Monkey Mia

No trip to Western Australia is complete without visiting Monkey Mia. Located on a unique stretch of World Heritage coastline just 30 minutes' drive northeast of Denham, Monkey Mia is a nature lover's dream with a wide variety of animal and bird life in a relaxed atmosphere.

As the only readily accessible beach in Shark Bay, Monkey Mia is famous for its once-in-a-lifetime dolphin experience. When a pod of bottlenose dolphins began to inhabit the area in the 1960s, they began a ritual that was to become a tradition and is now one of Monkey Mia's biggest tourist attractions.

Each day the dolphins swim into the shallows of the bay to play with the staff and visitors continuing to delight them with their grace and intelligence. The dolphins are wild and as such, the number and exact time of their visit varies however they generally visit the shore several times throughout the day and more frequently in the mornings.

Previously, guests had been invited to feed the dolphins however there are now strict guidelines around feeding these wild animals. Feeding is much less frequent and only done under the supervision of Parks and Wildlife officers to ensure that the dolphins continue to behave and hunt naturally. Outside this experience it is illegal to approach within 50m of wild dolphins in the water.

For more chances to get up close and personal with these amazing creatures, the dolphin information centre interprets their biology and behaviour patterns to provide information to the area. The dolphin information centre is open daily from 7 am to 4 pm and attracts an entry fee applies for the Monkey Mia Reserve.