Making the most of Monkey Mia
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Cruise vessels cannot berth here, so passengers travel ashore by tender.
Monkey Mia is a popular visitor resort approximately 800 km north of Perth in Western Australia. It lies 25 km north-east of Denham within Shark Bay Marine Park and World Heritage Site. Its main attraction is the daily feeding of bottlenose dolphins, which have approached the shore for more than forty years. Department of Environment and Conservation rangers supervise the process carefully.
Beyond the dolphins, activities include Aboriginal heritage walks, sailing, camel outings, diving and stargazing.
Getting around
Numerous operators wait at the jetty with a varied selection of tours.
Money
The currency is the Australian dollar.
Opening Hours and
Shops and services commonly open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and until lunchtime on Saturday. In cities and larger towns, many remain open late on Thursday or Friday evening, usually to 9pm, and throughout Saturday. Shopping centres are often open on Sundays too.
In remote rural districts, roadhouses supply every essential service and usually trade 24 hours a day along major highways. Tourist offices, even those far from typical routes, often open daily or at least during the week and on weekend mornings. Urban information centres are more likely to keep standard retail hours.
Attractions including museums, galleries and staffed historic monuments frequently open every day, though those in rural communities may have unpredictable schedules.