Denham - Monkey Mia. Western Australia
Denham is Australia’s most westerly town. Situated on the Shark Bay Peninsula, Denham was originally a Pearling town.
The streets once paved in pearl shell, were sadly covered over with bitumen in the 1960’s. Fortunately there are still a few coquina shell block buildings including St Andrew’s Anglican Church. Denham is a laid back town, with crystal clear water and a picturesque beach.
Not far out of town is the famous Monkey Mia where you can have daily encounters with bottlenose dolphins in the shallow water. One of the amazing natural wonders of the world is to be found at Shark Bay World Heritage and Marine Park. The friendly dolphins of Monkey Mia have put Shark Bay on the map as a holiday destination.
The Shark Bay World Heritage area is home to one of the World's last surviving great herds of Dugong. They, along with whales, turtles, manta rays and large sharks are regularly sighted when cruising Shark Bay's seagrass banks and sheltered inlets. Shark Bay supports a varied and prolific bird population, from the giant Wedge-Tail Eagle to the Dirk Hartog Island Wren, making the bay a bird watchers dream.
Monkey Mia Shark Bay's most popular tourist attraction, where the dolphins come into shore. These are not trained animals performing tricks, but wild dolphins who, after years of love and understanding, come to be fed of their own accord.
(all photo's courtesy of Western Australia Tourism Commission)
