Coral Coast / Western Australia
Monkey Mia, 850kms north of Perth is renowned for its wild, free-ranging friendly bottlenose dolphins which visit the beach most every day to interact with visitors. Monkey Mia is only a small part of the Shark Bay World Heritage experience which includes Shell Beach, the Stromatolites - the world's oldest living fossils - Steep Point, the most westerly point on the Australian mainland, and the Francois Peron Peninsula National Park.
The main attraction are the bottlenose dolphins that have been coming close to shore for more than fifty years. Rangers from the Department of Parks and Wildlife (Western Australia) carefully supervise the Monkey Mia Dolphin Experience.
The area was originally gazetted in 1890 and used as a base for the pearling and fishing industries. In the 1960s, a fisherman and his wife began feeding Bottlenose Dolphins when returning with their catch. Visitors from around the Wrold started arriving as news spread about the dolphins coming inshore. In November 1990, the waters adjoining Monkey Mia were declared a Marine Park and are managed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
Now more attention is given to the Aboriginal roots of the area and their knowledge of the land. There are now cultural walks, where visitors are taught to respect the land.
