Whalebone Bay - Monkey Mia - Denham

93 kms

We were up bright and early and on the road by 6:30am this morning to be at Monkey Mia by 7:30am. We were there in plenty of time and saw a beautiful sunrise on our drive there. The wind was howling and it was freezing cold but we all wore shorts so we could be in the water with the dolphins. While we were waiting you could see lots of dolphins swimming around just near the jetty. Around 8:00am we were able to go down onto the beach and stand in the water. It was freezing but we were there to see the dolphins so put up with it. The park ranger talked for about 20 mins but unfortunately due to the wind you couldn't hear what she was saying but luckily we had lots of dolphins to watch to keep us entertained (there were 9 dolphins in for the feeding and lot's out playing near the jetty. There were also about 100 tourists). They fed the dolphins around 8:30am and Roger and Bronte who were standing up the back on the beach were the lucky ones chosen to feed one of the dolphins. Poor Josh who was standing next to me in the freezing water missed out (and he was upset!). But he was very lucky to see so many dolphins up close. After the first feeding we went back to the caravan and changed into dry clothes and had brekkie (and tried to get warm as Josh and my feet were frozen!). We then made lunches and packed our bag for the cruise. We went back to the jetty and watched a dolphin movie (as it was in a nice warm room) and then were called back to the jetty as the dolphins were back ready for their 2nd feed. This time it was a mother and her baby and they were so cute playing around and posing for lots of photos. They fed the dolphins for a second time and there were a total of 5 in for the feeding and I braved the cold water again hoping I would get chosen so Josh could feed the dolphins but we missed out (and he was upset again!). For the second feeding the tourist numbers drop down and there were only about 50 people watching.

We then boarded the Aristocat 2 which is an 18 metre sailing catamaran for a 2 ½ hour cruise around shark bay. Unfortunately due to the cold weather we only saw dolphins and 2 turtles (in the warmer months you see Dugong, sharks and sea snakes) and the kids wanted to sit inside as it was still very windy but we kept bribing them so we could sit outside and enjoy the cruise. We also visited the Blue Lagoon Black Pearl Farm to see how black pearls are made. We saw a demonstration of the cultivating, seeding and harvesting process. We weren't lucky enough to see him today but Jamie from Farmer Wants a Wife is from here!

When we got off the cruise we saw another 2 turtles swimming around the front of Monkey Mia and the wind had stopped so it turned into a beautiful sunny day and the water was flat and crystal clear (it's a shame it wasn't like this from the start of the day!).

We left Monkey Mia and headed to Francois Peron National Park. We visited the Peron Homestead Precinct which offers a glimpse of life from the 1950s when the park was a working sheep station. We visited the shearing sheds, shearer's quarters and stock yards. We also went to the artesian hot tub and put our hand in and we were going to hop in but there were 6 other people there so decided we would keep going.

Next stop was Little Lagoon and it is so picturesque and so inviting with its crystal blue water but it was freezing cold so we kept driving to Denham and to Seaside Tourist Village where we are staying tonight.

While we got organised the kids rode their bikes/scooters around and then we went for a walk into town along the water's edge. Josh rode his bike the whole way and has definitely mastered riding now. We got some groceries and then we came back to the caravan park and had sausages on the bbq for dinner.

We are hoping to get a permit in the morning to stay at Whalebone Bay again and have a relaxing day sitting around the bay.