Shark Bay WA

An echidna, a kangaroo and an emu crossed the road…. Welcome to Shark Bay World Heritage Area where the wildlife is abundant!

This morning we were down at the jetty by 7 am for the famous Monkey Mia dolphin feeding experience. We lined up along the beach with our toes in the water waiting for Piccolo (and her calf Oboe) and Kiya to come into the feeding area. We were fascinated by how they eye-balled the crowd before witnessing up close their playful antics as they were each fed just enough local fish to reward them for coming in to see us but not so much as to deter them from still having to hunt their own in the wild. Despite the many people it was a great viewing experience.

Following the dolphin feeding we sat down for breakfast at the Resort’s signature Boughshed Restaurant and enjoyed one of the best coffees we’ve had yet along the Coral Coast, plus bacon and egg burgers and waffles for Lachie!

With full bellies we headed out to explore the World Heritage Area starting at Eagle Bluff, featuring a boardwalk extending out over the spectacularly high cliffs overlooking the Denham Sound and across to the Useless Loop salt pile. From there we also spotted some of the Shark Bay wildlife loitering in the warm shallow waters below (including sharks, a turtle and rays, but unfortunately not the illusive dugong). Definitely a highlight.

Next stop was the Ocean Park Aquarium showcasing Shark Bay’s endemic marine life. Sadly the facility seemed rundown and we generally felt sorry for the poor creatures confined to their small tanks. Definitely not a highlight.

Given it had been at least 2 hours since breakfast the boys were keen to explore the town of Denham for lunch before venturing into the Francois Peron National Park. We made it as far as the Peron Heritage Precinct before the already disconcertingly sandy road became high-clearance 4WD only! Dan and Helen did well to get the motorhome this far but none of us were keen to have to dig it out should we have ventured any further. Plus we found another artesian hot tub so we were very happy staying put to relax and soak our tired bodies.

Monkey Mia and the Shark Bay Area were places I had been especially looking forward to visiting, having conjured up spectacular visions of the outback meeting the sea. However, in reality you need a serious four wheel drive adventure deep into the Francois Peron NP to truly experience the beauty of the area and certainly to capture that iconic red white and blue money shot. Notwithstanding, the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort was fabulous and we could easily have spent more days soaking up the glorious beaches and chilling with the friendly resident emus.Read more