2026 Monkey Mia Travel Guide: must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transport & travel experiences (updated in January)

Why is it not recommended to travel in Western Australia on your own? It's not just about inconvenient transportation; many niche attractions can't be fully explored, and you might encounter various pitfalls. Save this guide to understand how to allocate your time and plan your itinerary! 【✈️How to get to Western Australia】 ① Sydney direct flight → Perth: 5h ② Brisbane → Perth: 5.5h ③ Hong Kong direct flight → Perth: 7.5h 【❓How to travel in Western Australia】 Perth is recommended for 2-3 days, and the northern route is recommended for about 3-5 days. The attractions in Western Australia are relatively scattered, with the northern route being the most classic and convenient. Transportation in Western Australia is not very convenient, so it is recommended to rent a car or join a tour. 【🗺️Northern Route Attractions in Western Australia】 1⃣️ White Sand Dunes One side is the ocean, and the other side is the desert. You can also ride sand dune buggies and go sandboarding. 🏄🏼‍♂️Activities: Rent a sandboard for 10A$/person, sandboarding/dune buggy for 119A$/person 🚘Transportation: About 1.5h drive from Perth 2⃣️ Pinnacles Desert A unique landscape formed over millions of years, featuring bizarre limestone pillars. ⏰Hours: 9:30am-4:30pm 🎫Tickets: 17A$/car 🚘Transportation: About 2.5h drive from Perth 3⃣️ Lobster Shack A popular lobster restaurant located in the seaside town of Cervantes, recommended for trying a whole lobster. ⏰Hours: 11:00am-3:00pm 🚘Transportation: About 3h drive from Perth 4⃣️ Jurien Bay A seaside town with white sandy beaches and a curved jetty perfect for photos. ⏰Visit: 15-30min, ideal for photo ops 🚘Transportation: About 3.5h drive from Perth 5⃣️ Geraldton The largest coastal city in the Mid West region of Australia, recommended as an overnight stop. 🚘Transportation: About 2.5h drive from Jurien Bay Recommended attractions: ① St Francis Xavier Cathedral ② Geraldton Museum ③ HMAS Sydney II Memorial ④ Point Moore Lighthouse 6⃣️ Pink Lake Known as the "God's overturned palette," and the filming location for Jay Chou's MV "Pink Ocean." 📷Best spot: Pink Lake Lookout, Port Gregory Rd 🎫Tickets: Free ⏰Visit: 1h 7⃣️ Nature's Window An arch-shaped rock formation of red sandstone, with the nearby Kalbarri Skywalk offering stunning views. 🎫Tickets: 17A$/car ⏰Visit: 1h 📌Tips: Bring a fly net, as there are many flies. 8⃣️ Monkey Mia Located along Shark Bay, famous for encounters with wild dolphins. Emus, pelicans, and other animals are also commonly seen. ⏰Visit: Recommended between 7:45am-12:00pm, when dolphins appear daily. 🎫Tickets: 15A$/person 【🚘Recommended Tour Routes in Western Australia】 D1: Perth → Free time in the city D2: Perth → Lancelin White Sand Dunes → Pinnacles Desert → Lobster Shack → Greenough → Leaning Trees → Geraldton D3: Geraldton → Pink Lake → Jurien Bay → Perth D4: Rottnest Island day tour/Margaret River day tour

Shark Bay – I was utterly awestruck by this natural wonder on the edge of the Indian Ocean! 💙 **A Stunning Coastline of World Heritage Status** This bay in Western Australia boasts one of the world's oldest forms of life – stromatolites – and a breathtakingly blue coastline. From the air, the seawater displays layers of turquoise and blue hues, a beauty that is simply mesmerizing. 📸 **A Stunning Aerial View** These photos, taken by drone, show every corner like a palette spilled by God: - The gradient of the seawater from light blue to deep blue - White sand beaches outlining perfect natural curves - The striking contrast between the red land and the blue ocean 🌍 **Why is it called Shark Bay?** Actually, it's not named for the abundance of sharks, but rather because early explorers thought the terrain resembled the outline of a shark. However, it does indeed teem with marine life! 💡 **Travel Tips** - Best time to visit: April-October (Australian autumn and winter) - Aerial photography is a must! - Don't miss the stromatolite area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Renting a car is highly recommended; the scenery along the way is stunning. This UNESCO World Heritage site truly deserves to be experienced in person! The breathtaking artistry of nature is on full display here…

Located about a 10-hour drive north of Perth, Australia 🇦🇺, we stayed at the RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort. Right in front of the hotel lies a serene and beautiful sea where you can enjoy kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). We rented a two-person kayak and a single kayak to head towards the red rock national park. Despite a slight headwind, we took breaks and reached our destination in just under an hour. The clear blue sky contrasted beautifully with the vivid red rocks, creating a stunning view. Although my arms were tired due to my lack of exercise, it was absolutely worth the effort! The hotel features two restaurants. For breakfast, we had smoked salmon eggs benedict, and for dinner, we enjoyed mushroom risotto. We also ordered burgers and French fries from the bar. Everything was delicious, making dining at the restaurants worthwhile! By the way, the bar offers happy hour deals, so you can enjoy beer at a discounted price. In the morning, wild dolphins come near the pier, and staff members, who are akin to environmental researchers in Japan, provide explanations about the dolphins. Since they are wild dolphins, you can't touch them, but they come close, and they are incredibly adorable. As these are wild dolphins, sometimes only one shows up, while other times, around ten might appear. There are also mornings when they don't come at all. However, during our two-day stay, we were lucky to see them both days 🐬. The accommodation offers various styles, including dormitories and private cottages. Many guests seem to be Australians or Europeans on extended vacations. Although we stayed for 2 nights and 3 days, a local friend recommended staying for about a week to fully relax 😊.

