Planning a trip to Shark Bay
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. It's run by the WA Department of Environment and Conservation, which has an excellent local website: www.sharkbay.org. The regional information outlet is the Shark Bay World Heritage Discovery Centre, 53 Knight Terrace, Denham, WA 6537 (tel. 08/9948 1590; www.sharkbayinterpretivecentre.com.au), open daily 8am to 6pm and closed December 25, April 25, and Good Friday.
Fast Facts -- Daily admission to the Monkey Mia Reserve, in which Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort is located, is A$8 per adult, A$3 per child under 16, and A$15 per family. A 4-week pass can be worthwhile at A$30 for families. Resort guests as well as day-trippers pay this fee.
There are ATMs at the Heritage Resort, 73 Knight Terrace (at Durlacher St.), Denham (tel. 08/9948 1133), and at the local supermarket, but there are no banks. A banking agency is in the post office in Denham.
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.
Getting There
Skippers Aviation has approximately 2 1/2-hour flights from Perth. The Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort (tel. 08/9948 1320) bus meets every flight and transfers you to the resort for A$13 per person one-way.
Numerous tour companies, including Australian Pinnacle Tours (tel. 1800/999 069 in Australia, or 08/9417 5555; www.pinnacletours.com.au) and Western Xposure (tel. 1800/621 200 in Australia; www.westernxposure.com.au), offer package trips to Monkey Mia.