Getaway
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Stand-up paddleboarding in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area; western grasswren; Hamelin Pool coastline; dining at Boughshed Restaurant in Monkey Mia.
Photos: Tourism WA
While waiting, we learn how a few select female dolphins are fed up to 10 per cent of their daily food requirements, ensuring they continue to hunt naturally and teach their calves survival skills. It’s music to my ears. After hearing about the personalities of the dolphins, one swims to within a metre of me and my three-year-old son; its sleek body easily spotted in the clear water. Another dolphin edges close to a volunteer. Then a third joins the party and we grow louder with excitement. The 30-minute dolphin experience has changed a lot since the 1980s. No longer are dolphins given fish scraps from fishermen and holidaymakers, as the legend goes. They’re only fed in the morning to allow the remainder of the day for natural activities, says Amy. (The best time to see them is between 7.30am and 10am. Reserve fees apply: $15 a day for adults and $5 for children.) The feeding takes place at one
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end of RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort, which in 2018 underwent a $20 million redevelopment that’s increased its size from four to nine hectares. Accommodation now includes dormitories, campsites, family studios and beachfront villas. There’s also a sophisticated restaurant and bar area, resort-style pool, and a general store. As a result, the famous destination has been brought into the 21st century and you can easily pass a few days here. Or you can daytrip from Denham (25 kilometres away), with Rex flying between Perth and Shark Bay Airport.
MORE THAN DOLPHINS A lone lugger rests in a glassy bay as a reminder of Denham’s shell farming history. A little up the road, Shark Bay Hotel catches tourists’ eyes with its white-shell bricks, quarried and hardpacked in the early 1900s. Further along, cyclists on the self-guided Denham Discovery Trail come across The Old Pearler Restaurant (a top spot for seafood) and St. Andrews Anglican Church, both built out of cockles in what is a quirky feature of Australia’s westernmost settlement. Its remoteness ensures Denham has a sleepy vibe despite it being a main hub in the Shark Bay area, country of the Malgana, Nanda and Yingkarta people. The town makes a peaceful base for further exploration, not only to Monkey Mia but also into Francois Peron National Park (primarily four-wheel-drive routes), and to Shell Beach and Hamelin Pool. About 45 kilometres to the southeast, Shell Beach lures roadtrippers keen to set foot on a shore made of miniature shells, blindingly white and rough underfoot. They’re the same cockles literally forming the foundation of Denham. The local Coral Coast tourism board claims that, in areas, the shells at the beach are up to 10 metres deep and span for more than 70 kilometres. From the car park, visitors crunch