Author: Mr A
From: Denham
To: Monkey Mia
Distance: 27 km
It was a 6.30am alarm and on the road by 7 to ensure we were in time for the briefing by the rangers who staffed the 'Dolphin experience' at Monkey Mia.
For over 50 years dolphins have been fed here, initially by the fishermen who shared their catch with them. Dolphins, as we know, aren't daft and started turning up at the same stip of beach every morning licking their lips. Then the tourists started to flood in and the dolphins who came were breeding pups who didn't know how to hunt for their own fish because they had never seen mum do it. So the WA Wildlife folk stepped in during the early 1990s and now regulate the whole thing, with only a few snacks being delivered by the lucky few chosen from the hundred or so of us watching.
It was a great experience to see these mammals up so close, literally metres away from the beach, rolling over, waving a flipper, and yet know although humanised they are still 'wild', and make a choice as to whether they turn up or not, and when.
We were back in Denham by lunch time and spent a very productive afternoon washing and cleaning…dull but necessary given everything is covered in red dust. That stuff can get inside a vacuum sealed flask…incredible.
Make sure you visit Cape Peron, drive all the way to the end of the road, walk to the beach, turn left and walk around the headland to the next beach
White sandy beach with red sand cascading over the rocky cliff and that amazing clear blue water and then the dolphins come up to you to have a look, no ranger, no people just you and nature, beautiful!
Yes, we did that the day before – stunning 🙂
Lovely experience and very glad to see it is controlled