From the Overlander roadhouse we headed off on another detour. Our destination Shark bay world heritage area, there was lots to do including a chance to feed wild dolphins.
Our first stop was shell beach an amazing pure white beach so bright you had to wear sunglasses to stop the reflection from dazzling you. Even more astounding was that it was created not from sand but from hundreds of millions of tiny shells of Cardiid or Hamelin cockles. They were so deep and hard packed around this area that they were quarried and used as shell brick walls for the buildings in town many of which were still standing, some of the shell deposits are thought to be up to 4000 years old.
It meant an early start next morning and in his half asleep state Kev made coffee with the bore water instead of the fresh, being so close to the sea it was very saline, we soon realised as we spat out the foul tasting coffee. A fresh cup tasted much better and once the tent was down and packed we headed off arriving at Monkey Mia at 7.45am.
We had to rapidly change into our shorts then joined the crowds that had formed on the beach. There was a new addition Piper a week old dolphin that had been coming in with its mum. We quickly learnt that only five females are fed and that the fish given are just the equivalent of a snack, they have strict rules to ensure the dolphins remain wild and don’t become dependant on humans. Feeding has been happening here since the 1960′s and mistakes were made in the past but it is strictly supervised by the department of conservation now and has been an amazing resource for research. Part of this new control means that with the new born dolphin no one is allowed in the water except the chosen feeders. We were not initially chosen but a storm blew in and most people left as the dolphins sensibly went back out to the deep sea. After a couple of hours they toyed with us almost coming in to the beach then heading back out again, it made us aware that they play this game on their terms and were probably laughing at the silly humans hiding from the rain.
Our determination paid off eventually the weather improved and as there were only a dozen of us left, we all got a chance to wade in the water and hand feed a fish to these magestic creatures. It took the experience to a whole new level and was one we will never forget.
We both had a huge grin on our faces as we left the resort. An Emu walked out of the bush and crossed the road right in front of us as we rode out. They are a huge bird and you would not want to hit one on a bike. We also stopped to take some pictures of the views on the way back.
Further on we saw Lemon sharks and rays swimming in the clear shallow waters of Eagle Bluff, we were hundreds of feet above them and they were still clearly visible so they must have been fairly big. Lemon sharks are fairly harmless but there are loads of Tiger sharks here too which definitely aren’t. This area is also known for its huge expanses of sea grass which provide food for Dugongs (sea cows) these shy creatures look a bit like a sealion but are actually more closely related to an elephant believe it or not. Shark bay is home to 10 percent of the worlds population of Dugongs which are considered vulnerable to extinction on a global scale. Oh and a lot of sharks.
The last picture is rain off in the distance.
T
The rain eased just before sunset and the clouds made a spectacular backdrop so we went back down to the boardwalk to get some more pictures.
We knew we had a easy run to the next free camp only an hour and half away so we weren’t concerned by our late departure hour, it was the last stop before Kalbarri National park our next destination. A new bridge had been built and the old route over the river was now a dead end, perfect for a free camp. The ground was so hard however and we had to go right around the camping area banging a trial peg in before we found a soft enough spot. Kev was also able to light a fire in the fire pit and although it wasn’t cold it kept the flies at bay and we used it to cook our meal that night.
Next up Kalbarri national park
#1 by Kev & Karen on December 4, 2011 - 4:13 am
Hi Muzza,
We’ll email you re-catching up in Perth.
K & K
#2 by muzza on December 4, 2011 - 2:47 am
where are you guys now, any chance of catching up in Perth?