We embarked on our journey from Kalbarri and headed towards Monkey Mia, a destination renowned for its daily dolphin feedings right from the beach. However, it offers so much more than that. The four-hour drive seemed to vanish from our minds upon arrival. The caravan park we stayed at felt more like a resort, complete with pools, restaurants, and bars, making it a refreshing change—a holiday within our holiday. After setting up, we immediately ventured to the beach, where we spotted dolphins playing just 10 meters offshore. The warm water invited us to spend the afternoon lazily alternating between the beach and the pool. As the day wound down, we indulged in happy hour at one of the restaurant bars, savouring delicious bacon fries before dinner. Later, we tried our hand at fishing on the beach, where Lily caught her first blowfish with some squid bait, an exciting moment even though it wasn’t fit for eating.

The next morning, we rose early to partake in the dolphin feeding, which occurs three times between 7:45am and noon (we ended up doing this everyday of our stay). Though the dolphins set their own pace, we were fortunate to see Piccolo and her son Oboe arrive for breakfast. Standing with our feet in the ocean, we watched this mesmerizing spectacle. Afterwards, we learned of a catamaran tour promising encounters with Dugongs, so we signed up and were thrilled with our experience. The tour turned out to be a trip highlight, showcasing numerous dolphins frolicking alongside the boat, seven Dugongs, a nesting pair of Ospreys, a sea snake, and turtles. We even relaxed in an ocean spa net at the rear of the boat. After the tour, we spent more hours unwinding at the beach and the pool and treated ourselves to a delightful dinner while watching the stunning sun set.

The following day, we geared up for some 4WDing in Francois Peron National Park. Cautious of the challenging terrain, we packed our recovery gear and set off. After deflating our tires for better traction, we embarked on our journey to reach Skipjack Point. The initial part of the drive was smooth, but soon enough, we encountered deeper sand. Overcoming a tricky section, we bypassed a fellow traveller (towing a boat) stranded in the sand, after checking he was ok we then tackled the final, arduous 5 km stretch. Upon arrival at Skipjack, we embarked on a 3 km walk to the park’s northernmost point, rewarded by breathtaking views of red cliffs, golden beaches, and turquoise waters. Despite the 38-degree heat, we pressed on, albeit without sighting any thorny devils. Returning to Skipjack Point, we were astounded by the vibrant oceanic life visible from the cliffside platforms: stingrays, turtles, sharks, and even a solitary dugong among seagrass fields.

Our tumultuous drive back involved a brief stop due to another vehicle stuck in the sand, during which we became stuck ourselves. However, equipped with Maxtrax, we managed to free our vehicle and continued onwards. A stop at Big Lagoon provided a refreshing snorkelling opportunity before we left the park, where we all celebrated upon reaching the bitumen.

We then took a short detour into Denham as we had been told there was good squid fishing on the jetty while Robyn went to restock our groceries. We didn’t catch any squid, but after we were given a bait fish by some boys fishing Ollie and Lily befriended we couldn’t stop catching things. The three of us caught 2 fish each but the only one we could keep was a borderline coral bream. Oliver caught a black trevally which has poisonous spines but we got him back in without spiking ourselves. It was so much fun the kids haven’t stopped asking to go and fish at every jetty we are within 50kms of since! It was a great day, but we were exhausted and took advantage of the resort again and had some pizzas to top off the day.    

Alas, our time in Monkey Mia drew to a close. We wished for a longer stay, but with Western Australia’s school holidays starting, all accommodations were fully booked. On our way out, we visited Shell Beach, famous for its pristine cockle shell-covered shore and high salinity, double that of open seawater, allowing us to float effortlessly. The crystal-clear water added magic to this delightful detour as we headed towards our next destination, Wooramel River Retreat.

Lily has also written about some of her experiences at Monkey Mia

“One morning we set off to the dolphin feeding and a dolphin named Piccolo came. After we went to the jetty to look for some turtles and a big turtle popped up. As we were walking away a big boat pulled up next to us and there was a sign that said “Haven’t seen a dugon yet? Let us show you!” So, Daddy stopped mid step. “IS THERE ANY SPOTS LEFT?” He asked the lady desperately wanting to see a dugong. “Yes there are”, the lady said looking perplexed. So, 45 minutes later we were boarding the boat and Daddy was jumping with joy. First we saw an osprey nest on a pearling station. Then we were amazed by how many dolphins there were plus there was a dolphin that was at the front of the boat doing twirls and playing around. Next we saw four dugongs to Daddy’s delight. Then the most fun part was when we got to sit in the net at the back of the boat and get towed. Then Mummy and Ollie saw a sea snake. After we went to the shop and I liked the dolphins so much that I bought a dolphin toy called and named it Piccolo. I had the best time ever.”

Here are some of Lily’s favourite photos