Just back from Monkey Mia and it was amazing! 🐬 The shallow, wide beach is perfect for walking and enjoying the clear blue water. The dolphin show is so fun—you can get close and watch these gentle creatures play. We also found a local hot spring with outdoor baths at 42°C, just like in Japan ♨️. Relaxing in warm water while enjoying nature was pure bliss! The weather was warm, the sea was beautiful, and the whole experience felt so peaceful and refreshing. Perfect for a getaway to recharge!

#holidayitinerary 📍Francois Peron National Park, Shark Bay If there’s one place that feels truly out of this world, Francois Peron National Park might be it. Located in the northernmost stretch of your WA road trip, this UNESCO World Heritage area in Shark Bay delivers jaw-dropping contrast: fiery red earth plunging directly into turquoise sea. What you’re seeing isn’t just dramatic—it’s geologically rare. The “birrida” (dried lagoons) and actual lagoons scattered across the land are remnants of ancient seabeds. The land’s Martian-like glow, paired with calm, surreal coastlines, is something no photo can fully capture. 🛻 4WD required to access the deeper parts of the park. The road gets bumpy but the views? 100% worth it. 🐑 Fun fact: This alien-looking place was once sheep-grazing country! #WesternAustralia #SharkBay #PeronPeninsula #roadtrip #travel #thingstodo #myitinerary #AustraliaNature

Monkey Mia, WA#monkeymia

We had a morning seeing the dolphin feeding in monkey Mia, 4 dolphins swam up for a morning feeding where they receive 10% of their daily food from the rangers. 2 mums and their sons. They are regular visitors and they have dolphins every morning that come for the feeding. Was an amazing experience that allowed us to get up close to the dolphins and truly magical!

—An Ecological Paradox of 4.5-Billion-Year-Old Stromatolite Forests and Hypersaline Seas🐚 Core Identity Full Name: Shark Bay, Gascoyne Region, Western Australia World Heritage Code: One of the few sites globally meeting all four UNESCO natural heritage criteria (inscribed in 1991) Natural Paradox: ▪️ Salinity Imbalance: Hamelin Pool's salinity reaches twice that of normal seawater (68‰), creating Earth's only living stromatolite growth zone. ▪️ Climate Threshold: With annual rainfall <230mm, it nurtures 13,500 km² of seagrass meadows (10% of global reserves). 🌟 Three Epic Life Chronicles 1️⃣ Stromatolite Time Capsule Along Hamelin Pool's eco-trail, witness 4.5-billion-year-old prokaryotic colonies. Cyanobacterial mucus traps minerals to form ring-layered rocks. Touch Rule: Fingertip contact releases carbonate particles revealing 3.2μm archaea fossils under microscopes (violators fined AUD$8,500). 2️⃣ Shell Beach Quantum Field A 120km stretch of pure white shell banks (10m deep), formed by Fragum erugatum deposits. Acoustic Phenomenon: Barefoot walking triggers 17Hz infrasound, boosting brain α-waves by 30% (requires neural sensors). 3️⃣ Dugong Secret Garden Montebello Islands host 1/10 of global dugong populations, feeding on sulfate-rich seagrass that produces methane bubble curtains. Tracking Tech: Eco-boats equipped with laser methane detectors locate dugongs at >800ppm bubble density. 📸 Surreal Imaging Formulas Shooting Coordinates | Parameter Secrets | Scientific Notes Salt Flat Fractals: Drone at 80m with polarizer+UV filter captures crystallized patterns, single frames showing 7-tier fractal dimensions from calcium-sulfate self-organization. Stromatolite Bioluminescence: Under >70% moonlight with 640nm IR light, living colonies emit blood-red fluorescence—ancient chlorophyll-d photosynthesis remnants. Red Tide Labyrinth: Summer NW winds trigger diatom blooms; 1/2000s shutter freezes topological borders between red waves and white sand (Pseudo-nitzschia-produced domoic acid pigments). 🚁 Extreme Crossings Salt-Wing Glider: Carbon fiber wings coated with Hamelin brine crystals leave frost trails over Denham (payload ≤80kg). Shell Hovercraft: Titanium-base airboats crush shells to emit shark-repelling infrasound (300m effective range). ⚠️ Ecological Commandments Stromatolite Breath Ban: Stay >2m—human CO₂ accelerates calcification (drones enforce). Shell Quota: 12 intact shells/person/day; overharvesting causes 4.3m annual shoreline retreat. Shadow Prohibition: >3min boat shadows trigger algae alarms, suffocating dugong food chains. ⏳ Frozen Time Science confirms: 🔬 Shark Bay stromatolites grow just 0.3mm/year yet survive 250,000 years—compressing Earth's evolutionary history into rock chromatograms. 🚨 Warming seas shrink stromatolite zones by 11.7cm/year. UWA's "Life Amber" project: Cryogenically preserves 450 cyanobacteria strains in abandoned salt mines (-30℃ vaults). Encodes stromatolite data into quantum bits stored in synthetic diamonds, launched to satellite constellations.

