Perth City Guide - $section

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Monkey Mia Resort
At this remarkable resort, situated near the town of Denham about 525 miles (830km) north of Perth in the Shark Bay Heritage area, visitors have the opportunity to interact and hand-feed the local wild dolphins who visit the shore each day. Several bottlenose dolphins regularly visit the beach at Monkey Mia, sometimes up to three times a day, while others who are less tame wait just offshore. Visitors are encouraged to enter the water to gently touch and feed the dolphins, under the watchful eye of local rangers who advise on how best to approach and handle the animals without causing them stress. Monkey Mia also has a Dolphin Information Centre, and offers good bathing at Shell Beach, unique in that it has a four-mile (6km) stretch of tiny white shells stacked up to 33ft (10m) deep. Some of the buildings in the nearby seaside town of Denham are built out of shells from this beach.

Karijini National Park
Karijini is the second largest national park in Western Australia, situated in the Pilbara region. It features breathtaking gorges, crystal clear rock pools, waterfalls and stunning scenery. A system of walking trails designed for hikers of various levels of fitness, from beginner to experienced, have been laid out. There are picnic and camping areas and a visitor information centre with interactive natural and cultural displays. The park boasts 50 varieties of Acacia, Eucalypts and Melaeluca in its gorges, 133 types of bird and 92 species of amphibians and reptiles can be seen, not to mention the dingoes. It is situated about 900 miles (1,435km) north of Perth on the Great Northern Highway. Tours operate from Tom Price, Port Hedland, Karratha and Auski.