Lake Thetis Stromatolites — Attraction in Cervantes

I am fascinated by oddities in the natural world, such as the Pinnacles just south of Cervantes and the Pink Lake a few hours north, so a stop at Lake Thetis was a must. We had already visited Lake Clifton south of Perth and had been utterly gobsmacked by the thrombolites there, cousins to the stromatolites found here. (Both are extremely ancient limestone formations created by microorganisms living in water rich in calcium carbonate. Thrombolites look like cauliflower, while stromatolites are flatter, though many look miniature volcanic craters.)

A path from the parking lot leads shortly to a boardwalk culminating in a broad observation platform. From here you can see the stromatolites both on the shore above the water's edge and those partially or fully submerged. They stretch up and down this side of the lake. We visited twice -- once on the way north to the Ningaloo Reef, the other coming back south after heavy rains about ten days later. The first time, we were just a touch disappointed by the setting, because the lake was low and not as striking as the much larger and deeper Lake Clifton. We got over ourselves and focused instead on the stromatolites, and they were truly extraordinary. The second time, the water level was much higher, and with a storm approaching, we had the place to ourselves. This time it was awesome.

Short on time, you can drive in from the highway, park, go see the formations, and get back on the highway in about 30 minutes. If you have the time and inclination, you can continue past the boardwalk to stroll the 1.5 km loop around the lake. We did a bit of this, enjoying the aquatic birds that inhabit the less-peopled part of the shore, particularly sandpipers and black swans. On the second visit, we found a shed snakeskin lying on top of the boardwalk. Cool!

Do please stay on the boardwalk and trail. Stromatolites and thrombolites are fragile. They take eons and eons to grow, and they still contain living beings. It can be windy, so hang on to your caps and anything else you could drop, since trying to retrieve them would hurt emerging and existing stromatolites. There are hardly any left in the world, and this is one of the few remaining homes for them. Please protect them. Don't be one of those...

The lake is just outside of Cervantes. There are signs that lead here from the main road. The carpark is decently sized but doesn't seem to have any toilets which were a bit annoying. It was raining so we didn't get to do the full circuit of the lake. The boardwalk looked quite new and it was quite a comfortable walk. The walk to the stromatolites isn't too far from the carpark entrance. You can see the wharf as you get on the boardwalk. It was something unique and interesting to see. Little blobs of rock-looking things just sitting in the water. I thought it was a worthwhile little stopover. If you had time, the walk around the lake...

The key reason I stopped at this location was to learn (and see) about stromatolites. Another great example of a well thought out Australia park destination. Sealed car park, picnic tables, 1.5 km easy walk around lake with part of the walk sealed or on a raised walkway. Be aware that on the walk around lake, vegetation obstructs your view for about half of the walk. On the plus side, you're likely to see at least two kangaroos, birds, and perhaps a lizard sunning...