Lake Thetis Loop Trail is an easy, 1.5km walk around the shores of Lake Thetis. It is one of only a few places in the world with living marine thrombolites, or 'Living fossils’. The first 300m of Boardwalk, which passes the best examples of thrombolites in the lake, is universally accessible.
Enjoy an easy 1.5km loop walk around Lake Thetis and gain an insight into what life was like at the dawn of time. Like the famous stromatolites of Hamelin Pool, in Shark Bay, these rock-like structures on the edge of Lake Thetis are built by micro-organisms too small for the human eye to see. Within the structures are living communities of diverse inhabitants with population densities of 3000 per square metre! The thrombolite-building micro-organisms of Lake Thetis 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. Today living examples of these once completely dominant organisms are restricted to only a few places.
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Start Point: Just off Hansen Bay Road, 1km from Cervantes town centre. 3 hours drive north from Perth.
End Point: Just off Hansen Bay Road, 1km from Cervantes town centre. 3 hours drive north from Perth.
Region: Cervantes, Coral Coast
For more information, a location map and GPS file please visit Trails WA.
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It’s a good idea to let someone know where you’re going. Fill in a trip intention form to send important details about your trip to your emergency contact. If you are lost or require help and have phone reception, call 000 and ask for police. The international standard emergency number is 112, if you dial this number in Australia you will be treated exactly the same as a 000 call. If you believe your life is at risk, activate your personal locator beacon (PLB), then make your position visible to rescue teams and keep warm and dry.
The cray fishing town of Cervantes is your gateway to another world, the Pinnacles Desert of Nambung National Park. Regarded as one of Australia's most unique landscapes, you could almost believe you are walking on the moon as you follow the trail, passing thousands of limestone spires rising eerily out of the shifting sand. You can get to Cervantes in just over 2 hours from Perth's northern suburbs, following the scenic Indian Ocean Drive, or by hopping aboard one of the many day tours that regularly depart from Perth. The town itself was established in 1962 to accommodate workers in the local cray fishing industry and got its name from the American whaling ship 'Cervantes' that was wrecked here in 1844.
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