Hamelin Pool Stromatolites Hamelin Pool, Western Australia, Australia
By Everlasting on 02-Oct-16. Waypoint GC6TC93

Stopped in here on the way to Denham. A beautiful outlook even if I couldnt go out on the boardwalk to view the stromatolites. Info was found on the temporary signage on the beach. Answers sent to CO.Tftc

No accs to the boardwalk distroyed by the 2021 Serina cyclone. Too bad.Anyway interested area and earthcache about that living fossils.Thanks for sharing the place and all explanations on this earthcache. All answers to follow.When we came back from north, we stopped again and stayed in the Hamelin Pool Camping closed too. An amazing place !! It looks like nothing changes since 50 years (except the swimming pool to be fair). Weve done the complete turn and discovered the coquilla mine, also interresting.TFTEC / MPLEC

Zusammen mit searchersab geht es fr 4 Monate auf Reise, dabei kommen wir nach Singapur, dann an die Westkste Australiens, wir fahren die great ocean road von Sydney nach Adelaide, danach bereisen wir noch Nord und Sdneuseeland. Dieser Cache lag auf unserer Route, vielen Dank an den Owner Everlasting frs Herfhren

Visited Hamelin Pool while staying at Monkey Mia - very interesting and scenic location, a shame that it is taking so long for the boardwalk to reopen after it was closed in April 2021.

Thanks Everlasting for bringing us here and for the lesson. As others have said, the stairs are still out of action which us a shame. The place is amazing and I am sure the stairs will be fixed soon.

Unfortunately, the boardwalk is still closed, so we could only see the Strombolites from a very far distance.Answers sent.#278

Cool spot and caravan park next to it

Answers sent and found with Defcon_6 - On our working holiday travelling in #NO_XQZS_AU can across WA - from Exmouth to Coral Bay to Shark Bay - TFTC

Kyms Adventure and I are on a WA campervan trip working holiday and nabbing some caches on the way Cache Note: came here back in the late 80s and I remember being amazed by the facts on stromatolites. Thanks for making this Earth Cache!! Cache Condition: Boardwalk broken from cyclone unfortunate we could not get closer to see the stromatolites flies lots of flies This is cache number:49810:30TFTC!!!

Having checked out other stromolites and thrombolites it was great to see this healthy example. The volunteer guide was keen to share his knowledge and his binoculars so despite the board walk being out of action we still hot a good look at them. Answers sent to CO.

On our Australian trip . After started for some days in Darwin we are on the road to Perth now .On the Road after Katherine we have seen Edith Falls, Kunnurra and Bungles Bungle. Finally we cross the Pentecost-river to enter the Gibb RiverRoad . A lot to see like Emma Falls, El Questro, Mitchel Falls, Manning Gorge, Galvans Gorge, Bell Gorge, Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge .Now return on the sealed road again . Further over Derby, Broome, Port Hedland, Karratha, Karijini NP, Exmouth and now down the coast to Perth .After Coral Bay and Carnarvan we headed further on the road and stopped for this one .We were lucky to go to here because of this EC. It was very interesting, even a volunteer has explained us a lot of things .TFTC# 17'271

We were there at 1:05 PM , but this time couldn't go on the boardwalk due to it being damaged by the cyclone - and that was a fair time ago and still no action to repair it.Fascinated by the fact that we are looking at the creation of life right thee in front of us!Thanks to Everlasting

Found as we travelled from Denham to Kalbarri and made a slight detour to check out this site. Thanks for bringing us here.

Came today for a look and saw some stromatolites in the distance as the tide was going out. Cool spot, thanks for the cache

Stromatolites are commonly found in shallow water environments where conditions are favorable for their growth. Some well-known locations include:Hamelin Pool in Shark Bay, Western AustraliaThe BahamasYellowstone National Park, USAStromatolites are found in Hamelin Pool because its water is hypersaline. The high salinity of the water limits the presence of predators and competitors, allowing stromatolites to thrive.Stromatolites appear as layered, rock-like structures that can form various shapes, such as domes, columns, or flat mats. They often have a rough, bumpy surface and can vary in color depending on the microorganisms and minerals present.Stromatolites form through the activity of cyanobacteria and other microorganisms that trap and bind sediment particles. As these microorganisms grow and photosynthesize, they produce sticky biofilms that capture and cement together sediments, forming layered structures over time.Microbial mats have been present for approximately 85% of Earths geologic history. They first appeared around 3.5 billion years ago and have been a significant part of Earths biosphere since then.Cyanobacteria in microbial mats have influenced evolution for over 3.5 billion years. Their role in producing oxygen through photosynthesis was crucial in transforming Earths atmosphere and enabling the development of more complex life forms.During times of environmental crises, such as mass extinction events, many complex life forms (e.g., plants and animals) were severely affected, often leading to significant reductions in biodiversity. Microbial mats, however, were among the last to be affected due to their adaptability and resilience. Their simplicity and ability to survive in extreme conditions allowed them to persist even when more complex ecosystems collapsed.This was a great and interesting visit!

