Monkey Mia

So we've by now left the Cape Range National Park, passed through Exmouth and Coral Bay and have made our way to Monkey Mia which is home to some carefully looked after dolphins and a quite tastefully done resort. It's small, tidy, pretty touristy, but for us it was a little bit of heaven. After gradually becoming more and more feral during the week (by the time we reached Monkey Mia, we were particularly proud that we were wearing the same clothes that we'd left in, had slept in all manner of uncomfortable places and hadn't brushed our hair, applied deodorant or showered for several days) it was bliss to arrive in the resort and

a) take a shower that
b) wasn't with salty water and
c) buy some food that wasn't dried fruit, nuts, or beef jerky from
d) a store that carried things like cheese, tuna in a can or yoghurt!



I know there's a limited number of times I can use the phrase "crystal blue ocean waters" in description before it becomes somewhat hackneyed, but somehow, anything less effusive would be an insult to the beautiful north west coastline of Australia. We were particularly lucky on our final morning in that the dolphins and their calves decided to come in for their three feedings in rapid succession and that the crowds weren't too bad. They swam quite close up to the shore line whilst waiting for their fish and Sarah even got to feed one! The little baby dolphins were, needless to say, indescribably cute and frolicked cheekily in the waters whilst their mums waited patiently for the dolphin volunteers to finish their spiel for the audience before feeding time.


The dolphins aren't the only animals to be seen at Monkey Mia. Check out this fella -- one of two emus who frequent the resort, totally unafraid of humans. As I was sitting on the grass, preparing for a bread and butter festival, along comes the emu, looming above me, looking to be fed. I struck a defensive pose over my bread roll and prayed that I wouldn't be kicked in the head, but, undeterred, the damn bird ate the butter right off my knife! I escaped, bread roll and head intact, but it was a dicey few moments. They look so cute and fluffy from a distance, but when you are a small girl sitting on the ground, they are fucking huge and those legs look pretty lethal. Boo to all those tourists before me who have fed this guy and given him the idea that humans are food dispensers!

So after unwinding at Monkey Mia, we bundled ourselves back in our car for the long drive home. It was one hell of a road trip!