Took this photograph today & thought I'd share it with you all.
Also some info on the Lake Clifton Thrombolites for those interested
Lake Clifton thrombolites
The stromatolites of Shark Bay, on Western Australia's north western coast,
are well publicised in the tourist literature. However you don't need to go to
such a remote place to see these pre-historic living rocks. Their close cousins
- thrombolites - can be seen just south of Mandurah, within 100km of Perth.
In case you were wondering what these things are, both are types of rare and
extremely primitive life forms. They consist of single-celled bacteria which
deposit layers of silt and calcium that slowly grow into rounded rocks.
Scientists believe they are the earliest form of life on earth, dating back
about 3500 million years, and the origins of oxygen in the atmosphere. These
relics are mostly extinct and exist only as fossils - living examples can still
be found growing in just a handful of places in the world. Shark Bay is the well
known Western Australian example, but Lake Clifton is more accessible.
Lake Clifton's thrombolites can be reached from either of two roads - Mount
John Rd and Clifton Downs Rd. Both are turn-offs from the Old Coast Road, south
of Mandurah (and south of the Dawesville Channel) but north of where the new
John Forrest Highway branches off towards Perth.
A few minutes drive brings you to a parking area with toilets and signs
telling you about the thrombolites and their environment, which is part of
Yalgorup National Park. From there a boardwalk takes you out over the shallow
lake to where the thrombolites can be viewed from many angles. And what do you
see? A community of rounded rock-like structures lying just beneath the surface
... or just breaching the surface, depending on water levels. Their humble
appearance gives no indication of their status as extremely rare and ancient
life forms - living fossils.
The thrombolites are more exposed in the lower water levels of summer and
autumn, but are still easily seen at other times. Visibility is more affected by
wind - strong winds may roughen the water surface and limit the underwater view.
On the other hand, wind helps keep away the mosquitoes which can be a nuisance
in still weather.