Found this cache whilst on our two month adventure throughout central Australia and remote parts of WA.Wed been here some 10 years ago so it was nice toReturn and check out the place again. Sadly the boardwalk is no longer usable and thus we couldnt see the Stromatolites up close.Thanks to all the COs for adding to our adventure. TFTC

A caching trip from Canberra, ACT to Cape York, Qld and then around the gulf to East Arnhem Land, NT then over the top of WA to Perth.Interesting detours to Thursday Island, Mabuiag Island, Mornington Island, Doomadgee, Hells Gate, Nhulunbuy, Wadeye, Litchfield Nat Park, Wyndham and the Gibb River Road.TFTC.Place is still closed but you can get to the wharf. I have seen these south of Mandurah.

It is always interesting to visit locations like these, a pretty area as well. We walked down to look best we could and answer the questions. Cyclone damage has the boardwalk closed, but we could still see enough. Would have been good to see from above but still enjoyed the area. Thanks for highlighting.

We took the wrong turn and ended up in the caravan park with an unimpressed caretaker. I think this happens far too often for her liking.... but she redirected us and we quickly got out of there. How lucky for WA to be one of only two places in the world to have stromatolites. And this led us to wonder where the other place is... the Bahamas google told us. You know you're in a significant area when there are two guides keeping watch and answering questions. Like everyone, we would have loved to get closer to see the amazing living fossils but they're still an impressive sight from the beach. TFTEC Everlasting, FP!

Found on a trip to Western Australia from Adelaide with FeatherWaite. After a couple of nights camped at Big Lagoon, we left Shark Bay and started to make our way home again.I spent a lot of time around Shark Bay for both work and recreation during the 1990s and it is still one of my favourite areas of Australia.Its a shame the boardwalk is still closed (since 2021!), but I understand that approval has been obtained to rebuild/replace it, so hopefully something will happen soon.Thanks Everlasting for an interesting earthcache.

Found with e.gregory1 on a trip from Adelaide to north-western Western Australia. After spending two nights at Big Lagoon in Francois Peron National Park we called in to make the observations on this earthcache as we headed southwards. Thanks for the interesting earthcache Everlasting!

Unfortunately the walkway is still damaged and the whole area is off limits. I love this kind of thing so I was a little disappointed to not be able to get closer.----Decided to do a long road trip, flying in from Canberra, starting and finishing the drive in Port Hedland. It was a long day of flights, followed by 7 days of lots of kilometres. I stopped at every 'point of interest' along the way, I wanted to miss nothing! Earthcaches, Virtuals & AL's are always very good waypoints for interesting things as well.Every night I downloaded a bunch of podcasts and these made the kilometres fall away. This was the first outback road trip I have done where I saw more emu's than kangaroos. The wild camels walking in the desert were also very cool to see. My trusty swag served me very well.

Day 3 of our trip from Perth to Exmouth. This was an underwhelming experience with the board walk closed off. Answers sent off. TFTC.

Beautiful area to visit stopping at Kalbarri then here at Hamelin Pool. Amazing learning about how these stromatolites are formed! TFTC

Thank you for this earthcache at this unique spot. Unfortunately the boardwalk is still closed.

Nice place, tftc!

After spending a few days in monkey mia we visited Hamelin pool, tftc!

