Western Australia’s Coral Coast Highway

Couple walking along the beach in the Francois Peron National Park in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. Photo courtesy of Tourism Western Australia.
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Wild dolphins have been visiting the shoreline at Monkey Mia virtually every day for over 40 years, making this spot in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area one of the best and most reliable places for dolphin interaction in the world.

The story of the Monkey Mia dolphins begins in the early 1960s, when wild dolphins started making a regular appearance in the clear waters of the bay to interact with humans – delighting visitors with their intelligence, playfulness and grace.

Couple walking along the beach in the Francois Peron National Park in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. Photo courtesy of Tourism Western Australia.

As the dolphins are wild, numbers and the time of their visits can vary from day to day, but they usually come to the shore several times a day and more frequently in the mornings.

Today, the dolphin interactions are regulated by rangers, with a few lucky visitors selected to hand-feed the dolphins a small amount of fish.

Monkey Mia Dolphins.

When the dolphins are fishing or playing off shore, drop into the Dolphin Information Centre and get to know your new-found friends a little better. Interpretive displays share insights into dolphin biology, behaviour, as well as the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.

Swimming with and touching the dolphins is prohibited by law.

Venture beyond the beach and you’ll discover a huge variety of animal and bird life nearby. One of the best ways to discover this unique environment is through the eyes of one of the oldest surviving cultures on Earth by joining an Indigenous cultural tour.

Wula Gura Nyinda Eco Adventures in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. Photo courtesy of Tourism Western Australia.

A visitor fee is charged for entry to Monkey Mia Reserve. And if you choose to stay overnight at Monkey Mia and breakfast with the dolphins, you’ll find a wide variety of accommodation options, facilities and activities.

Some visitors opt to base themselves in nearby Denham, where the calm blue waters of the sweeping bay provide ideal conditions for swimming, fishing, boating and water skiing.

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