Hamlin Pools

After watching the pelicans being fed on the shore in the bay we had a final stop at the part of Kilbarri National Park that is open to the public and went down to the river and walked along a while, this time with the canyon walls rising around us. Luckily timing the walks between the heavy showers. We've been lucky to avoid the flies which can be here in massive numbers (hence the corked hats!) - as experienced by our friends Laura, Julie and Solana just a few weeks earlier. It was then a few hours drive (350km or so) through desert type landscapes with incredibly straight roads flanked by bright orange sand. The only inhabited parts were one ranch and two roadhouses. The one we stopped at had the full complement - car, 4 wheel drive, campervan, trailer tent, road train and aeroplane! Yes, aeroplane, the pilot had stopped at the small airstrip behind the garage and pushed it around to fill up and have a beer. Our campsite for the night is an old telegraph station and once had a mine nearby, where they would saw blocks of these compacted shells out to use for buildings in nearby Denham. There are also the only living example of Stromatolites in the world that can be visited by the public. They are basically microbial mats made up of tiny living bacteria which produce oxygen that allowed life to develop. The owner of the campsite gave a talk and showed us around the museum here which was surprisingly fascinating as she had so many artifacts from its telegraph years.Read more