The next morning, after sorting out some washing we headed to Monkey Mia (approx 25 km away). Monkey Mia is famous for the dolphins which come into the shallow waters to hunt. The also come daily for a morning feed by staff. The national park fees do not cover this area, which meant that we had to pay an additional $30. Considering the entire area was essentially an extension of a campsite, with a small beach and jetty, we weren’t overly impressed. Even less so when we learnt that the dolphins had been and gone already that morning. The morning did slightly improve as we spotted a turtle, and eventually a lone dolphin did make an appearance. But after less than an hour we decided to leave. As the ticket lasted for 24hours we decided to come back early the following morning.
A Lone Dolphin
Turtle! :)
In our haste to leave that morning, we had forgotten our swimming things, so we made our way back to the campsite to collect them. This did give us the added bonus of collecting our; now dry, washing.
We made our way to the little lagoon for lunch this is a large stretch of shallow, tidal water that is well known for picnics, and swimming.
The Little Lagoon
It was a little bit on the cold side for much more than a paddle. Instead we spent a pleasant hour walking the length of the lagoon and back, in search of the tidal inlet. This wasn’t possible to see from the side that we were on, so when we got back we drove round to a lookout.
That evening, we went for another walk around Denham.
Day 214
The next morning, after an early breakfast we made our way back to Monkey Mia. This time we did get to see the dolphin feeding. This included a talk about the dolphins, and how the amount of food that is fed is strictly regulated to ensure that the dolphins continue to hunt naturally, without becoming dependent on humans.
Dolphin Feeding
A bird catching a moth for its breakfast
After the talk, we headed back to Denham to pack up.
The next stop on our journey was Carnarvon, famous for its bananas, and the role that the town played in the manned space program to the moon.
This was a dull, 325km of Australian road, broken up by a lunch stop at a roadhouse; by the time that we arrived we were feeling pretty lethargic. So we headed to Carnarvon’s one mile jetty. Unfortunately, this is closed and no inaccessible, so we spent the remainder of the afternoon buying food and heading to a campsite.
Tomorrow it gets a more exciting, I promise :)
