Monkey Mia
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Monkey Mia is a popular tourist resort located some 800 km north of Perth, Western Australia. The resort is 25 km north-east of the town of Denham in the Shark Bay Marine Park and World Heritage Site.
The main attraction is the daily feeding of the bottlenose dolphins that have been coming close to shore for over forty years. Rangers from the Department of Environment and Conservation carefully supervise the process.
‘Mia’ is the Aboriginal term for home or shelter, while the origin of the 'Monkey' part of the name is uncertain. The Nomenclature Advisory Committee of the Department of Lands and Survey have stated that he most likely origins are either the pet monkeys owned by early Malay pearlers who camped at the location, or as a colloquialism for ‘Sheep’, or that it was named for a schooner called ‘Monkey’ which arrived in 1834.
The area was originally 'gazetted' in 1890 and used as a base for the pearling and fishing industies. In the 1960s fishermen began feeding bottlenose dolphins when returning with their catch, and as news of the dolphins coming inshore spread visitors started to come to see them. In 1985 an information centre was built in 1988 a special State Government grant was provided to develop roads, carparks and facilities. In November 1990 the waters adjoining Monkey Mia were declared a Marine Park managed by the Department of Conservation and Land Management.
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