Shark Bay on Australia's far-west Coral Coast is over 5 million acres (2,200,902 ha) of islands, peninsulas and waters, including one of the world's largest and most diverse seagrass beds where about 10,000 dugongs (sea cows) graze. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1991, it is an important refuge for bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles and 26 threatened Australian mammal species. It's worth the 500-mile (800 km) trip from Perth to visit the friendly dolphins at Monkey Mia, the ancient domed stromatolites at Hamelin Pool and Shell Beach, made of millions and millions of tiny coquina shells. Best time to visit: June to October (winter into spring down under).
Shark Bay, Western Australia, Australia