Kalbarri

We left Perth Thursday morning for Kalbarri, a 7-hour drive.  It was a long day, but we made several stops along the way to break it up and got to see some really interesting places!

The first stop was to Nambung National Park to see the Pinnacles Desert.  There is a short 2.5-mile drive around the park as well as a 45-minute trail in which you walk through the desert.  It is thought the Pinnacles were formed inside sand dunes, when acidic rainwater leached down, cementing the lime-rich sand and binding it into clumps of tamala limestone. Vegetation on top of the dunes helped things along, by holding them together and by creating an acidic layer of decomposing plant debris. Bushfires most likely burnt away the vegetation on top of the dunes, allowing the sand to be slowly blown away, leaving the limestone pillars behind.  I could not believe how amazing these limestone pillars were just hanging out in the middle of the desert!!  Alex and I both agreed it looked like something from a movie set.  

After spending time in the National Park, we drove to Hangover Bay for a picnic.  They had several picnic tables and it was the perfect place to eat our lunch. 

Twenty minutes from Hangover Bay is Lake Thetis.  The lake became isolated from the ocean 4,800 years ago when sea levels dropped and coastal dunes formed around the lake.  Today, Lake Thetis is known as one of the only few places in the world with living marine stromatolites, or "living fossils".  They look like rocky lumps and have been dated to be about 3,370 years old. 

When we drove through the town of Geraldton, we made a quick stop at Point Moore Lighthouse.  Although not the prettiest setting (there was a large construction fence circling the entire lighthouse), it was a good place to stretch our legs.  Plus, I love a good red and white stripped lighthouse!  The lighthouse was built in 1878 and stands 112-feet high.  It was the first all steel tower built on the mainland of Australia.  

Friday morning, we drove to the Hut Lagoon Pink Lake.  The lake takes on its pink hue from the presence of carotenoid-producing algae: Dunaliella salina.  The algae is a source of beta-carotene, a food-coloring agent and source of vitamin A.

We then headed to the Mushroom Rock Nature Trail, a 2-mile hike through the Tumblagooda Sandstone formations.  This area reminded me so much of our trip to the Norther Territory, specifically our Kings Canyon Rim Walk, except instead of being in the middle of the Outback, we were right next to the ocean!

Mushroom Rock

The rocks here were formed over 420-million years ago during the Silurian period from sand and silt.  Neither Alex and I could get over the patterns, shapes and webs we found in the rocks.

The "pipe rock" is made of fossilized burrows created by worm-like organisms known as Skolithos

In the evening, we drove down to the beach to watch the sunset.  As it is autumn in Australia, the sun is setting earlier and earlier.  On this evening, the sun went down at 5:45pm.  

We woke early on Sunday morning and made our way to Kalbarri National Park to complete the Nature's Window and Loop Trail.  This 5-mile hike goes through the gorge and along the Murchison River.  The red and white banded rock is simply beautiful and again reminded me of our time in the Northern Territory.  The only truly annoying part of the hike were the flies!  They were relentless and at times, both Alex and I had over two dozen resting on our back and shoulders.  Alex also had the unfortunate experience of having one fly directly into his mouth and swallowed it!  Ewww.  

Nature's Window

The flies sure favored his left side!

Since 1975, pelicans have been coming to the foreshore of Kalbarri to feed.  Local volunteers are ready with fish on hand and when the pelicans arrive (on time at 8:45am each morning), there is a crowd waiting to watch and feed them.  We visited our last morning in Kalbarri and only one pelican showed up.  I've never seen a pelican this close before and could not believe how big it was!