GORV - Digital Magazine Issue #67 | Page 70

FRANCOIS PERON NP
If you are a 4WD glutton , we have saved the best for last . Francois Peron National Park is dazzling , but again , it requires a highclearance 4WD with sand recovery gear and an aircompressor . You may tow a single-axle offroad camper trailer or a dingy ; caravans are not permitted . Bring all supplies with you ; you can stock up at Denham ' s two food stores ( don ' t forget plenty of water ).
MONKEY MIA
While not all people are familiar with the attractions of Shark Bay , almost everyone has heard of Monkey Mia . This sits halfway along the eastern edge of the Peron Peninsula and is famous worldwide for its wild dolphins . In the 1960s , several fishermen began feeding a dolphin named Old Charlie , so the story goes . Other dolphins heard about the free fish and began to gather around boats , along the jetty , and eventually near the beach to be hand-fed fish .
The word-famous dolphin-feeding experience at Monkey Mia .
Francois Peron NP . ( Pic : Tourism Western Australia .)
The marine biology department of an American university found out about these dolphins and , in 1982 , sent a couple of graduate students out to study them . The six or seven dolphins who visited fishermen at Monkey Mia formed a fraction of the 300 dolphins living in the area and thus began The Shark Bay Dolphin Project that continues to this day .
Aside from watching dolphins , there are walks to do along the shoreline , both to the north and the south , along with the 2.7km Wulyibidi Yaninyina Trail loop . Get that kayak off the roof , launch your tinny , rent a paddleboard or just gaze in wonder at the scenery .
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