Monkey Mia

The first thing everyone should know about Monkey Mia is that there aren't any monkeys on the premises. Weird, right? I've thought about it and decided that Dolphin Haven would be a better suited name. The resort puts on three daily feedings to a group of wild dolphins they all know by name. Guests are allowed to walk into the water, take pictures of the dolphins, and listen as the volunteers give about a thirty minute speech on the mammals. Even though the dolphins are incredibly friendly (one even swam up against my leg) as a precaution no one is allowed to pet them. The staff put it this way: how would we feel if twenty people came up to us three times a day to pat us on the head? We'd probably get annoyed and eventually bite back. Other than enjoying the dolphin feedings, I spent my two days in MM sunbathing, writing in my journal, getting to know Joanna, my German roommate who was also a dolphin volunteer, and Stephane, a Parisian who became my west coast Greyhound bus buddy.

My camera isn't even on zoom in this photo, that was how close this dolphin was to me!

Joanna wasn't working the feeding I went to, so unfortunately I wasn't "randomly" picked to feed the dolphins. Still fun to watch.

Life as a professional beach bum... it's a tough job but somebody's gotta do it!

Monkey Mia soared to the top of my "Australia's most beautiful beaches" list.

My first emu sighting!