Pinnacles Monkey Mia Tour Itinerary Monkey Mia
Tour Day 1 - Perth to Kalbarri*
The Pinnacles Desert, Australian Outback From the Pinnacles Desert we head north, along the Indian Ocean Way, for lunch by the beach at Hangover Bay, or Dynamite Bay. Both are idyllic places for a quick swim and snorkel. However, lunch could be at any number of isolated, beautiful spots found along the Coral Coast of Western Australia. Next stop is Greenough Wildlife Park (entry fee included in cost of tour), where can you wander amongst the kangaroos, and get personal with a python, as owner Rick introduces us to a range of West Australian reptiles. You will also get to see deer, camels, emus, a wide variety of birds, an ostrich and even a crocodile.
Meet the friendly wildlife at Greenough Wildlife Park. Admission included in price of tour. After cruising along the Batavia Coast, and after a final drive down a red dirt road we set up camp at the Hutt River Province*. Whilst the driver makes dinner, Prince Leonard will greet you, stamp your passports (optional), and take you on the Royal Tour of his Principality. It is a long story, but briefly, this is an independent state within Western Australia, which celebrated its 35th Anniversary, in April, 2005. In 1970, Prince Leonard, a farmer, in protest to unfair export quotas, had no option but to secede from Australia, or go broke, and went to war with Australia, before ceasing hostilities 2 days later, without bloodshed. As the Hutt River Province went to war with Australia and was not defeated, under United Nations rules, the Hutt River now claims independent status. see www.hutt-river-province.com.au. * Depending on the season and Royal commitments, our alternative first night's camp is located in the beautiful coastal town of Kalbarri.
Breakfast at the Hutt River Province*
Monkey Mia Tour Day 2
- Kalbarri to Monkey Mia
The Murchison River, Kalbarri National Park Continuing in the Kalbarri National Park it's on to the Z-bend gorge, and the steep scramble down to the Murchison River. This is a uniquely quiet retreat and extremely worth the tricky descent and challenging climb back up again. For the more adventurous, on the way down to the river, is the opportunity to have a go at abseiling. (Optional extra, $25 for two descents). If you are going to do it anywhere, this is the place. A moderate level of fitness and agility is needed to trek down the gorge. If this is not for you why not spend a couple of hours in beautiful Kalbarri, strolling by the river, or relaxing with a coffee and cake overlooking the picturesque river mouth.
It's back to Kalbarri for a swim and snorkel where the Murchison River meets the Indian Ocean. You may get the opportunity to see a wide range of tropical fish. Then it is a buffet lunch at Chinaman's Beach. Leaving Kalbarri, we head out to Shark Bay via the Billabong Roadhouse. On the way to Monkey Mia we stop off at Shell Beach, not the tourist section, but utilise the 4-wheel-drive to access a location well off the beaten track. Shell Beach is around 100km long, made up entirely of small shells approximately 8 to 10 metres deep.
Shell Beach, Shark Bay Upon arriving at Monkey Mia, you can head down to the beach and relax with a drink, enjoying the late afternoon sun, often in the presence of the Monkey Mia dolphins of Shark Bay. After dinner why not finish off the day with a drink in the hot tub - this is the life! A recent addition to the tour is the unique experience of an Aboriginal dreamtime experience. Take a short guided walk through the bush, learning the Aboriginal traditions and knowledge as we go. Sit round the fire as Capes, our Aboriginal guide shares his Dreamtime stories with us. Tonight swag or camp by the beach at the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort. Quality accommodation can also be requested to suite any budget.
Monkey Mia Tour Day 3 - Monkey Mia to Eurardy Station
From the Monkey Mia jetty take a Shark Bay wildlife cruise Make sure you have plenty of space on your camera's memory card, as unique opportunities to take photos of the dolphins, pelicans and other marine animals found at Monkey Mia are many.
