Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve
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Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve is located in the Shark Bay World Heritage Site of Western Australia and covers 1,270 square kilometres. It is one of only a few places in the world where living marine stromatolites can be found. Other locations for stromatolites include in deep water in the Caribbean, and at Lake Thetis near Cervantes, Western Australia.
The stromatolites in Hamelin Pool were discovered by scientists in 1956 and were the first living examples of structures built by cyanobacteria. They are similar to 3,500 million year old stromatolite fossils. Stromatolites are an example of the earliest record of life on earth.
Hamelin Pool has approximately double the salinity of the ocean providing an ideal environment for the Stromatolites to grow and inhibiting other marine life. The stromatolites live within communities of densities of 3000 million individuals per square metre. They use photosynthesis, sediment and organic material in the water to build the stromatolite structures. Some structures are like pillars up to 1.5 metres high, while others are mats over the sea bed. The structures grow very slowly.
At Hamelin Pool there is an interpretive board walk for tourists to venture out and examine the stromatolite structures. The Hamelin Station Telegraph Station nearby contains a Museum, with refreshments and souvenirs available at Hamelin Station.
