Stories from the Coral Coast, part 2

Craig at the Stromatolites Boardwalk at Hamelin Pool

The Stromatolites at Hamelin Pool

After limping along for seventy kilometers on National Highway 1 and Shark Bay Road, our nerves eased a little. We even braved a detour to the stromatolites at Hamelin Bay. How often do you get to see living fossils in crystal clear water?  Our rented Nissan Micra wasn't happy about it; but in the 40C heat I couldn't blame her. We crossed our fingers and hoped she would hold together.

Twenty minutes more up the road, and it was us offering help to troubled travelers. Two British backpackers sat in their car. Their faces were that of desperation as we drove past. If there's any benefit at all to driving a Nissan Micra on remote roads, it's that she has the turning radius of a coffee cup. Despite our own engine light still nagging us to stop, we whipped back around to see what we could do.

Their woes less than our own; the girls had become turned around leaving a lookout. Paralyzed knowing it could be a fifty kilometer mistake on a desolate road with little more than fossils along the way, they were at a stand still. We pointed them towards Denham and took comfort knowing there was someone behind us if the Micra eventually petered out.

We made it to Denham that day, a small town on an isolated peninsula out in the middle of nowhere.

At nine the next morning, we met up with the mechanic about our angry engine light. In a scene that could have come from Priscilla; there were engine parts, air filters, and random rusty bits scattered about. The mechanic knew his stuff, but an active warranty meant he was no match for the Micra.

Seven hours and 408 kilometers later, the rental company towed us another car from their closest branch in Geraldton. We said goodbye to Tonto halfway through our trip and welcomed Bullet, the Toyota Yaris into our fold.

The fear, the angst and the nervous drive?  They were all worth it; because Denham might just be the most perfect place in the world.

This is the second in a meandering series of short stories and pictorial posts about our recent trip to Western Australia's Coral Coast. Next time we look about the world's best jetty.