western Australia!
Our guests didn't get tired of catching Spanish Mackarel, Snapper, Baldchin Groper and more on days out Fishing in Shark Bay waters.
There was not one day, when fresh seafood has not been on the table and everyone enjoyed catching, filleting and eating fish!
June
Sunshine+Biting Fish+Lot's of Fun = Perfect Holiday on DHI
Another great and eventful month on Dirk Hartog Island comes to an end. There are so many things to talk about! Where do we start?
The weather has been a mix of sunshine and rain, but this did not stop our guests from exploring our diverse activiites on land and water.
The group of families staying at the Lodge used the opportunity and went out fishing and diving every day! - And no, you can not shoot a goat with a spear fishing gun!
The Jetwave Island Interlude Tours have proved very successful. To enhance this unique experience we have added an oudoor entertainment area to the already existing facilities! This new limestone building provides a separate setting for daytrippers to enjoy morning/afternoon tea and the amazing ocean view.
Coming now for more than 5 years, Joe Caudo and his enthusiastic Fishing Crew created their own fishing competition which provided lots of laughs and a fun time was had by all!
Last week, we sighted the first Humpback Whale at Cape Inscription! It seems like these giants of the sea are travelling early this year!
Our staff team used the few days without guests to travel up north and experience the simple pleasure of camping on Dirk Hartog Island! We spent the night at Urchin Point...what a lovely way to recharge the batteries! The snorkelling experience as one to remember, complete with a shark sighting and a few cuts and scrapes! Good times!
Fishing June '09
The fishing this month has been just amazing!
It was hard to pick out the best fish out of all of those being caught! We were constantly surprised at the array of fish we had coming in!
We caught a large Spanish Mackerel that left our skipper and Kieran speakless!
And Caudo's Fishing Challenge made for a variety of fish cuisine...their overnight venture proved very fruitful.
Shane Attwell's group did some amazing spearfishing and got some awesome photos of their adventures; adults and children alike spent most of their time exploring our beautiful marine environment!
May
The Hobby Kayak Group and more
With autumn approaching we finally got our first rain this season and all of the water tanks at the Lodge and those up north are filled!
While walking along the beach we were able to spot a lot of turtles, rays, sharks and dolphins in the waters around the Lodge. To see these creatures up close-theres nothing quite like it!
Staff and guests were recently provided with an actual cinema experience, right here on Dirk! Bill Shaw, one of our regular campers, set up a projector in our shearing shed and we thouroughly enjoyed the latest X-Men movie. Thank you Bill!
At the beginning of this month we had a hobbie kayak group visit the island. On Sunday the 10th of May, 14 men with 14 kayaks arrive at Dirk Hartog Island! They spent every day in their kayaks and went fishing around various locations, including Steep Point and Turtle Bay. These guys had everything including GPS, sounders and shark sheilds!
The fishing has been very successful and fresh seafood has been on the dinner table every night. You wont get it any fresher!
Fishing May '09
No swell, no wind and great fishing!
May is one of the best months for fishing in the Shark Bay Area! With an influx of guests proving their skills when it comes to fishing, we have enjoyed the spoils in the kitchen! Great work guys!
April
Easter Bunnies, Helicopters & awesome fishing
The weather in the last couple of weeks has been fantastic! The month started out with a bit of wind and rough seas, but from the second week onwards, we had perfect holiday conditions!
The Easter School Holidays have been busy, with guests and staff enjoying the days out on the Eendracht and the days four wheel driving!
Will and Ollie loved having other kids to play with and enjoyed the action packed days!
The highlight of the month was the opportunity to have a helicopter to explore the island! As one of our guests brought his own helicopter. We were able to visit beaches where we have never been before. The island still remains largely untouched and it is a thrill to visit these pristine areas. It has been an adventurous week for all of us!
Jetwave Boat Charters has started their popular Island Interlude Day Tours! These will now run every Tuesday and Friday out of Denham until mid October.
Until next time!
Fishing in April 09
Mark Read's Fishing Adventures were back again in 2009!
They had a couple of bad weather days early before the wind backed off and the fish decided to bite. There was plenty of action on the surface with loads of mackerel and a couple of hook up's with sailfish and black marlin!
March
Back on DHI
On the 14th of March, we welcomed our first guests at the island's Lodge since our summer break!
While out fishing on the ' Eendracht' we sited 30 whale sharks at Cape Inscription! What an amazing sight to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat!
The weather has been perfect for land based fishing. Our groups have caught plenty fish, including tailor, pink and black snapper and spannish mackerel.
In the second week of March, Sally from Tourism Council Western Australia visited the Lodge for a day. Through this visit our Tourism Accreditation was finalized. This is an achievement to be proud of and is proof of our high standard of business operation.
The Loggerhead Turtles have been hatching in good numbers.
The Department of Environment and Conservation started a Cat - Eradication Program at the end of March. Throughout the season, guests have to be aware of the traps put up by the DEC. The Department is willing to hand out information to all of our guests and further details are to be found on www.dec.wa.gov.au
October
Minister
TheMinister for Environmen, Hon Donna Faragher JP MLC will be in Shark Bay on Tuesday 27th October to make a major announcement about Dirk Hartog Island.
