Shark Bay
was inscribed in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in 1991 with this words: at the
most westerly point of the Australian continent, Shark Bay, with its islands and the land
surrounding it, has three exceptional natural features: its vast sea-grass beds, which are
the largest (4800 sq. km) and richest in the world; its dugong ('sea cow') population; and
its stromatolites (colonies of algae which form hard, dome-shaped deposits and are among
the oldest forms of life on earth). Shark Bay is also home to five species of endangered
mammals.
SHELL BEACH
This
is a spectacular place! Shell Beach is situated about 40 km from Denham. The entire beach
is made up of millions upon millions of tiny coquina shells and, at low tide, it is
possible to walk a hundred metres into the bay all the time treading on a seemingly
endless surface of shells. The shell build up is 8-9 m. deep.
Shell Beach, Shark Bay, Western Australia.
Detail of Shell Beach, Shark Bay, Western
Australia.
HAMELIN POOL AND THE STROMATOLITES
These
unusual formations are created by single celled organisms known as cyanbacteria and they
grow at a rate of less than 1 mm per year. They are known as 'living fossils' because
these cyanbacteria formations are probably as old as any form of life on earth.
Stromatolites (colonies of algae which
form hard, dome-shaped deposits and are among the oldest forms of life on earth). Hamelin
Pool, Shark Bay, Western Australia.
Emu in Francois Peron National Park, Shark
Bay, Western Australia.
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