| Although the
area is home to one eighth of the world’s dugong population, they are harder
to spot from May to August in the winter months. But don’t let that stop
you – we still managed to see several in June. Other wildlife you might
see includes turtles, dolphins, and sharks. If you’re brave enough, you
can also sit in the boom net at the back of the boat on the return trip.
Resort style
accommodation is available at Monkey Mia, and if you have a few extra days,
why not stay on? Besides feeding dolphins on a daily basis, relaxing
on the gorgeous beaches, swimming in the pool or lounging in the hot tub,
there is plenty more to do. Ride a camel down the beach, kayak in dolphin
frequented waters and visit the dolphin discovery room. There’s a lot to
learn about these friendly creatures!
Another
must see area of Shark Bay is Shell Beach. It’s not hard to imagine
what makes this beach famous – layers upon layers of tiny white shells
stretching for 120 kilometers. In some places they can be up to ten
meters deep! Although it’s not exactly comfortable to walk on without
shoes, Shell Beach makes a perfect picnic stop. The millions of shells
run straight into the serene blues of the ocean. It’s a rare sight.
Hamelin
Pool
And last but
definitely not least is Hamelin Pool. Probably the most awe inspiring attraction
in all of Shark Bay, Hamelin Pool is where you go if you want to see Stromatolites;
colonies formed by cyanobacteria, the oldest living organisms in the
history of the world. This is about as close to a time machine as you
can get - life exists here in much the same manner as it did billions of
years ago.
Hamelin
Pool is one of Shark Bay’s hypersaline marine environments, caused
by its hot, dry climate and shallow waters. What this means, in simple
terms, is that the water here is very salty. So salty that most marine
animals and plants can’t survive here, leaving it free and clear for the
Stromatolites. In normal salt water conditions, fish and snails graze on
the cyanobacteria that form the stromatolites.
Cyanobacteria
flourish here in Hamelin Pool and they use sticky mucous to trap sediment
occurring naturally in the water to form great reefs of rock, or colonies
of stromatolites. So what do the oldest living organisms on earth look
like? Not much. I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from a bunch of rocks
sitting in a shallow pool of water. Their beauty lies not in their appearance,
but in their history and the amazing fact that these “living fossils”
still
exist.
A wooden boardwalk
allows you to walk over the stromatolites without damaging them. Try to
see beyond their simple appearance; a one meter high stromatolite could
be up to 2000 years old. To further boggle your mind, the density of the
colonies is 3000 million organisms per square meter. Additionally, a 1.5
meter high colony is 10 million times the size of the single organism that
constructed it. Doesn’t feel so silly to be oohing and aahing over rocks
now, does it? Hamelin Pool is 105 km from Denham.
Kalbarri
About 400 km
south of Denham lies another delightful seaside village; Kalbarri. It’s
worth stopping here for a few days to get even closer to nature. The
ocean is definitely a highlight, but hikers and land lovers will certainly
be at home in the national park. Kalbarri, with a population of 2000, is
slightly larger that Denham, although everything you’ll need is located
on one main street here as well. Stop in at the visitor’s center – they’ll
help you make the most of your time in Kalbarri.
The name
Kalbarri means the joining of two waters, in this case, the Indian
Ocean and the Murchison River. We arrive just in time to hop on a sunset
cruise down the river. The whole experience costs only $25 and includes
a variety of wine and cheese. As we float down the slow moving river, we
are thrilled by the wildlife gracing its banks.
Bouncing kangaroos are
always a sight to behold, and we see plenty of them. Emus stand tall
in the surrounding fields and eagles swoop above. Egrets, pelicans, mountain
ducks and gorgeous black swans are just some of the other birds that fly
through the pink sky.
Before I came
to Australia, I have to admit that I didn’t pay much attention to birds.
Since
arriving in this bird rich land, I have developed a new appreciation
for feathered friends. The next morning we head out to see even more birds
at Rainbow Jungle, Australia’s most beautiful parrot breeding center. The
center’s tropical landscape itself was constructed from 300 tons of
local sandstone and is home to over 300 birds of 50 different species.
