Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Where Can I See the Dolphins?
The main advantage to making the trek to Monkey Mia to see dolphins is
that sightings are virtually guaranteed every day. But it's crowded, and
rangers strictly monitor behavior with the dolphins—not the interactive
frolic you might have imagined. At Bunbury , a 2 1 2 -hour drive south
of Perth, you can swim with wild dolphins (see “Taking a Dip with Flip-
per,” earlier in this chapter). Here the critters show up near shore only
about two-thirds of the time. But the daily dolphin-watch cruise into
deeper water has an almost 100% sighting success rate.
Tips
them or reach out to pat them, but they come up to touch people of their own
accord sometimes. Feeding times are different each day so the dolphins won't
become dependent on the food. Once the crowd disperses, savvy swimmers dive
into the water just up the beach outside the no-swimmers-allowed Dolphin
Interaction Area, because the dolphins may head there after the “show.” Apart
from the Monkey Mia Reserve entry fee, there is no charge to see the creatures.
A GREAT SEA-LIFE CRUISE, LIVING “FOSSILS” & MORE
Don't do what so many visitors do—see the dolphins, then shoot back to Perth.
Stay to see Shark Bay's incredible marine life on the sailing catamaran Shotover
( & 1800/24 1481 in Australia, or 08/9948 1481). During a 2 1 2 -hour dugong
(manatee) cruise, you will see a huge range of creatures, possibly hammerhead
sharks, a baby great white, sea snakes, turtles, dolphins, and, of course, dugongs.
Every passenger is given polarized sunglasses, which help you spot underwater
animals. Sometimes you see dozens of dugongs (though they leave the area from
mid-May to Aug). The cruise departs 1pm daily from Monkey Mia Dolphin
Resort and costs A$54 (US$35). The Shotover also does a fascinating 2-hour dol-
phin cruise every morning—worth doing even if you already saw the dolphins on
the shore. It costs A$49 (US$32). Children 7 to 16 pay half price.
On your way in or out of Monkey Mia, stop by the Hamelin Pool Historic
Telegraph Station ( & 08/9942 5905 ), 41km (25 1 2 miles) from the highway
turnoff. A small museum houses old equipment, farming tools, and historical
odds and sods from the 19th-century days when Monkey Mia was a repeater sta-
tion on a telegraph line. The A$5.50 (US$3.60) admission fee to the museum
includes an explanation of the stromatolites, rocky formations about a foot high
that were created by the planet's first oxygen-breathing cells—in other words,
Earth's first life. You might want to skip the museum, but wander down to Shell
Beach and have a look. The “sand” on the beach consists of millions of tiny white
shells, which were quarried as bricks to build some of the local buildings. There
is a cafe and gift store here, too.
You can explore the saltpans, dunes, coastal cliffs, short walking trails, and old
homestead in the nearby 52,500-hectare (129,675-acre) Francois Peron
National Park, either alone (you will need a four-wheel-drive) or on a half- or
full-day tour—although not everyone will appreciate the park's harsh scenery.
You should spot wallabies, birds, and emus, and you may see turtles, dolphins,
rays, dugongs, and, in season, whales from the cliffs. Other activities include
half- and full-day game and deep-sea-fishing trips from Denham, scuba diving,
excursions to the deserted beaches and 180m (590-ft.) cliffs of nearby Dirk Har-
tog Island, and a couple of pearl-farm tours.
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