Dolphin Encounters at Monkey Mia
Wild Dolphins Have Made this Australian Beach Resort a Must See
Wild bottlenose dolphins visit this remote Western Australian beach, providing mesmerising encounters in World Heritage listed Shark Bay.
Monkey Mia: strange name for a strange phenomenon. But it’s not so strange when you consider that Mia is an Aboriginal word for home, and that the Monkey part of the name dates back to an early 1800s European explorers' schooner. In fact, the local Malgana tribe, many of whom still reside in Shark Bay, have always known the region as Gartharrugudu, meaning two waters or two bays.
Why Go There
But today Monkey Mia, for most people, means wild bottlenose dolphins visiting the beach every morning. Well, being free roaming dolphins, it is of course, up to them when they visit. But according to Park Ranger Lyn, in the 80 years that Conservation and Land Management (CALM) have been recording their visits, the dolphins have only missed five days in all that time. So it’s pretty certain that if you visit Monkey Mia on any day just after sunrise, you will stand in ankle deep water and be mesmerised by at least one dolphin.
You will also find there are sometimes hundreds of other people also looking for the same experience, so don’t expect to have a one on one interaction. Monkey Mia is well marked on the Western Australian tourist route for good reason. Getting up close and personal with wild animals is a rare experience to cherish. The regular pod of dolphin numbers vary, but often 10 or more dolphins will visit. Inredibly, so trusting are these mammals of the human interaction, that you may just be lucky enough to witness a mother training her young calf in the shallows.
Where to Stay
But there are other reasons for detouring west off the North West Coastal Hwy at the Overlander Roadhouse. The World Heritage listing of the entire Shark Bay region is just one of them. The seemingly endless blue sky and calm aquamarine water, broken only by the deep ochre shades of Red Cliff Bay is another. Diversity of wildlife is yet another, including the many rare and threatened species not found elsewhere in Australia. However, if you’re still not convinced, staying beachside at the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort alone is reason enough to drive over 900 km north from Perth.
The current resort has evolved over the years from a simple camping area on the shores of Dolphin Beach. The first inkling of the treasure that awaits comes as you crest the dunes to catch a quick glimpse of the sparkling aquamarine waters, contrasting sharply with the iron rich soil beyond the sand dunes. The turquoise, hypersaline water of Shark Bay only ever varies in the intensity of it’s blue. It is this water and its mesmerising colour that sets the tone and pace for the laid back style of this resort.
Recent expansion has seen the addition of the Dolphin Lodge with modern motel style rooms boasting uninterrupted views of that eternally blue sea. Budget travellers are well catered for with innovative shared ensuite rooms, or, alternatively in dorm style rooms. A large, clean, well-equipped communal kitchen allows for self-catering. Beachfront villas are literally beachfront: step off your deck and you are merely a few steps away from entering the water. Caravaners and campers aren’t neglected either, with many shaded sites positioned beneath the palms and bougainvilleas.
Maximum capacity of guests here is approx 500, though thre is so much wide open space it rarely feels crowded. The beach stretches seemingly forever, the open sided restaurant spills onto the lawn and the staff exude friendliness. In fact, the whole bay seems to have succumbed to that mesmerising sea, with a palpable sense of calm wafting across the resort. Something to do with the spellbinding effect of wild dolphin encounters perhaps.
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