Twenty minutes south of our current camp at Mandurah (WA) and sitting in a salty lake within Yalgorup National Park are some of the oldest continuous living creatures on earth.

Up to 120-metres in width and extending for 15KM along the shoreline, the Thrombolites of Lake Clifton are believed to be at least 2,000-years old and the largest known formation south of the equator. Resembling large boulders sitting in shallow water it would be easy to dismiss them as just an unusual group of rocks, however, these rocks are alive.

Growing at less than 1mm each year the Thrombolites are built by microbes, which extract energy from the sun through photosynthesis and in the process create oxygen and calcium carbonate – more commonly known as limestone, which is responsible for the visible mounds we see today.

Thrombolites or Stromatolites

If you have been following our adventures you may remember the similar living rock formations we saw at Hamelin Pool near Shark Bay. Though they look the same and form in similar conditions, Thrombolites are built from small, rounded clusters that grow into a common mound structure whereas Stromatolites develop in circular but flat layers. Both, however, are known from fossil records to be the earliest forms of life on the planet around 350-million years ago. And both are believed to have been the majority source of oxygen that allowed more complex life to develop.

Thrombolites and Stromatolites continue to produce oxygen and as such are highly protected and listed as critically endangered species.

Buzzzzzzzz

We visited Lake Clifton in early November and had the unpleasant experience of walking through clouds of buzzing and biting mosquitoes. The best time to visit is during the summer months when the water level has dropped a little partially exposing the Thrombolites above the surface of the lake. A jetty provides a good viewing platform and helps protect the Thrombolites from careless feet.

Lake Clifton and the Thrombolites can be reached via the Old Coast Road and then following either Mount John Road or Clifton Downs Road. A small car park and information board is just 50-metres from the boardwalk.

Just remember to take plenty of insect repellent!