Monkey Mia Dolphins & West Coast

Get set for a good dose of coastal drama today as you journey north from Fremantle all the way to Geraldton. But before you get there, pause in Yanchep National Park, a union of bush and wetlands that is as spectacular as it is sacred. The best way to understand its significance to First Nations communities is in the company of an Aboriginal guide. On this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, hear how stories are taught, told and used, didgeridoo playing, and hands-on learning with  traditional tools. Just try not to leave more informed and understanding of the world’s oldest culture than when you arrived. Two national parks in one day – your next stop is Nambung. We’ll forgive you for thinking you’ve been transported to the set of a sci-fi movie when you arrive at this moonscape, studded with limestone pillars stretching into the sky. Welcome to your Pinnacles tour. Arriving in Geraldton, more moving moments await at the evocative HMAS Sydney Memorial, which pays homage to the servicemen who lost their lives off the West Australian coast.

Wave goodbye to Geraldton as you make your way to Monkey Mia, located in the heart of the Shark Bay World Heritage region. Keep your sunnies handy at Shell Beach, a powder-white cove formed from billions of coquina bivalve shells up to 10 metres deep, and Hamelin Pool, the world’s best-known colony of stromatolites. Believe it or not, these rock-like formations are alive. Aboriginal communities have lived on the land here for 65,000 years, and you’ll discover some of this history when you join proud Nhanda man Darren ‘Capes’ Capewell. Capes will tell you how their stories are told, before you sit down to hear him play the didgeridoo – men will get a lesson on how to play the instrument, while women accompany on the clapsticks. This experience includes a tasting of bush tucker cooked over a campfire.

Bring your stamina – today’s adventures begin early. But if there’s anything worth getting out of bed for, it’s Monkey Mia’s wild dolphins, which swim close to shore to greet visitors every morning. The rest of the day is at leisure. We wouldn’t blame you wandering barefoot along the beach, ordering sundowners as the day disappears in a blaze of glory. Perhaps the best way to gain perspective of the vast coastline is on a scenic flight over Shark Bay Marine Park (own expense).

Millions of years ago, the Murchison River carved its way through Kalbarri National Park, leaving behind echo-inspiring gorges of red-and-white banded sandstone as well as soaring coastal cliffs. It’s quite the sight, and best taken in from a height. Enter the Kalbarri Skywalk, a precipitous projection 25 metres beyond the gorge rim and a dizzying 100 metres above the river. Here you’ll be welcomed to Country by an Indigenous guide, explaining the stories behind the land on which you stand. Learn about bushfoods, medicine plants and the traditional uses of local flora. Hear stories about growing up on country and learn about the social history of the region from an Aboriginal perspective. Look around you – there’s plenty to eat in the Aussie bush, not to mention traditional medicines to cure what ails you.

If you thought you’d seen it all, wait until Hutt Lagoon appears on the horizon. One of Western Australia’s eye-popping pink lakes, this body of highly salty water changes hue at different times of the year – sometimes it’s bubblegum, often it’s lilac, occasionally it’s red. It’s always incredible. What a blazing way to end your WA stay. But wait, you still have a Farewell Dinner and drinks with your new friends.