Sat 3 Sep 2011 Denham to Kalbarri

0930 (14099 km) Had breakfast of toast. Left Denham.

1000 (14100 km) Filled up.


Shell Beach made up of tiny cockle shells < 1cm



1045 (14146 km) Shell Beach. The entire beach was made of tiny white shells. It was blindingly white. We had to go back to the car to get sunnies for everyone. The shells are from the 'coquina bivalve' who can survive the hypersalinity of the water in the area. Over time, rainwater and pressure glue and compact the shells below into hard rock-like blocks that are quarried.



At the very white Shell Beach





At the boardwalk above the stromatolites



1200 (14209) Hamelin Pool. We had a walk around the Telegraph Station. We went on the walk and saw the quarry where they used to cut blocks out of the rock hard shells and the blocks are used as building blocks for the buildings in the area. They used a cross cut saw to cut blocks to shape.

Further along we saw the stromatolites. They weren't particularly exciting to look at - just blobs of rock that look a bit slimy. They are from an ancient cyanobacteria that have been credited to be the first organisms which released life-giving oxygen into the air and thus life as we know it today exists. They are thought to have been in existence for 3.5 billion years, way before dinosaurs. These actual Stromatolites are probably about 3,000 years old. The stromatolites have a mascot, Stumpy, who looks like a stump. He explains the evolution of stromatolites and why they are found around Hamelin Pool on all the signs. The hypersalinity does not affect the bacteria but it deters the predators so the bacteria is safe. Had lunch of Ritz, tuna, creamed corn and chicken.

1345 (14209 km) Left Hamelin Pool.
1630 (14460 km) Hawk's Head, Kalbarri National Park. There was an interesting rock in the middle of the river. Assume that was Hawk's Head.
1700 (14464 km) Ross Graham. Saw some beautiful ring necked parrots. There were also kangaroos across the river. As boys do, the kids started building dams across the river.
1800 (14504 km) Kalbarri. Murchison Caravan Park. Site 33.
1940 (14506 km) Fishing at the marina. MJ caught an undersized Tarwhine. MH caught an undersized Mulloway, so had to throw them back.