Tuesday 29th May. Lake Clifton to Coogee Beach (just south of Fremantle)

This morning we drove to Lake Clifton to see the Thrombolites.  These living rock-like structures are just amazing.  The most striking things about them is that their limestone colour and rounded shape makes them appear just like rocks. The thrombolite-building micro-organisms are too small for the human eye to see and resemble the earliest forms of life on Earth. The discovery of modern examples helped scientists to understand the significance of micro-organisms in the environment and unravel the long history of life on Earth.

 

Scientists still know little about the thrombolites and why they form at Lake Clifton, but one theory is that they form because the lake is associated with upwellings of fresh groundwater that is high in calcium carbonate. The micro-organisms living in this environment are able to precipitate calcium carbonate from the waters as they photosynthesise, forming the mineralised structure that is the thrombolite. The thrombolites are very fragile, so a very impressive observation walkway has been built for visitors to enjoy these incredible formations while protecting them from damage.  On our visit, there was an art class using the walkway as their classroom.  That in itself was pretty interesting.

From Lake Clifton, we drove onto to Discovery Caravan Park at Coogee Beach where we set up for our few days in Perth. After a quick lunch we drove into Fremantle to meet niece and nephew Shelley and Cal at Moore and Moore Cafe. It was lovely to meet Shelley for the first time and to catrch up with Cal again. Cal was about to head off to the airport to fly home to Melbourne where he now lives. 

Back at the Caravan Park we rested up for the rest of the afternoon but did take a walk to the beach.