Where is Monkey Mia?
Monkey Mia is located in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area and has stunning coastal scenery with an abundance of wildlife. It is 850kms north of Perth, most people drive there in one day (10 hours) but I prefer to take two days, especially towing a caravan, staying overnight in Geraldton. I arrive at the RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort, early to mid-afternoon giving me plenty of time to set up my caravan site before watching the beautiful sunset and maybe spotting a dolphin.
What can I do in Monkey Mia?
Dolphin Experience
Monkey Mia is famous for its wild dolphins and every morning starting at 7.45am the volunteers and Park Rangers start looking out for dolphins, when one swims into the dolphin experience area and they usually bring their family (Mum and babies), the Ranger invites the people down to the water’s edge. The Ranger gives an interesting talk (about 10 to 15 minutes), then volunteers bring 3 fish for each dolphin (usually 2 to 3 dolphin, but could be only 1) and a very lucky person is picked to feed the dolphin. I have been chosen on a number of times. BEST EXPERIENCE EVER! I love it!
Dolphins need about 25kgs of fish a day and these dolphins are only being fed a small amount, so they won’t become dependent on the free feed.
The talk and dolphin feeding is repeated up to 2 more times until 12 noon, but it all depends on whether or not the dolphins swim into the designated area.
There can be big crowds on the beach (busloads of tourists), but if you can hang around they usually leave after the first feeding. I got myself a coffee and watched the 1st feeding from the café and was picked at the 2nd feeding.
How I get picked to feed the dolphin?
I have stayed at Monkey Mia every July for the last 3 years and have been picked to feed the dolphin every time (I know I am sooooo lucky!!). How did I do this? I wear bright non-matching clothes, think purple jacket and orange t-shirt (to stand out from the crowd, but you won’t look good in the photos) and smile (a lot) plus make eye contact with the volunteer (but not in a creepy way) and cross your fingers. Oh, don’t wave either (you’ll look too desperate).
GOOD LUCK!!
Become a Volunteer
If you can stay for 4 days or more you can volunteer to help the Rangers, by preparing the fish for the dolphins, recording information or answering questions from the public, plus whatever else needs doing. I did this a few years ago it’s great fun, I worked with other volunteers who were from Canada, Germany and the UK all tourists travelling around. The dolphins would push against my leg for the fish and being that close to the dolphins was amazing.
The Rangers are asking for volunteers at the moment for October 1st to 30th, November 7th to the 23rd and December 1st to 30th 2019.
Email monkeymiavolunteer@westnet.com.au for more details.
How much does it cost?
The dolphin experience is free, but it is $15 AUD per adult for a day permit to enter the park, or $25 AUD for a Holiday permit, lasting 4 weeks, if you are staying at the Resort.
Nature Cruise on the Bay
You can’t go to Monkey Mia without spending some time out on the water. I would recommend going on the Aristocrat Wildlife Cruise. They are licensed to stop in the exclusion zone in the marine park. I have been on this cruise 4 times and always seen wildlife, dolphins (lots), loggerhead turtles and dugongs, (a dugong looks like a cross between a small whale and a dolphin with a face only it’s mother could love), but it’s very exciting to see one, as they are a rare find. The water is usually flat and clear. The cruise is a great way to relax and enjoy the view while looking for wildlife.
If you book the morning Wildlife Cruise ($99 AUD) it includes a complementary sunset cruise. I took my Sunset cruise 2 days after my Wildlife cruise, so you don’t have to do them the same day. Contact- info@perfectnaturecruises.com.au for more info.
Indigenous Experience
The Aboriginal name for Shark Bay is ‘Gutharraguda’, which means the meeting of two bays or two waters.
Just after sunset I joined a group of fellow travellers on the beach, for the Wula Gura Nyinda Eco Adventures Cultural Experience tour. We first experienced a smoking ceremony that involves smothering native plants to produce smoke, which is an ancient aboriginal custom to cleanse the area, ward off bad spirits and show respect for the elders past and present. The native plants created a lovely smell and a spiritual feeling.
I heard stories around the campfire from the dreamtime, about aboriginal customs and traditions in a fun, light hearted way which was family friendly.
The men learnt to play the didgeridoo and the women blew into conch shells. It is traditionally men’s business to play the didgeridoo.
Later for supper, whole fish with the scales still on, were cooked on the campfire. In no time at all the fish were done (it looked burnt) but I could easily peel back the scaly skin and the meat fell away from the bones. It tasted delicious! YUMMY
It was a great night, very relaxed and friendly atmosphere and uniquely Australian.
Francoise Peron National Park
The Francois Peron National Park is an impressive wilderness area with huge red cliffs meeting white beaches and sparkling blue ocean. You will need a 4WD vehicle as the roads are sandy tracks or do what I did and go on a tour. I met the tour guide outside the Shark Bay Heritage Centre.
We visited a number of beautiful beaches with awesome views along the coast and learnt a lot about the native animals and flowers.
After lunch, we continued up the peninsula to Skipjack Point, where there is a viewing platform to see the marine life. I saw dugongs, turtles, sharks and dolphins the first visit, but the next year the water was a little rough and we could only see a turtle and some fish. You would be very unlucky not see any marine life.
Peron Francois National Park is well worth a visit.
Contact- sharkbaycoastaltours.com.au for more info.
Ocean Park Aquarium
The Ocean Park Aquarium is 30 kilometres from Monkey Mia with views of Shark Bay from the café.
A marine biologist gave a general talk about the animals in the tanks, as well as how the marine life ended up in the aquarium (sick or injured).
I loved watching the clownfish and sea anemone interacting, it was incredible to see.
The main attraction is the sharks, it is called Shark Bay for a reason! They have a big lagoon ( though not as big as the ocean), with a number of different sharks swimming around. There is an observation deck into the middle of the lagoon where you can get a clear view of the sharks.
The sharks are fed at the end of every hour tour, unfortunately when I was there the sharks weren’t hungry. If you are adventurous you can swim with the sharks. No thank you!
Eagle Bluff Lookout
The Eagle Bluff lookout is on a high cliff overlooking the Denham Sound and is about 50 kilometres from Monkey Mia.
You can take an easy walk along the 400 metre boardwalk with spectacular views out to sea.
Kayaking / paddle boats / swimming / SUP
The water is so inviting it is hard to resist going in, plus there are many activities to suit most people. I hired a kayak for the first time and it was great fun. The bay is usually flat and the water is shallow, so I could just stand up if I got into any trouble.
I had the amazing experience of having 3 dolphins swimming around me for about 15 minutes. To protect the dolphins, people are asked not to touch or feed them and to keep a safe distance away. You are also asked to take your oar out of the water until the dolphins have passed. That was the best $20 AUD I have ever spent!
Travel Tips
- Take insect repellent.
- Food is expensive, so take as much as you can.
- Fill your car with petrol regularly, as there can be long distances between service stops.
- Drink plenty of water and a wear hat for shade.
- Don’t miss a sunset, they are beautiful.
If Monkey Mia sounds like a great place to holiday, I would love to hear from you.
Please leave a comment below.
