During the mid 1960s, local resident Mrs Evelyn Smith began feeding the dolphins from a small jetty near her home on the Leschenault Inlet (directly south of the Discovery Centre). However, it wasn’t until 1989 that a dolphin specialist was hired by the newly established Bunbury Dolphin Trust to continue this tradition and begin feeding and studying the local dolphins of Koombana Bay.
From this work came the establishment of the Interaction Zone in 1990 and the Dolphin Discovery Centre in 1994 to allow tourists and members of the community to interact, understand and enjoy the group of five to six dolphins that regularly visit this Zone. We don’t clearly understand why the dolphins continue to visit the Zone today, however, research suggests that the small amount of food they receive as a reward for their visit is not the only attraction. There are many dolphins that visit the Zone regularly that do not receive any fish and many of them stay for extended periods of time for interaction with the human visitors. Sick and injured dolphins also treat the beach as a haven, with some repeatedly visiting during periods of illness or injury. A weekly dolphin visitation chart is maintained on site as a guide for people who visit the Centre. The Dolphin Discovery Centre will continue to grow and increase its resources to further make its mark on the tourism industry and to continue to care and conserve the Koombana Bay dolphins.