We settled into the Denham Seaside Tourist Village at Shark Bay after the trip along the Butchers Track. Denham is the major town, actually the only town on Shark Bay. We were lucky in  getting a site right on the beachfront along a short access way, aptly named Old Farts Lane. The couple next to us have been coming from Perth to the Bay and staying in this spot for the last 22 years for 4 or 5 months at a time, they were in their late 70s or early 80s. Limpets. A few others seemed to know them as well. It was a great spot with a view of white sand and blue water. A bit different to red dirt. It then sunk in that we had crossed the continent from east to west! To greet us the weather gods produced a nice blow that night, the van rocked a bit and the tied down awning held its ground. A little bit of rain. We awoke to a clear sky and much calmer weather.

Our spot beside the seaside

The sun goes down outside the front door

Off we went for a trip up to Monkey Mia to see the dolphins. Which we did. We have seen dolphins before. There were 3 of them swimming up and down the beach front, we had missed the last of the morning feeds at around 11.30. As if by clockwork they disappeared at midday, almost on the dot. They do this each day and then return again the next morning. All have names and distinctive markings.

Pelican giving a dolphin grief at Monkey Mia

Who’s looking at who in this close up?

On the way to Monkey Mia we stopped for a look at Little Lagoon. It is an almost circular body of shallow crystal clear water. From a distance atop a hill at the golf club it is deep blue fringed by white sand. By accident we came across a small patch of Sturts Desert Pea beside the gravel road into the golf club, the type that has a red pea centre and not the black pea centre that we have seen previously. They were the only Sturts Desert Peas we saw in Shark Bay.

Little Lagoon

Allthego dipping his toes in Little Lagoon

It goes without saying that the wild flowers are profuse yet again. But at the moment we have had enough of wild flowers and are keeping our eyes out for mallee fowl, kangaroos and emus. Emus it is and we have seen two mobs of them running away in the scrub.

Sturts Desert Pea

Emus are plentiful

We have now moved on to Kalbarri after 4 days at Shark Bay. So the blog is catching up. But there is more yet to come on the Bay including a day trip to Steep Point, the most westerly point of the Australian mainland.