Such a shame the board walk is damaged but a great spot for information! Visited in Day 8 of our honeymoon! Tftf

TFTEC! Wish we could have gotten closer to these living fossils! Very interesting

It's a shame we visited while the boardwalk was out of action but the info boards are very informative. Tftc

Denham
Have now booked into the Shark Bay Caravanpark for a couple of days.
This is an amazing area to explore, we found a variety of cahes.
The boardwalk was still not repaired, We visited here 10 years ago so we knew what it was like then.
FP for this unique location
Thankyou to the CO's for hiding this cache

LOVE the stromatolites! How EXTREME First time I’ve heard of ‘EXTREMOPHILE’ Max - a volunteer park ranger gave us an excellent welcome and introduction before we headed to the site. Two years on the cyclone damage to the boardwalk is yet to be repaired so I was a tad disappointed not to get closer. The trip is making me think about re-imagining Australian history. In Denham for a few days with plenty of time to explore on trusty treadles and appreciate another AUS World Heritage site. Have travelled WEST from home base 3500 km away and that includes altitude as well so enjoying the landscape and habitat changes of this BIG country. TFTC and the lure to visit. A fave for the Cyanobacteria!!

Today we are on the way from Kalbarri to Denham/Monkey Mia. Unfortunately there are not many caches on that route. After visiting the Stromatolites at Lake Thetis in Cervantes we wanted to visit these here as well, as they were mentioned to be even more impressive. Due to the destroyed jetty-walk we were not able to see any of these here. As the flies were really annoying here, we rushed to the cache again after having collected the relevant answers for this Earthcache.

Thanks for the Earthcache and regards from Switzerland.

Stopped here during our 20 day eclipse adventure in Western Australia. We were a bit disappointed to find that the boardwalk was closed when all the literature we saw said it was scheduled to open in 2022. Enjoyed the walk anyway. Thanks.

Stunning location. Answers submitted. The boardwalk is still damaged.

Warning, this hobby can be addictive. It can lead to exercise, meeting new people and finding interesting places you might not have known existed otherwise. Beware: you may have fun.

Thanks for the cache. Merci la cache. Danke für den Cache. Gracias por el caché. Bedankt voor de cache. Kiitos kätköstä. Zikomo posungira. Terima kasih untuk cache. Hvala cache. Köszönöm a cache. Nga mihi mo te keteroki. Dankie vir die kas.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

SA’s Leap Year Event GCA1DNA - keep the date free - 29th February 2024. Can’t wait!!

Pity this area is still fenced off, could have got a closer look at them. Did our best to view them. Lucky the posters of information are still around. Answers sent to CO. TFTC

Answers will be sent asap
Found on 05-11-2022 at 14:10h

The boardwalk out over the stromatolites still hasn’t been repaired since the cyclone but can still be viewed from the beach. Did the tour of the old Telegraph Station and enjoyed jam, cream and scones in the old Station Masters building.

We vosit the place but the walkway was closed. Very intrresting

Found today on a drive out to Hamlin pool while getting from Carnarvon to Denham. Can't access the boardwalk to get over the stromatolites, but can see enough from the waters edge at low tide to respond with answers. I have always been interested in these stromatolites as I know they are the best in the world. I am very happy to finally get to see them and get an Earthcache smiley also. My bronze earthcache Geocoins visited .

Visited here on the way to Dirk Hartog Island. Love the cvp here

The board walk is still closed . Will send answers soon TFTEC

Cannot access due to being fenced off from cyclone damage

Nice spot to visit, had good chat too DBCA volunteer about the natural history. TFTC ?? will have to return again when the boardwalk is repaired!

Good walk from Hamelin Station CP
Great scones and Tea at the Hamelin Pool CP :):)

Soo many flies and couldn’t get out on the bridge still but still love the quiet and tranquility

Day 24 of the long road trip from Perth to the Townsville Mega via the southern states and then back to Perth again via the northern part of Australia.Today was basically from Exmouth to the Overlander roadhouse with a short side trip into Denham.Answers obtained and sent off.Thanks for placing and maintaining this cache for cachers to find.

Ltf

Disappointing that the boardwalk is closed and so we couldn’t view the stromatolites, but we were very glad of our head nets as the flies were all over us!

The boardwalk is still closed and will apparently be only repaired next year according to the owner of the nearby Caravan Park. At low tide, it still possible to see some stromatolites from the beach... Alternatively, it is possible to see them in several of other places in WA and even pair with Geocaching (GC2A43V). Anyway, this remains a beautiful spot and we really enjoyed it.
TFTEC Everlasting.

