Shark Bay, Denham

Shark Bay is about 850 km north of Perth and we are staying at Denham. It is a World Heritage region and offers plenty of activities relating to the sea. You can swim with dolphins at Monkey Mia, snorkel, dive, fish or cruise to see dugongs, manta rays and turtles etc etc. The weather has been a bit too windy to go out on the ocean so we have only viewed it from landward but we have been down to have a look at the stromatolites at Hamelin Pool. Stromatolites are living microbes which form colonies similar to the earliest forms of life dating back 3000 million years. They are very rare and only survive at Hamelin Pool because of its very saline waters. To the uninitiated they look a bit like stumpy rocks sticking out of the shallow water but a walkway with information signs provided an interesting view of the site.
We have also been to Shell Beach, a 120 km long stretch of pure white beach but instead of sand it consists of tiny white shells similar to cockle shells but much smaller. These small shells are thought to be up to 4000 years old and in some places they are 10 metres deep. The shells glitter in the sunlight and the beach sparkles. They are also used locally for paths and the like and our camping ground has them as road cover. We have a very good camping site, private and sheltered from the wind so we have spent time enjoying the sunshine.