Shark Bay / Monkey Mia

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To arrive in Denham you need to travel 128 kilometres to the coast from the Northwest Highway. Quite a long journey but worthwhile when the ocean begins to appear on either side of you. Lots of Emus to view and the odd Kangaroo. Denham or Shark Bay as most people know it, is a sleepy fishing village with just a pub, some boutique shops, a couple of caravan parks and a spectacular bay view. Yes, its main industry is fishing and there are about 200 or so locals. The big attraction is fishing and the Dolphins at Monkey Mia about 30 Kilometres up the road. Our spot in the caravan park was right on the beach and I had my first turn at backing in the caravan. A little stressful yes, but the park manager was a very good instructor and I was successful, much to my amazement. We unloaded, set up and sat down to a nice glass of wine. Michael took Skye onto the beach and she just ran and ran, enjoying the freedom after a long journey from Port Dennison- about 400 or so Kilometres in the one day. When towing a van, it is about all you want to do in a day.

The wind certainly whipped up during our stay and it often felt like a storm was brewing. Not the case, but sometimes the noise was so loud it made slumber a little difficult. Because of the wind factor we decided not to put up the awning in case it blew away. By the second day the wind was roaring away and it certainly was a good decision.

Our next trip was to go to Monkey Mia and see if the Dolphins were about. As we left mid morning, by the time we got there the show was all over and so we made enquiries for the following day and just had a nice cold beer at the resort. Many overseas visitors were enjoying the ambience and the glorious vista. Wandering around the grassed area were a few Emus, who seemed to be quite at home and not afraid of the visitors.

Next morning we left bright and early around 7am as the Dolphins usually come in close to shore around about 7:30am. The whole show is run by the wild life Rangers and they spend much time informing all visitors about the Dolphins and the importance of caring for them and making sure they are self sufficient, otherwise they become lazy and the females won't even feed their young. The Dolphins are closely monitored and the public are not allowed to touch them for fear of disease being transmitted. We had Skye with us and she was really curious but very respectful. About eight Dolphins came swimming in right on cue and some people even got to feed a fish to the them. They are so trusting of humans and put on quite a display of affection and fun.

On our way back to Shark Bay we called into The Little Lagoon and did some four wheel driving and we also had lunch under a sun shed and then went and inspected the mangroves closer to the ocean. Skye had her first romp in the shallows and just loved it for she could go a long way out before she was really in deep water. All in all we had a lovely stay, but no fishing due to the wind factor. It certainly was a sleepy hollow but well worth the visit. It had a quirky Bakery whose owner decided the Bakers were not allowed to bake on Mondays so hence no fresh bread. The girl behind the counter was very embarrassed and just about offered what was left for free. Then there was the sign at the Old Pub that offered great meals, good accomodation and a Husband crèche fully supervised. Quite an interesting concept I thought.

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Photos

On the beach at Shark Bay
Looking out to sea.