If you want the thrill of snorkeling with sharks in crystal-clear water, head straight to Shark Bay on the southern coast of Koh Tao — one of the island’s top snorkeling destinations. 🌊 Why Shark Bay? – Famous for harmless blacktip reef sharks that often swim near the shore – Calm, shallow waters with excellent visibility make it ideal even for beginners – Colorful coral beds and tropical fish are easy to spot close to the beach 🚪 Best Access Points – Haad Tien Beach Resort: Direct access to Shark Bay (small entrance fee for non-guests) – For free access, try walking from the nearby Aukotan area at low tide — wear reef shoes! 🦺 Tips for Snorkelers – Go early morning (7:00–9:00 am) for the best chance to spot reef sharks – Use reef-safe sunscreen to protect marine life – Do not chase the sharks — stay calm and float to observe them safely

It’s so close to nature. It’s our first trip to Western Australia in early May, with 12 days in total; this was the northernmost location we drove to, and I’m glad that we went, We stayed for a night at the RAC Monkey Mia, and got to see dolphins, pelicans, turtles, mantra rays both before sunset and after sunrise, swimming just a few meters from us. The dolphin feeding by the park rangers in the morning also meant that we got to see a group of around 8 dolphins swimming close to the shore. The water temperature was a tad too cold for us to swim especially we only arrived at 4pm and left at 10am. We’d love to come back to Monkey Mia again, probably stay for two nights the next time with a self-contained unit with kitchen, so we’ll have proper time to wind down, relax and enjoy the nature. #travel #beachlife #naturalwonders #monkeymia #westernaustralia #dolphin

📍 Itinerary Overview 🚩 Sightseeing Route 🏖️ Must-Visit Attractions Perfect Nature Cruises 🚇 Transportation - Hire car 📷 Photo Spots 🍜 Local Cuisine - Superb, happy hour bar with food and beautiful views of sun setting over the beach. 🏠 Accommodation 1.RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort 💡 Tips

The dolphins really did come right up to the beach! There were also sea turtles swimming around.

Perth is a large city in western Australia, where a good balance between natural landscape and people's lives is preserved. The beautiful night view of Perth Harbour is a memorable experience for us. You can take a cruise like us to enjoy the view quietly from the sea and take photos 📷 as a souvenir. Of course, the most popular fish and chips in Australia must be ordered at every meal 😋😋. This time we drove all the way north, passing through the beautiful town of Geraldton and reaching Shark Bay #worldheritage 800km away in the north. There are wild dolphins here every morning, under the careful care and support of conservationists, and families and children are lucky enough to have an educational trip. The stone formations of the Pinnacles Desert, the pink sea-sky line of the Hutt Lagoon, the Window of the World and other endless beautiful scenery allow every traveler who comes to Western Australia to quietly enjoy and marvel at the beauty of nature. Perth is definitely a tourist city you can visit if you want to quietly appreciate the beauty of nature, but I would say this is just the starting point! !

#australiatrip ## Explore the Wonders of Shark Bay World Heritage Area 🇦🇺🦈 Shark Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Western Australia, is a natural wonder brimming with unique marine life and stunning landscapes. Visit the famous Shell Beach 🐚, composed entirely of tiny white shells, and enjoy its tranquil beauty (Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐). Discover the stromatolites at Hamelin Pool 🦠, living fossils that offer a glimpse into Earth’s ancient past. Encounter friendly dolphins at Monkey Mia 🐬, a highlight for many visitors. Explore the rugged landscapes of Francois Peron National Park 🌄, with its red cliffs, white beaches, and turquoise waters. **How to Reach:** Fly into Perth and drive approximately 8 hours north, or take a regional flight to Shark Bay Airport in Denham ✈️. Car rentals and guided tours are available for exploring the area. Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Shark Bay is a must-visit for its unique natural attractions and rich marine life! 🌟 #shark #beachlife #flowerlover #shrakbay #songkran2024 #cherryblossom2024 #themepark #heritage #australia

Close up encounters with wild dolphins. Great experience to watch these intelligent creatures swim up to the shore, offering unforgettable photo opportunities and a chance to learn about dolphin behaviour from knowledgeable rangers. #MonkeyMia #perth #dolphins #westernaustralia #ExplorePerth

Stayed here just for one night, but a beautiful campsite, the beach is great, one side is shallow but the other is not, so you can choose where you prefer. We did se a few dolphins