Rainbow Jungle actively breeds many endangered species.
A Fischer’s
Lovebird sits on its perch, its nose red like a clown’s. We see all
the typical Australian birds; cockatoos, lorikeets, galahs and endless
parrots. But some of the most fascinating birds are the international
inhabitants. Several South American Sun Conures definitely steal the
show. No bird has ever taken my breath away, but these must be the
most exquisite birds in the world. Although they are only about 12 inches
long, the birds capture the essence of the colors of the sun. Resembling
a small parrot, they are mostly yellow and orange, with tones of blue and
green found in their soft feathers. The birds are worth $8000 a pair, and
it’s not hard to see why.
We stroll around
the largest walk through free flight parrot aviary in Australia. Parrots
of all shapes, colors and sizes swoop past our heads. It’s like being a
rainforest; the smells, colors and abundant birds make it hard to believe
you’re not in the wild. The birds fly wherever they like, but watch out
if they fly above you. They might leave a little surprise on your shoulders!
After you’ve had your fill of birds, walk up the viewing tower to enjoy
spectacular views of the ocean and coastal cliffs.
Rainbow Jungle
is about 3 kilometers south of Kalbarri, near a stretch of rugged
cliffs. Western Australia has been blessed with spectacular coastal
scenery, and much of it is in the Kalbarri area. Jake’s Corner, a famous
surfing break, Rainbow Valley, Eagle Gorge and Red Bluff are a few places
worth stopping. All are well sign posted from the road. Before heading
back to our villa for a quiet night in, we take our time enjoying the scenery
and stop for several photos. We’re delighted with the cliffs dropping down
to the crashing white water, the gorgeous beaches and red cliffs overlooking
the sea.
A definite
trend in Australian accommodation is the self contained unit. Having
your own apartment, villa or even house has many advantages over the obvious.
Besides privacy and space, a kitchen can be a huge benefit – especially
when it comes to packing lunches to bring on your hikes around the National
Park. Sunsea Villas, www.kalbarrisunseavillas.com,
offers affordable one and two bedroom villas on the waterfront. You can
catch up on your laundry, your favorite TV shows and some good old fashioned
home cooking. It also means that you’ll have front row seats to Kalbarri’s
enchanting sunsets every night.
Kalbarri
National Park
Kalbarri
National Park covers over 1, 000 square kilometers. Its geological
make-up dates back 400 million years with the depositing of horizontal
layers of colored sand. The Murchison River is largely to thank
for the incredible scenery in the area; as it winds its way to the sea,
it cuts gorges into the Tumblagooda sandstone. The gorges are definitely
a highlight of the national park. You can see red and white bands in the
stone where the river has eroded away the surface layers. Z Bend is
a famous lookout where you can view the twists and turns of the Murchison.
In Kalbarri
National Park, nature has made no secret of its ability to carve the landscape
into captivating shapes and figures. Ripples of red and white in the
Tumblagooda sandstone are easily spotted on many of the park’s walking
paths. On flat surfaces, you can find the trails and tracks of animals
that once crawled along the surface when it was still damp. Worms that
burrowed in the sand have left wiggly trails on stone beds. One of the
park’s most famous sites is Nature’s Window. Time and the earth’s natural
processes have carved a perfectly framed lookout out of the red and white
sandstone. It’s the ultimate picture hung on Nature’s invisible wall.
Besides
nature’s scenery, animals abound in the park. Kangaroos, emus, ospreys
and wedge-tailed eagles are some of the wildlife to look out for. There
are 21 plant species found here as well. The best time to come would be
from July to November. I just missed the delightful display of wildflowers
on my way through in June, but everyone was raving about the vivid gold
and orange banksias, green and red kangaroo paws, featherflowers, smokebushes,
and starflowers that would soon be gracing the National Park. It’s a shame
I missed it – I’ll just have to go back!
The following
is a list of articles that Dawnelle has written for the magazine:
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