Shark Bay water, at Monkey Mia is around 30C in the summer Take the option to jump aboard the Monkey Mia catamaran and cruise among the dolphins and unique dugongs. Shark Bay is home to the world's largest population of dugongs. Very few people have been in close proximity to dugongs so you are very privileged to be guided amongst these placid creatures by local experts. There is also the chance of seeing sharks, turtles, whales, seals sea-snakes and stingrays, but these sightings are less frequent.
Dugongs feed on the world's largest sea grass areas - another reason why Shark Bay is World Heritage Park After the boat ride, as Aussie Outback Safaris will be the last tour bus to leave this special place, we have time to savour the magical environment of Monkey Mia. There is even time to visit the Pearl Farm based at Monkey Mia (optional extra, about $10). Shark Bay is one of just three places in the world that produces the black pearl. Bargain prices too!
Time to relax and enjoy the 'vibe' of Monkey Mia Typically, the dolphins return for three feeds. We are often the only tour bus group still around to experience the late morning feed, which means an even more intimate experience with the magical dolphins of Monkey Mia. However, do remember the dolphins, though extremely reliable, are wild animals and don't time their visits to a clock. The beauty of being flexible is that if the dolphins don't turn up to the first feed we can hang around until they do. A priceless, once in a lifetime, must do experience.
After lunch (sometimes a fresh Shark Bay fish is caught on the cruise, which
are always a delicious treat) it is time
to leave Monkey Mia. First, we visit Australia's most westerly town, Denham.
Ten minutes later and we arrive at Ocean Park to see the turtles and Sharks being
fed. Then its Eagle Bluff. This is a place where you can overlook one of Shark Bay's special wild beaches,
and regularly see sharks and stingrays in the wild. It is quite common to see
Tiger Sharks, which are numerous in Shark Bay. Next stop is to see the
world famous Hamelin Pool Stromatolites. The stromatolites played a key role
in the evolution of the earth, hence their importance, which we will briefly
explain, to truly appreciate how significant the stromatolites are. The World
Heritage status of Shark Bay is largely down to phenomena such as the
stromatolites. Of the many World Heritage sites around the world, Shark Bay is
one of only a few which meets all the criteria.
Hamelin Pool Stromatolites, Shark Bay Soon, our Aussie Outback Safari finds us in real outback Australia. Eurardy Sheep Station (or ranch or farm) provides a chance to drive around the property on a "kangaroo spotlighting" adventure. You'll get rather close to the wild kangaroos and marvel at their speed as they bound along beside the truck in the beam of our spotlights. Bring a sweater because the night air can be pretty cool.
Monkey Mia is also home to many pelicans After the kangaroo spotlighting adventure its time to sit by the campfire with a port and some chunks of good Aussie "damper". This is a traditional Australian bushman's bread loaf cooked in the ashes of the campfire. Simply delicious! Those with sweeter taste-buds can toast marsh-mallows on the fire, whilst others can practice on the didgeridoo.
Try the traditional Damper then toast marshmallows on the fire
Sit or stand, just have a go at sandboarding After a short drive south we turn off the Indian Ocean Way to engage 4-wheel drive to see how far we can get into the dune system. This is a real adventure as the dune system is so dynamic conditions change from week to week. Can we get to Suicide Dune? Are you going to take the ride down Suicide Dune? Or are you going to bale out and take the photos instead? The dunes here are the best for sand-boarding and we will be the only people here. The only tyre tracks will be ours from the previous week. After the sand-boarding clean off the sand on a deserted stretch of beautiful white West Australian beach. Making our way south we find another secluded beach to have lunch and a swim. Now it's back on the road again as we head on down to Perth. Our final stop will be at a Swan Valley winery. We'll enjoy a free sampling of great Western Australian wine, and the Swan Valley speciality, Port, and of course you can buy some if you wish. Well, that's the end of the tour so did you have a good time? If you're anything like our regular tour guests you're sure to answer with a very enthusiastic, positive comment in our guest book. See the Raves section.
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