Monkey Mia in Western Australia: Can I feed the dolphins?
It is possible to feed dolphins at Monkey Mia in Shark Bay, Western Australia. The Monkey Mia dolphin feeding takes place in the morning at the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort caravan park, so you’ll need to stay in Shark Bay accommodation to get there on time.
Monkey Mia isn’t exactly on the way to anywhere else. It’s near the top of Western Australia’s Peron Peninsula, at the top of the sparsely populated Shark Bay area. It’s also a significant detour off the main highway north between Perth and Broome.
Up until the 1960s, pretty much only pastoralists and fishermen would venture up to Shark Bay. And it was those fishermen that started interactions with the dolphins that make Monkey Mia famous now.
Feeding at the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort
The fishermen began offering the dolphins some fish from their boat, and then started doing so from the jetty. Then one called Charlie would start hanging around, waiting for them by the beach at the fishermen’s camp. Word spread, and people started coming to the basic caravan park at Monkey Mia.
Eventually, the Monkey Mia caravan park owners began to worry about the effects of overfeeding the dolphins. Between 1983 and 1994, only four out of the 15 nursing calves of the group coming to the beach survived. And at that point, strict feeding and behavioural controls were bought in.
Restrictions on dolphin-feeding at Monkey Mia
Now the feeding at the RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort is limited to a select few adult females (males can get too aggressive). There are a maximum of three feeding sessions per day, all of which have to be completed by midday.
The dolphins are only given treat-sized portions of around 500g per session (they naturally eat between 10kg and 14kg a day). And the people coming to watch are only allowed to enter the water ankle-deep initially, before stepping back while the dolphins are fed.
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The idea is to make sure the Monkey Mia dolphins don’t become over-reliant on the feed. The aim is that the dolphins go back out into the deeper water to forage as they normally would, then feed their calves as nature intends. They will spend a third of the day resting, a third of the day feeding and a third of the day socialising – the latter being very important when it comes to creating strength in numbers in a place called Shark Bay.
Dolphin research at the Monkey Mia caravan park
There’s also a huge scientific value to continuing under the present rules too. It’s the second most researched dolphin population in the world, with the second longest data record. Shallow waters make Monkey Mia perfect for monitoring, and as a result we’ve learned an awful lot about dolphin behaviour.
It’s fair to say, however, that for most of the crowd that has congregated at the water’s edge, such background information isn’t of all that much interest. They just want to see the dolphins and, if lucky, be picked out to be the one that hands them a fish.
Tick off 9 Australian bucket list experiences
- Take Blue Mountains day tour from Sydney – with kangaroo-feeding at a wildlife park, Scenic World tickets and a Parramatta River cruise.
- Snorkel or dive on the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns.
- Do Australia’s most spectacular drive on a Great Ocean Road day tour from Melbourne.
- Drive along the beach on a 4WD day tour of Fraser Island, the world’s biggest sand island.
- Have a dune-top barbecue dinner and stargazing session in the shadow of Uluru.
- See penguins on Phillip Island – and more native wildlife at the Moonlit Sanctuary – on a day trip from Melbourne.
- Go snorkelling, sandboarding and kayaking on Moreton Island from Brisbane.
- Meet gloriously cute quokkas on Rottnest Island near Perth with a ferry and bike hire package.
- Kayak with dolphins in Byron Bay.
The volunteers working on the monitoring programme arrive with the buckets. They pick out the chosen few, and the dolphins gleefully accept their morning snacks. It’s all over surprisingly quickly. At one of the best Australian beaches for wildlife, the volunteers hold their buckets upside down as a signal to the dolphins that the first treat of the day is over.
Getting to Monkey Mia in Western Australia
Monkey Mia is 847km north of Perth, near the Western Australian town of Denham. That’s a drive of just under nine hours without stops. It is best as part of a west coast road trip – which may appeal for second time visitors to Australia.
Opt for Monkey Mia accommodation at the RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort to avoid dodging kangaroos while driving at night, although there are other accommodation options in Denham to the south. There is no charge for taking part in the dolphin feeding, but there is a $15 day charge to enter the Monkey Mia Conservation Park, which amounts to the same thing. It is advisable to get to the feeding area by 7.45am for the first session.
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Perfect Nature Cruises offers wildlife cruises around Shark Bay towards Dirk Hartog Island from Monkey Mia. Dolphins and dugongs are usually spotted, although swimming with dolphins is not permitted here. Both are somewhat more lively than the stromatolites that are Shark Bay’s other main attraction.
The Denham to Monkey Mia drive takes around 18 minutes, although you can detour to Big Lagoon and Cape Peron in Francois Peron National Park on the way.
More Western Australia attractions
Lake Navarino near Waroona on the drive from Perth to Margaret River.
Watching gold being poured at the Perth Mint.
Maalinup Bush Foods in Yagan Square, Perth.
Walking the Bibbulmun Track across south-west WA.
Stand-up paddle-boarding at Meelup Beach near Dunsborough.