Hendrik and I woke up early to go back to Monkey Mia to see the dolphins come in for feeding.  I was disappointed that we were not able to swim with them but seeing the crowd it was understandable that they could not let people swim with them or they would chase them away since there were about 100 people lined up along the shore ready for the dolphins.  Nevertheless, we were able to see the dolphins really close-up.

Then we had to start the drive back down south. On the way we stopped at Eagle Bluff which was a spectacular lookout.  We only saw one shark though, which only looked like a tadpole from the distance.  Next we stopped by Shell Beach which is a beach made up entirely of crushed shells, no sand.  It was very white, beautiful and peaceful, seeing as we were the only ones there.  If we had had more time I would not have minded going for a swim.

Alone, except for that guy.

The last stop on the peninsula was for the Hamelin Pool.  It is one of only a few places in the world where living marine stromatolites can be found.  Stromatolites look like rocks and are an example of the earliest record of life on earth.  They were spectacular in their own right, but by then the sun was beating down, and the humidity was rising.  Therefore, I was very happy to go back to the AC of the car and not spend too much time with the stromatolites.  Then we drove to Geraldton where Hendrik and I spent a long time in the Winstersun Motel’s pool, which was very refershing.

stromatolites

We drove to Monkey Mia in the morning, but not early enough for the dolphins.  The resort and beach were pretty and there were emus, pelicans, and Mallee Fowls wondering around the property.

Hendrik making a friend

We went swimming in the ocean which was very calm.  In the afternoon, we went on the Shotover dolphin/ dugong sightseeing tour  which was lovely and we saw lots of dolphin families and a few dugongs.  The dugongs did not come out of the water so it was impossible to take a good picture.

After the boat, we went swimming again in a shallow area of the sea by the shore.  The tide rapidly pulled the water so it was relaxing to lie on the water and snorkel as the current carried us.  There, we saw lots of small animals such as hermit crabs and snails.

Monkey Mia Sunset

We ate dinner at the Monkey Mia resort which was beautiful since we were seated outside with a view on the ocean and were able to see the sunset and two dolphins swim by close to the shore.