Located in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area of Western Australia, Monkey Mia has white sandy beaches and water teeming with wildlife.
One of the main attractions are the bottlenose dolphins that visit the area usually three times a day, swimming right up to the water’s edge. Under the supervision of a National Park Ranger, some visitors are given fish to feed the dolphins who come right up to them and take the fish from their hands. It’s both a joyful and impactful experience as humans and dolphins accept and trust each other.
I came to Monkey Mia to connect with the element of water and although I enjoyed interacting with the dolphins, sailing on a catamaran in search of dugongs, manta rays and green turtles and paddling in its clear blue waters, the thing I most enjoyed was spending time with the pelicans.
I never realized that pelicans could be so cute.
Whilst the dolphins are attracting everyone’s attention, the pelicans stand in a straight line, their beaks down, their big eyes looking upward, and wait patiently for a fish from one of the Ranger’s buckets. To see a row of pelicans standing in line like bored school children waiting to go into class, warms the heart and brings the broadest of smiles to a face. They look adorable.
Each day I’d see the pelicans swimming in the water and either resting or walking along the beach, content in the knowledge that they were safe. Emus and their chicks walked through the resort, and in the evenings I would lie upon the beach, looking up at the night sky with its myriad of stars and know how lucky I was to be in such a peaceful, harmonious environment.
Pelican Photograph by Craig Elliot from Freeimages
Dolphin Photograph by Stacy Brumley from Freeimages
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