Planning a Trip

Getting There

Skywest Airlines (tel. 1300/660 088 in Australia; www.skywest.com.au) has approximately 2-hour flights from Perth, on Fridays through Sundays and Tuesdays. Skywest also links Monkey Mia to the other Coral Coast destination of Exmouth. Airfares start at approximately A$220 (US$198/£99) one-way. The Shark Bay Airport Bus (tel. 08/9948 1358) meets every flight and transfers you to Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort for A$10 (US$9/£4.50) per adult, A$5 (US$4.50/£2.25) per child 6 to 14, one-way.

Greyhound Australia (tel. 13 14 99 in Australia) travels 5 days a week between Perth and Broome. A separate service runs three times a week between Monkey Mia and the Overlander Roadhouse at the Shark Bay turnoff on the North West Coastal Highway. It connects with the services between Perth and Broome (and Exmouth). From Broome, it's about 25 hours through featureless landscape -- not recommended.

If driving yourself, beware of wildlife on the lonely 10-hour trip from Perth, and keep the gas tank full. From Perth, take the Brand Highway 424km (263 miles) north to Geraldton, then the North West Coastal Highway for 278km (172 miles) to the Overlander Roadhouse. Turn left onto the Denham-Hamelin Road, and follow it for 154km (96 miles) to Monkey Mia. If you want to break the journey, the All Seasons Inn Geraldton, Brand Highway, Geraldton, WA 6530 (tel. 08/9921 2455), has smart, clean motel rooms from A$187 (US$168/£84) double; specials are available most nights. It also has a relaxing restaurant and bar, swimming pool, free in-house movies, and a children's playground.

Numerous tour companies, including Australian Pinnacle Tours (tel. 1800/999 069 in Australia, or 08/9417 5555; www.pinnacletours.com.au) and Feature Tours (tel. 1800/999 819 in Australia, or 08/9475 2900; www.ft.com.au) offer package trips to Monkey Mia.

Visitor Information

Wide-ranging ecological information on Shark Bay Marine Park, Francois Peron National Park, and Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve, as well as details on local tours, is available at the Monkey Mia Visitor Centre (tel. 08/9948 1366) in the Monkey Mia Reserve. Videos run throughout the day, and researchers give free talks and slide shows most nights. The WA Department of Environment and Conservation (tel. 08/9948 1208; www.dec.wa.gov.au) runs the center. The official information outlet is the Shark Bay World Heritage Discovery Centre, 53 Knight Terrace, Denham, WA 6537 (tel. 08/9948 1590; www.sharkbayvisit.com.au), which is open daily from 8am to 6pm and closed December 25, April 25 (Anzac Day), and Good Friday.

Getting Around

Shark Bay Car Hire (tel. 08/9948 3032) delivers cars and four-wheel-drives to the airport and the resort from its Denham office. Several local companies run tours to the various attractions.

Fast Facts

Daily admission to the Monkey Mia Reserve, in which Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort is located, is A$6 (US$5.40/£2.70) per adult, A$2 (US$1.80/UK90p) per child under 16, and A$12 (US$11/£5.50) per family. A monthly pass is available, at A$9 (US$8/£4) adults, A$4 (US$3.60/£1.80) children, A$22 (US$20/£10) families. Resort guests as well as day-trippers pay this daily fee.

There are ATMs at the Heritage Resort, 73 Knight Terrace (at Durlacher St.), Denham (tel. 08/9948 1133), and the local supermarket, but there are no banks. A banking agency is in the post office in Denham.

Where Can I See the Dolphins?

The main advantages to making the trek to Monkey Mia are that dolphin sightings are virtually guaranteed every day; they swim and lie in the ultraclear shallow water, and you can watch them being fed and interacting with the rangers. But it's crowded, and rangers strictly monitor behavior with the dolphins -- not the interactive frolic you might have imagined. The first sightings, generally around 8am, are the most popular and crowded, after which the tour groups all disappear. If you stay around, the dolphins will often return, and you can have a much more satisfying encounter. At Rockingham and Bunbury, south of Perth, you can swim with wild dolphins, but the critters are less reliable.