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The stromatolite viewing boardwalk at Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve is closed until further notice. The boardwalk was damaged during Cyclone Seroja.

All other attractions remain open. These include the nearby privately operated Telegraph Station Museum (with stromatolite display), and the Boolagoorda walk trail linking the shell block quarry and remains of the old telegraph line. DBCA volunteer hosts are on hand to explain the significance of the area.

Visitors are reminded that, to protect the delicate algal mats and stromatolites, walking below the high water mark, and recreating in the water – such as swimming or snorkelling – are not permitted within Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve. 

Park Alert - Hamelin Pool Stromatolites

Boolagoorda Trail, Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay Boolagoorda Trail, Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay

Bush Walk  in Coral Coast

  • Less than 1 hour
  • 1.4 km
    • Bush Walk Class 2

      Easy trail with modified or hardened surface, and gentle hills or occasional steps. Clear directional signage. No bushwalking experience required. May be suitable for assisted wheelchair users (if ramps are provided at steps).

The Boolagoorda Trail starts and ends at the Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station. It takes the visitor on an easy flat 1.4 kilometre loop walk to a 200 metre boardwalk.  From there you can experience the world’s oldest lifeforms, known as stromatolites, thriving in the shallow seas.

Hamelin Pool Homestead
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The Boolagoorda Trail offers the visitor a unique insight into ancient lifeforms as well as much more recent human activity. Near the trailhead is an assortment of station buildings including the Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station. Built in 1884, the station provided a vital link between Perth and Roebourne, until closure in the 1950s. It's worth paying a small fee for entry into the museum.

Just beyond the trailhead is a quarry site where tiny shells compacted over time to form a huge mass. Early settlers cut out blocks which were solid enough for building materials. The old pearler restaurant and St Andrews Church in Denham are built of this shell grit.

The trail's furtherest point is where people can get a glimpse of what life was like 3500 million years ago in the primeval seas. These stromatolites look like mushroom shaped rocks, but are infact colonies of cyanobacteria.   

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Be trail ready for Boolagoorda Trail, Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay

Here is everything you need to know before visiting this trail.

Time / Duration

Up to 1 hour

Length

1.4km loop

Trail Start

Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station, 30km west of Overlander Roadhouse, 735km north of Perth

Get directions

Trail End

Bush Walk

Class 2

Easy trail with modified or hardened surface, and gentle hills or occasional steps. Clear directional signage. No bushwalking experience required. May be suitable for assisted wheelchair users (if ramps are provided at steps).

Visit Trail Tips for further information.

What To Pack

Facilities

Caravan Park at Hamelin Pool
  • Cafe
  • Camping
  • Car Park
  • Coach Parking
  • Interpretive Centre
  • Kiosk
  • Lookouts
  • Picnic Area
  • Public Telephone
  • Public Toilet
  • Shaded Area
  • Sheltered Area
  • Shop
  • View Platform
  • Visitor Information Centre

Trail Access

Air or bus to Shark Bay. Hamelin Bay accessible by 2WD vehicles.

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1 trail goers have rated Boolagoorda Trail, Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay as 3 out of 5!

We love to hear from people who've been on our Western Australian trails, so it would be most appreciated it if you wanted to leave a review.

Chelle Fisher

Reviewed 7 Sep 2022, 10:38am

An interesting trail I found when viewing the Hamelin Pool Stromatolites. It's a family friendly trail taking in the Stromatolites, a quarry site and station buildings including the Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station.

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