Sad that the boardwalk is closed Can’t quite reach GZ. Word of advice- don’t bother asking to use the loo at the caravan park…. Never met a more grumpy and rude receptionist in my life Must purchase something first before she unlocks the toilets, the toilet is filthy and spent 15mins copping abuse and hearing her life story about having worked there for 17 years and she can’t believe that tourists just think they can come over and ask for the toilet when it’s too expensive to having a working toilet on site…. Sorry lady hahaha I just wanted to find a geocache….

Still closed from cyclone damage but still a beautiful spot! Hopefully the CO is happy with our answers and pic attached. TFTC Everlasting

The boardwalk is still closed but we were lucky to run into
A couple of conservation volunteers who were a wealth of knowledge.
Will send answers in the next day or two.

TFTC Everlasting this is find #12537 for us.

Even though the area is currently closed, I have been able to answer the questions and have permission of the CO to log. TFTC

Beautiful day on the bay today, the damaged board walk meant that we couldn’t get up close but the tide was out and it was very scenic. Will send answers when I get home

Found today with Bjossi, but sadly the board walk is closed due to damaged by TC Seroja. TFTC

Was at the Hamlin Pool for the second time. First time was about 11years ago and before my Geocaching times. This time I made sure to check if there was a cache present. Perfect spot for an earth cache. Due to visiting it twice I got to see it once at high tide and once at low tide. Sure makes a difference. TFTC

I vaguely remember visiting this place as a kid, now 20 or so years later I'm visiting with my own kid.

On our way to Denham so we stopped off here on the way. TFTC Everlasting

We love visiting here so to have an earth cache to complete here was an added bonus, thanks Danielle for bringing us back here, we will send the answers through TFTEC

Had a great camp at Hamelin Pool Caravan Park checking out the Stromatlites and shell quarry.

TFTC

Very interesting discovery. Thanks so much for bringing us here.

Thanks for the cache, kids enjpyed the walk and the history around the area

Today our gap year adventure has brought us to Hamelin Pool to visit the oldest living creatures on earth. So cool. Answers sent to CO, thank you Everlasting for this cache.

Today our gap year adventure has brought us to Hamelin Pool to visit the oldest living creatures on earth. So cool. Answers sent to CO, thank you Everlasting for this cache.

Team McLaughlin from Rotto day trip from Monkey Mia

Coming out of Denham on our way up north, this cache was a must do on the way. These areas are doing tourism so well with excellent information signage and facilities. Loved the cache.my favourite type cache. Tftc

Having a few days up in Shark Bay grabbing some more smileys...amazing place. .
TFTC and the

Thank you for showing us these living fossils.
TFTC

I was time for me to take my annual fishing trip up north . Loaded up the Jetski and all the gear and head to shark bay on the herald bright side . Now the boss wanted me to grab a few caches along the way which I agreed too do ..... So far I have manage to find all on my list and like to thank all the CO’s and delegated maintenance personal for keeping the geocaching alive .... Hope you like the photo Danielle

This was one of our stops along the long way up to Broome. I remember that I was really happy everytime I had a chance to get out of the bus, although it was extremely hot that day. We had a nice walk along the boardwalk and were afterwards looking forward to the aircon in the bus.

Thanks for the informative cache
wasicu

Greetings from Scotland. We are on our way from Monkey Mia to Exmouth. A long drive ahead of us but we wanted to stop to see the Stromatolites as it intrigued us when we drove past on our way to Monkey Mia. We parked up just as a tour bus arrived and emptied. It looked like we were not in for a quiet visit. We headed off to the boardwalk, and thankfully, the tour stopped in the car park for a history less on first. We had the place to ourselves. The water was low so we could see everything clearly. Nature is amazing. We gathered our answers and have sent them off to the CO.


*This is our 10393rd logged find. Found at 11:35 hrs.* TFTC

Our 1st Meeting with the stromatholites was at Lake Thetis in Cervantes.
It is really very interesting to get knowledge about the oldest creatures of the planet.
Thanks for showing this intresting place on earth.
TFTC and greetings from Austria

Interesting place and scenery. Our first old creatures we met at lake Thetis. Here these one looked s little bit different.
TFTC and greetings from Austria

We visited this earthcache in our holidays in Australia from december to january on the way to (of course) Monkey Mia.
This is an interesting new lesson about the history of life for us, worth knowing about.

