Wildlife Spotting in Shark Bay

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Shark Bay is a world heritage site and rightly so, it contains so many wonders within its ample, protected waters. The first of which was located at Hamlin Pools, a sheltered super-saline cove. Stromatolites, their name sounds interesting, the biological and evolutionary significance of these cynobacterial organisms whose presence on earth dates back 3.6 billion years is pretty impressive...But to look at they are simply a collection of lumpy rocks. We respectfully noted the tiny bubbles of oxygen that made their way to the surface and thanked Mr Stromatolite and his ancient relatives for this basic act which made it possible for animal and human life to exist. Suitably better informed about the beginnings of life on earth we left the respiring rocks to it and continued our drive up the cape to Denham.

It was an incredibly windblown drive, so much so that we ate our lunch in the car looking out at a lone fisherman standing knee deep in the choppy blue waters at Nanga Bay. Once at Denham, an old pearling township, we swam in a shallow creek which meandered inland from the coast into a perfectly circular lagoon. The water was still fresh but considerably warmer than it had been further south. As we towelled down we spotted a family of emu's strutting along the beach. Another cool wildlife experience.

We weren't sure where we'd be sleeping that night, as per usual, but Lewi in a stroke of genius remembered a tip from an older couple we met a few days ago, as long as you get a permit there is free camping at Eagle Bluff. This headland was very beautiful but totally exposed to the blustery weather. We staggered against the wind walking along the boardwalk that hugged the cliffs, looking beneath us hoping to spot some of the many dolphins, dugongs and sharks that supposedly inhabit the area. But with the rough seas and wind we couldn't spot anything! The sensible creatures were probably hiding safely underneath the rolling waves. We tucked ourselves away for the evening too, perturbed from camping in fear of our tent being blown off the cliffs, we spent the night in the car listening to the radio and bracing ourselves as the gale rocked even our sturdy Holden.

The wind continued to blow with determined force right through the night and our plans of taking a sailing trip from Monkey Mia the next day seemed unlikely. However after much discussion over a cup of coffee with the Denham locals we decided to just go and see for ourselves. Monkey Mia wasn't the over hyped holiday park we'd expected, so we checked in, momentarily upset with having to pay for a nights accommodation, until we rediscovered the wonder of hot showers! Worth every cent. Our next priority was food so we headed to the camp kitchen to make a classic sausage and mash meal, as soon as the food was on our plates, in walked an Emu. It was clearly hungry and was taller than me, I admit I was rather concerned, for our (and the foods) safety. We grabbed our plates and moved to the back of the room, quickly eating our meal as we went! Fortunately, after destroying our tea bags, which we'd left on the table, the Emu skulked off leaving us to recover from a close encounter!

The strong winds continued into the afternoon but we went ahead and booked a wildlife cruise for the next day on 'Shotover' a 60ft catamaran. As part of the deal the company threw in a sunset cruise for free, which we took that evening. Strong gusts made for a lively sail, dolphins and turtles made a surprise appearance and the sun set beautifully over the ocean. It was a beautiful early evening relaxing with a glass of chilled wine at the bow of this ex-racing yacht.

Back on dry land some friends we made on the boat were having difficulties with making their pasta on a BBQ, we sympathised and then all went for a drink at the only bar in town. Somehow the evening ended up with all of us drinking absinthe sat in a rowing boat on the beach, listening to trentmoller and discussing astronomy. It was funny to say the least.

Monkey Mia is famed for its local residents who draw the crowds to the beach every morning. We dragged ourselves from our tent the next morning and joined approximately fifteen other people stood at the waters edge. We watched as a female dolphin and her 3 year old calf swam along the shoreline delicately taking fish from a lucky nominees hand. It was a lovely experience, and it didn't feel set up or overcrowded as I had thought it might. The dolphins of this pod regularly come ashore almost every morning for this feeding and are all known and studied by the staff here.

Our highlight of the day however happened on our day sail...we spotted over twenty Dugongs! Otherwise known as a sea cow and a close relative of the manatee, Dugongs are slow paced, grazers of sea grass who rise to the surface every few minutes for a breath. Watching them drift along happily in their natural environment and knowing that 10% of the worlds population lives here was an amazing experience. We had been so lucky with all these wonderful wildlife encounters, spotting some endangered and normally shy creatures within such a comparatively small environment.

After three hours on the boat it was time to leave the magical Shark bay and get on the road again. But before we left there was one more treat for us, Shell Beach. As the name suggests this 60km stretch of beach is totally covered with beautiful white coquina shells. It was stunningly beautiful especially at 6 o clock in the evening, when the western sky was lit with reds and oranges reflected across the still water and the never ending shells. Turning to our east the sight was even more beautiful as the pastel shades of pink and purple melted into the empty shores of sea shells. It was a perfect end to our three days here in this special section of the west coast.

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Comments

[anonymous]

Hey - Loved your blog! Monkey Mia is a special place :)

[Globester]

wow!!!!!! awesome views... i would wish to go there someday...