I met fellow photography tragics, Janene and Jacqui, at Perth airport, and we boarded our Rex Airlines flight to Shark Bay. Our photography tutor, “Tom Putt, the Legend” booked us into the Royal Automobile Club’s Monkey Mia Resort, superior water front units. Dolphins swim past and frolick every day and you could watch them from our patios.

Swaying palms and crystal azure blue waters beckoned. We were there for photography…so the next morning, we gathered @ 4.45 am to travel to a beach overlooking Redcliff Bay for a sunrise shoot of cliffs. Brekkie, a brief rest and off to our first aerial flight, on a Cessna 172 and 206.

Each craft has their rear door removed and allow for 2 photographers per craft. We each climbed into a safety harness that was then attached to the plane. Life vests were also strapped to each person, in case we needed to ditch into the water. Headsets applied for noise-cancelling and communication purposes….and Nick our pilot, took off!  

I have to admit that for the first 15 minutes – flying at 1000 to 2000 feet, tilting at a 45-60 degree angle to orbit around and photograph a particular landscape feature….made for some sphincter-clenching on my part!! But as you develop confidence in the technique, it is really an exhilarating experience! Haha, thank goodness.

We flew around the Big Lagoon and the red sand-hills of the Francois Peron National Park. Wowser, the colours and patterns in the landscape and water were fabulous.

Back to the resort to look at and process some of the images and lunch.

Another flight in the afternoon over the salt works at Useless Loop (named so because a large sandbar blocked off any boat from entering). The Japanese-owned salt mine produces the purest grade of salt in the world.

Then to Bellafin Prong Sand Dunes and the spectacular Zuytdorp cliffs (rise 170 metres) which stretch for some 200 kms of the Indian Ocean coast between Kalbarri and Steep Point in Shark Bay. Amazeballs!!

Early to bed as we were getting up for another sunrise shoot, this time at the resort pier. Nice sunrise colour and lots of pelicans landed, preening and waiting in anticipation for the feeding of the dolphins at 7.45.

Fabulous shot of striations in water/sand close to Monkey Mia, one of my fave shots over the few days.

Then off to the east of Shark Bay, around Faure Island – silver sands, ‘The Tree’, a small estuary system that looks like a painting and the Wooramel seagrasses, within which sediments are trapped, affecting salinity, tidal flow and ecosystems.

Such incredible colours, shapes, textures!!!

Our last stop Denham for lunch, loved the water hues….

Then Cape Peron cliffs for sunset…a 58 kms drive over sand. Well we got bogged half way…all our digging and under-wheel bolstering with wood effort proved useless. We were thus very grateful for the assistance provided by 2 young campers who stopped, supplied and placed tyre recovery mats under the wheels – phew!! We also lowered the tyre pressure and then continued. The wind was very strong at the Cape. We managed to walk to the cliffs, take a few photos and then escape back to the car, as the sand was starting to sting our faces. 

We beat a hasty retreat to Denham and had dinner at the small, 9 tables only, BYO Old Pearler restaurant. The only restaurant in the world built entirely from coquina shell carved from Shell Beach. Fresh seafood a specialty. Yummy, yum yum!!

A fabulous end to a brief, but absolutely spectacular journey to WA.