TFTC,

JuStMeMi

Danke für das zeigen dieses einmaligen Platzes und natürlich auch für das WISSEN.

Danke sagen HuntheHunters and Missy

What an absolutely fascinating place this was. Science has always fascinated me and this heritage site really captured my interest. Since visiting I have looked up the extra reading as suggested and did have a laugh about why the the microbes move upwards.
Many thanks for an absolutely fascinating visit and the chance to learn even more about our environment.
A FP definitely earned here.

During our holidays from Darwin to Perth visited some Earthcaches. Was not always easy to answer the questions.
But the information was sent to the owners.
Thanks a lot!

We came here during our 19 day trip from Broome to Perth. Very interesting place (and more flies than in the outback ) Answers are sent - Thanks for this earthcache!

Travelling around Australia on a #midlifegapyear we stopped in overnight at Hamlin Pool CP, and took a walk down to see our ancient ancestors, the Stromatolites... I can totally understand how the dawn of life happened out here in the middle of nowhere. Thanks for highlighting this prehistoric place Everlasting.

Thanks Everlasting for this EC. What a beautiful location with the crystal clear water and such an amazing piece of our geologic history. Answers sent. TFTC

Had a great day with The-Shredder. TFTC Skyryser
Answers sent to CO

What a nice day with Skyryser. Thanks for the earthcache here and the lessons we learned. TFTC

On our way back to Perth we made a stop at Hamelin Pool. After arrival we walked on the Boolagoorda Trail from the caravan park through shell quarry to the beach. We had luck to see the stromatolites during low tide.
It was a nice day, nice walk with our Baby and great view with white beach, black stromatolites and azure water.
We have 2 months for holiday in Australia. My aim is to find every day a Cache. This is our 24th day and my 26th logged Cache.

What an interesting area this is. Full of natural and social history. We camped at the Telegraph station where we were treated to a tour of the old building with an interesting display about the stromatolites in there as well. We walked through the coquina quarry and down to the stromatolites while we were here. Answers have been sent to the CO. TFTC Everlasting

What a stunning place, great to be able to take the caravan into the car park. Thanks Everlasting for your EC in this stunning location.

Hi there Everlasting.

We found your cache **"Hamelin Pool Stromatolites"** at 10:03:00 AM today. (This makes our find count 22780).

We cached between Hamelin Pool and Denham with a couple of muggles in the back seat today & found your cache **"Hamelin Pool Stromatolites"**. (This brings our total find count to 22780). We had an interesting trek around the area & found 3 caches today & DNF'd 0.

We thoroughly enjoyed the scenery, the blue water and the walk along the shore. Thanks for placing the cache here, without geocaching as our guide we would never have found so many interesting places on our nomadic wander around Australia.

Regards

Ian & Penny.

Today we would go into the area of Shark Bay and visit some caches. This was a nice spot to visit along the way. The answers were send to the CO.

TFTC!

Found during my half lap advanture from Adelaide. Container and log book in good condition. Answers sent. TFTC.

On our holiday were driving with along the west coast from Perth to Darwin with an RV, visiting many beautiful places. Whenever weve got time, we are also looking for some caches. We have been here 17 years ago. It was nice to come back here.

Greetings from Germany Gorgon17112003

Amazing sunset here tftc

Overnighted at Hamelin Pool after a long trip from Perth to Karijini & Cape Range National Parks then heading home. Photo is from the shell beach with the Stromatolites in the background. Thanks for the Cache.

Well, believe it or not, I am finally tackling some long overdue logging of earthcaches that have been sitting at the top of my Drafts list for way too long. This one was among them, so I fished out the photos and notes that I took on the day I visited. Anyway, better late than never in claiming my smiley on this earthcache. Thankyou for the knowledge I gained in answering the questions you posed Everlasting.

Found with EwaldK
TFTC

Visited with my daughter 14lena11... weather wasn't on our side, but we'll pass by on our way back.. tftc

Staying at Hamelin Station so a trip to here was an easy stop. Good way to record the visit.

A fantastic cache - totally love this area. Many thanks

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We are visiting WA for the first time, and are doing a 11 day road trip from Perth to Exmouth and back. This was one of our stops on day 2. Fascinating to see some of the oldest lifeforms on earth. Unfortunately nobody wanted to hang around because of the flies - our first encounter with them. Answers have been emailed. TFTC.