20TH MAY 2013 – SHARK BAY, NORTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Another day, – what wonders will we experience? Our journey today takes us to Shark Bay Marine Park, which covers 1500 kms of coastline, making it the largest marine embayment in Australia. The shallow waters support more than 320 species of fish, turtles, dugongs, dolphins,& manta rays. It is also has the longest wildflower season in WA, but sadly we are too early for that. First stop after leaving camp is Shell Beach, a stretch of unique Australian coastline comprised of countless millions of tiny cockle-like shells, quite fragile & crumbly. Scientists are puzzled as to why these molluscs grow so quickly & profusely in this area.

Shell Beach

Stromatolites!

 

 

  The shell build up is 8-9 metres deep. Further along is Hamelin Pool which is the site of another unique feature called ‘stromatolites’. This site is one of only a few places on earth where living marine stromatolites exist. They are the oldest living organisms on the planet which resemble rocky like lumps in the very clear water but are really quite spongy. They date back 3.5 billion years & are examples of the oldest & simplest forms of life on earth. The water in Hamelin pool is twice as saline as usual seawater which means that few predators & competitors can survive allowing the microbes to grow at a rate of .3mm per year, so examples up to a metre high are very, very old.
They are protected by a viewing platform over the site. When they die they become hard & rocklike.

Eagle Bluff

Caravan at Eagle Bluff

 Other attractions nearby were Eagle Bluff, with a 100mtr walkway along the ridge of the cliff face. It is sometimes possible to view sharks, turtles, rays & large fish in the shallow waters below but we were not blessed with their presence. On the historical side, an island just off the coast called Dirk Hartog Island was the site of the first recorded landing on Australian soil by Europeans. It is possible to stay over there but I’m sure would be very expensive. Probably the most popular attraction is the National Park reserve of Monkey Mia where wild dolphins come several times each day to be hand fed a small amount of fish & interact with humans. Touching is not allowed. There are lots of boat tours , camel treks etc available also & snorkelling is popular. We are saving that for further up the coast at Ningaloo reef where it will be warmer water. The only town on Shark Bay is Denham where the caravan parks are $40+ per night & full to overflowing. Hence we stayed where we did & drove in & did the sights for the day, heading out later in the day towards Carnarvon to a free overnighter. We have the feeling we will be digging deeper in our pockets as we head further north if we can’t find more freebies, but time will tell.