Escape Life on a Mandurah Dolphin Cruise: Perth, Western Australia

We find that when life gets all too much, a Mandurah Dolphin Cruise becomes the perfect remedy.

I don’t know about you, but for me, whenever life gets stressful I want to escape.  I conjure up dreams of jumping on a plane to flee.  However life doesn’t always let you; there’s your partner, children, family, work and finances that just don’t allow you to fly off on a whim.

But if you look closely around there’s bound to be somewhere you can take yourself for a day trip and feel as though you have a taken a mini-holiday from life.

And that is exactly what I do!

In this Article on Perth Dolphin Cruises in Mandurah You Will Learn:

• What you will likely see on the Mandurah cruise
• What you will be fed on the lunch cruise
• Where Mandurah and the Peel region are located in relation to Perth
• How to book this dolphin cruise
• How to get the cruise departure point
• What to take with you on a Perth dolphin cruise

This post by Tips 4 Trips contains affiliate links*.  This means I may receive a small commission if you click on these links. Learn more at the bottom of this post.

Preparing for a Mandurah Dolphin Cruise

After a particularly confrontational and stressful weekend, my son Lewis and I wake on Monday morning deflated and not ready to face the world.  By chance, a brochure from the Western Australian Tourism Bureau has arrived with the weekend newspaper.  The brochure offers a selection of places to stay and things to do throughout Western Australia including the Peel Region whose aptly titled slogan is “Anytime Adventures.”

The Peel Region is approximately an hour’s drive south of Perth.  Easily accessible by car down the Kwinana freeway or by the public transport train and bus – we drive.

Prior to leaving home with a packed day bag, I make a booking for the lunchtime Mandurah Dolphin and Scenic Cruise directly through the Mandurah Cruises website.  I am a little concerned about our timing for the cruise as our mini-escape is spur of the moment.  We will only have an hour and a half to reach Mandurah, park, collect our tickets and board the cruise.  But I like the idea of the lunch cruise that includes a $12 fish and chip lunch and an extra half hour of cruising.  So I give the Mandurah Visitor Centre a quick call.  The staff member reassures me that if I miss the lunch cruise they will refund the lunch portion of the cruise and we can defer to the next cruise an hour later.

Making it to Mandurah with perfect timing, we board the Mandurah cruise vessel and find the only remaining seating in the downstairs section.  The staff onboard are VERY strict about numbers allowed on each level of the vessel.  We join another small family of mums with their children at the eight-seater wood laminate table.  This ends up being perfect as they have a young boy a year older than Lewis who become friends for the day.  The other advantage of being downstairs is that we are not exposed to nature’s elements, perfect for today as whilst it is sunny the air is particularly crisp.  The lower level of the ferry is encased with large viewing windows that can be opened.  We are also able to stand outside in the small front and rear decks.

Our Mandurah Dolphin Cruise

Our Mandurah Dolphin Cruise departs on time at 12noon pushing out into the calm teal blue waters of Mandurah Estuary.  Our captain runs through the emergency and safety procedures before advising us of the cruise format for the afternoon and reminding us that there is no guarantee of seeing dolphins as the Perth dolphins are wild animals that swim through the Mandurah Estuary.

We sail past the iconic Peninsula Hotel, which sits on Mandurah’s most expensive land and has been a popular place to meet for a drink for well over 60 years.  Chugging into the main waterway leading to the Mandurah Ocean Marina we get a sighting of a dolphin.  The dolphin appears to be alone, it is just gently swimming along with only a fin showing.  A little disappointing.

After cruising around the open waters of the estuary our captains accepts defeat – no more dolphins 🙁 and heads towards the Ocean Marina to collect our lunch.  We see glimpses into the canals known as Little Venice which are surrounded by luxury apartments.

Lunch on the Mandurah Dolphin Cruise

A staff member jumps off the ferry at the marina to collect trays of fish and chips.  The moist fish is encased in a light crispy batter, the chips – golden brown.  Staff offer salt, vinegar and tomato sauce (ketchup).  We can purchase a drink from the licensed bar.

More Site Seeing on the Cruise

Entering into the Mandurah canals we see some of the most expensive homes in Perth perched along the waterfront.  Many of the multi-million dollar homes have their own dock, boat, jet skis and canoes.  It certainly looks like the life – if you can afford it.

Those that can’t are fishing on a pontoon attached to the bottom of the Mandurah Estuary Bridge.

Further along the estuary almost into Collins Pool, we see local Perth birdlife: pelicans, shags, and seagulls sunbathe on the limestone rocks.

Then it’s time to sail back into Mandurah.  All on board are eager for another sighting of a dolphin.  The kids even have binoculars out.  But sadly it’s all to no avail.  There are no more dolphins today.

Whilst it is a shame that we didn’t see many dolphins on this Perth cruise; it has been a lovely day trip.  We have achieved our goal of feeling as if we have escaped and travelled afar even though it really was just an hour south of Perth on a Mandurah dolphin cruise.

Top Trip Tips: On a Mandurah Dolphin Cruise near Perth

Location

It is easy to reach Mandurah from Perth to see the dolphins.  It is roughly an hours drive straight down the Kwinana Freeway.  Or use public transport, catch a train from Perth train station to Mandurah and then a bus to the ferry terminal.  Visit Transperth to get timetables and fare details.

Websites

We book our tour directly through the Mandurah cruises website, you can also book through a tour booking site like Viator* who have lots of different options.

• Mandurah Cruises
• Visit Peel and Mandurah Visitor Centre

Phone Number: +61 (08) 9581 1242

Parking

• You will find three-hour free parking on Mandurah Terrace outside the Mandurah Visitors Centre near the dock for the Mandurah Dolphin and Scenic Cruise
• If you wish to catch the train and bus please refer to TransPerth for timetables and fares.

What to take

• A day trip bag
• Camera
• Spare cash
• Jumper or something warm, unless it’s very hot

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• We paid our own costs
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