Shark Bay is a world heritage listed peninsula and marine park, and is brimming with wonderful places to explore.
Hamlin Pool
Our first stop was 'Hamlin Pool' where stromatolites can be viewed at low tide. These extremely fragile rocklike formations have existed for over 2900million years. By consuming carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, they were largely responsible for creating earth's atmosphere...wow!
This area was once a sheep station. It has been over 60 years since wool carts were driven over the sand to waiting ships but their tracks can still be seen because the stromatolites only grow about a cm every 30 years or so..
Shell Beach
This stunning stretch of beach is covered in tiny cockleshells...so white it's almost blinding! The shells are up to 10m in depth and are quite a beautiful sight. They have been used to make bricks and it is said that nearby Denham was once paved with them.
The wind was blowing a gale...which created an amazing sight as the boys threw them into the air...they looked like snowflakes in the air..
Ocean Park
Still on our way to Denham, we stopped at Ocean Park, a great marine discovery centre. The displays and marine animals were fantastic, but by far the best thing here was the young local guide who talked about each and every animal on show. Not only was he extremely knowledgable (he didn't look old enough to be a marine biologist, but he must have been!) but he had some great stories to tell about his own experiences diving and snorkeling in the local waters, and encounters with various marine life.
Harry has been very interested in all the amazing things we have seen while snorkeling and has recently decided he might like to be a marine biologist!
We had originally planned on camping in Francois Peron NP, right at the northern tip of this magnificent peninsula...but when we arrived in sleepy Denham we quite liked the look of this pretty town. I was still feeling queasy from our boat trip yesterday, and we just didnt feel like driving any further. We found a lovely campsite with water views, and decided to base ourselves here for a couple of days.
Cazz x
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