After finally dragging the kids away from frolicking with the dolphins and doing backflips off the jetty at Monkey Mia, we reluctantly motored away. Our heavy hearts soothed by excited conversation about the logistics of organising a return visit to this stunning region. It was late afternoon and we knew we didn’t have long to get to our next camp before dusk.
We’d planned to stay at Hamelin Pool; a free camp in the Shark Bay area where the water is hypersaline. It has approximately double the salinity of normal seawater. Although high salinity levels make for easy floating, we weren’t interested in drifting effortlessly around the Bay! We were instead, wanting to look at the incredible colony of Stromatolites that grow in the salty, protected waters. Stromatolites are one of the earliest recorded life form on Earth and we'd hoped to enjoy both the spectacle and the history of their habitat.
Unfortunately we missed the turn off, only discovering the boo-boo 50km down the road! Rather than go back, we simply pulled up stumps in a roadside stop. There was loads of room and it was quiet so met our needs for a night.
Photos left to right
selfie in the red dust
sunset at Hamelin Pool
Our overnight camp