Denham

We rose early and left site at 7:30 to travel further north. Our next stop being a town call Denham, and a site adjacent the beach near the resort of Monkey Mia. The peninsular lies within a World Heritage Site due to its unique features and sea life.
We breakfasted en-route at a road rest area and arrived in Denham at about 12:30pm.
After setting up we wandered into the town in glorious sunshine. The temperatures are rising as we move towards the Tropic of Capricorn, this latitude being very similar to Rainbow Beach on the East Coast.
we enjoyed a couple of beers to cool us down in the local hotel and visited the adjacent Bottle-O.
On Wednesday we drove off to Monkey Mia which was 20k further up the road to have a look at the dolphin experience. Historically the locals used to feed dolphins at this point which earned its reputation as a place to interact with them. Over time it was realised that feeding the dolphins was not good for their continued well being as they were beginning to lose the ability to hunt for themselves.
As a consequence the protocols have changed and the emphasis is now on careful interaction with, very limited feeding. Three interactions are offered each morning by the local rangers which give an informative talk about the dolphins, should they come in to interact and to feed them a maximum of 10% of their daily dietary requirements.
A mother and calf came in not long after we arrived. It seems these two are the most often seen in the resort, recognisable by the damage sustained on their dorsal fins. There were a lot of fish sheltering under the jetty whilst we were there.
After breakfasting, we watched the pair return for the second interaction of the morning. They were accompanied by a large turtle.
We then spent some time on the beach. As the tide came in so did a multitude of other dolphins, much to the delight of the paddle boarders and swimmers in the sea. Apparently there are about 3000 dolphins in the greater Shark Bay area overall. We saw some out at sea fishing where the seagulls were also working.
A fantastic day in the most beautiful surroundings.Read more