Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

THE MIDWEST & THE NORTHWEST 465
parched shore and green waters hide an even more dazzling secret though—a second
barrier reef 260km (163 miles) long and 2km (1 1 ⁄4 miles) wide called Ningaloo
Marine Park. It protects 250 species of coral and 450 kinds of fish, dolphins,
mantas, whales, and turtles in its 5,000 sq. km (1,640 sq. miles). Even the Great
Barrier Reef can’t beat Ningaloo Reef’s proximity to shore—just a step or two
off the beach delivers you into a magical underwater garden. What is so amazing
about the reef is not that it is here, but that so few people know about it—a mere
8,000 tourists visit each year. To you, that means beaches pretty much to yourself,
seas boiling with marine life humans haven’t scared away, unspoiled scenery,
and a genuine sense of the frontier.
The Midwest and Northwest are lonely, remote, and really too hot to visit
between November and March, when some tour operators close down on account
of the heat. The best time to visit is April to October, when it is still warm enough
to swim, though snorkelers might want a wetsuit from June through August. Both
regions are too far south to get the Top End’s Wet Season, so humidity is always
low. Facilities are scarce and distances are immense in this neck of the woods, so
be prepared.
SHARK BAY (MONKEY MIA)
853km (533 miles) N of Perth; 1,867km (1,167 miles) S of Broome
Monkey Mia’s celebrity dolphins may not show on time—or at all—but they
rarely pass up a visit. Apart from these delightful sea mammals, Shark Bay’s
waters heave with fish, dolphins, turtles, the world’s biggest population of
dugongs (10,000 at last count), manta rays, sea snakes, and, June through October,
humpback whales. On the tip of the Peron Peninsula, which juts out into
the Shark Bay Marine Park, is Francois Peron National Park. The park is home
to many endangered species, white beaches composed entirely of shells, and “living
fossils”—rock-like structures called stromatolites that are Earth’s first life.
The bay’s only town is the one-time pearling town of Denham (pop. 500),
129km (80 miles) from the main coastal highway, which has a hotel or two, a
bakery, a news agency, and a few fishing-charter and tour operators. There is no
settlement, only the pleasant but basic Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort (p. 467).
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE Skywest (& 1300/660 088 in Australia; www.skywest.
com.au) flies four times a week from Perth to Shark Bay Airport (also called
Monkey Mia Airport), 18km (11 miles) from Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort. The
fare is A$362 (US$235), cheaper for advance purchase tickets. The Shark Bay
Airport Bus (& 08/9948 1358) meets every flight and transfers you to Monkey
Mia Dolphin Resort (p. 467) for A$7.70 (US$5) per person one-way.
Greyhound Pioneer (& 13 20 30 in Australia) travels daily from Perth and
Broome. These services connect three times a week at the Overlander Roadhouse
at the Shark Bay turnoff on the North West Coastal Highway. The trip from Perth
costs A$136 (US$88) and takes about 15 hours. From Broome it costs A$293
(US$190) and takes about 24 hours through featureless landscape—not recommended.
There is no train to Shark Bay.
The 9- to 10-hour drive from Perth is uninteresting and lonely. Beware of
wildlife on the road and keep the gas tank full. Take the Brand Highway to Geraldton,
424km (265 miles) north of Perth, then the North West Coastal Highway
for 280km (175 miles) to the Overlander Roadhouse. Turn left onto the
Denham-Hamelin Road. Monkey Mia is 152km (95 miles) from the turnoff,