Walk by the Indian Ocean: Monkey Mia on the Coral Coast

Monkey Mia

Monkey Mia, a 9-hour drive north of Perth or a 4.5-hour drive if you drive north from Geraldton, is not a town but a huge Conservation Park located on the eastern shore of the Peron Peninsula in the UNESCO Shark Bay World Heritage Area. 

Peron Peninsula is part of Western Australia’s 1,100 km breathtaking Coral Coast which stretches from Cervantes, a 2-hour drive north of Perth, to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef.

Monkey Mia is famous for its RAC Monkey Mia Resort, located right within Monkey Mia Conservation Park, and its wild dolphin experience.  If you come to Monkey Mia to enjoy the wild dolphin experience and you don’t intend to stay in the RAC Monkey Mia Resort, your other accommodation options are in the town of Denham, located on the western shore of the Peron Peninsula, 23 km from Monkey Mia.

An entry fee applies to RAC Monkey Mia Resort guests and visitors who come to Monkey Mia Conservation Park.  The entry fees help to cover the costs of managing the dolphin experience and maintaining facilities.

Monkey Mia is world-renowned for close encounters with wild dolphins. Dolphin experiences depend entirely on if and when the dolphins visit the beach between 7.45 am and 12 noon.  Dolphins are only fed small amounts of fish under the strict supervision of Parks and Wildlife Service officers to ensure the dolphins continue to behave and hunt naturally.  There are days when the dolphins do not visit the beach.

You may book at Monkey Mia Conservation Park Visitor Centre located within RAC Monkey Mia Resort to join boat cruises to see dolphins, dugongs, manta rays, turtles, and other marine species.   

The Walk

The best time to walk is in the evening.  You will enjoy a relaxing beach walk around the Monkey Mia Jetty and boat ramp.  Then sit on the jetty and watch the magnificent sunset. 

Want to discover more great walking locations around Perth? Check out the “By the Waters” blogs.