Dampiers Landing/Sammys Well

Camping fees apply to all camping areas within the national park. Please book your campsites through the Dirk Hartog Island Eco Lodge.

In 1699, navigator and buccaneer William Dampier voyaged to New Holland, spending several days in the area that he named 'Shark's Bay' and making extensive observations on the geography, plants and animals. He made the earliest known collections of plant specimens from anywhere in Australia at this site, taking 20 or so species back to England where they caused a sensation. A plaque commemorates his visit.

Dirk Hartog Island National Park is home to the Return to 1616 Ecological Restoration Project. Precious, nationally important threatened animal species are gradually being returned to the island following the successful removal of feral cats, goats and sheep.  Accidental introduction of pests can have a devastating effect on the island’s precious flora and fauna. Take care while camping and these unique animals will be here the next time you visit.

• Check out the Shark Bay island protection brochure and island protection video to help plan your holiday before you leave home and protect the island’s threatened animal species.
• Avoid driving between dusk and dawn – this is the time that threatened animals like to move around. They are naive to vehicles and don’t know to get out of the way.
• Organise your daily activities so that you are only driving during daylight hours – and not between dusk and dawn. Speeds above 30km/h are high risk to running over one or more of the threatened native animals.
• There are no kangaroos on the island. The only kangaroo-like animals are the threatened hare-wallabies that have been translocated to the island. If you accidentally run over an animal, or if you see a dead one on the track, please inform the Parks and Wildlife Denham office (08 9948 2226) so that Return to 1616 scientists can retrieve the animal’s microchip to learn more about it.
• Camp at the Cape Ransonnet barge transfer campsite in the national park or the Dirk Hartog Island Eco Lodge the night before you leave the island. Camping close to the barge landing point ensures threatened fauna are kept safe and not put at risk by an early morning drive to meet the barge.
• Wood fires and firewood collection are not permitted in the national park. For cooking, use a portable gas appliance.
• Bringing firewood into the national park is not permitted. Pests can hitch a ride in firewood.
• Please remove your rubbish when you leave the island. Do not leave any rubbish, food scraps or any other items in the national park and do not bury any rubbish. Stow rubbish to secure it from animals and the wind.
• Where toilets are not provided, bury toilet waste in a hole at least 50 centimetres deep at least 100m away from campsites and other public areas.
• Leave your pets at home.
• Make sure your camping gear, footwear, clothes and packs are free of soil, weed seeds, insects, spiders and other animals. 
• Pack your food in clean, sealed plastic or metal containers rather than cardboard boxes. Cardboard can harbour pests.
• Make sure your fresh food is free of soil, ants, snails or other small animals.