Denham

shell quarry

Stromatolites at Hamelin Pool

It was just over 300kms to our next destination which was Monkey Mia via Denham which are located on the World Heritage listed site of Shark Bay. Rick had to go and pick up the new tyre for the van so we didn't get away till after 10. We turned off the highway at the Overlander Roadhouse. Shark Bay was discovered on 25 October 1616 by Dutch Captain Dirk Hartog who stepped ashore at Cape Inscription (Dirk Hartog Island) to become the first recorded European to set foot on Australian soil. We made a detour to the Hamelin Pool which is a marine reserve containing the world's best known colony of stromatolites. We had no idea what they were but apparently because of the high salinity other animals cannot tolerate the conditions so the stromatolites can grow here undisturbed. These brown, rocklike formations resemble the oldest and simplest forms of life on earth dating back 3.5 billion years. For 2900 million years, these microbes were the only life on earth. By consuming carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, they were largely responsible for creating earth's atmosphere, and set the stage for ther life forms to emerge. The nearby 1884 Telegraph Office served as a telephone exchange until 1977. There was also a shell quarry where minature cockle shell cement together and were used to make large bricks. We continued on to the town of Denham which is Australia's most westerly town. We stopped in at the visitors centre to find out about accommodation at Monkey Mia - the people in front of us booked the last caravan site so we decided to stay in Denham and make our way across to Monkey Mia in the morning. It is estimated that up to 10% of the world's dugong population thrive in Shark Bay due to the vast sea grass meadows. I think this means
another boat trip!