Discover Yalgorup and its ancient wonders via Smartreka
Yalgorup National Park, home to the largest thrombolite reef in the southern hemisphere, has been added to the WA Parks Foundation’s Smartreka mapping series.
The rounded rock-like structures at the park’s Lake Clifton are living fossils. Around 2000 years old, they have been formed by ancient microorganisms that scientists believe are among Earth’s first life forms, dating back 570 million years.
Located 105km from Perth, and directly south of Mandurah, the Yalgorup National Park is on the western edge of the Swan Coastal Plain and contains a chain of about ten lakes.  The area is part of the Peel-Yalgorup wetland system, which is classified as a Ramsar Wetland Site and was added to the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance in 1990.
When bushwalking around these lakes you’re likely to see black swans, parrots, kingfishers and several varieties of dotterel. Other animals including kangaroos are common, while the vegetation is a mix of tuart woodlands, paperbark swamps and eucalypts.
The name Yalgorup is derived from Noongar Aboriginal words meaning “place of swamp or lake”.
Using the free Avenza Maps App and the built-in GPS on your device, you can pinpoint your real-time location on the Smartreka map. If downloaded ahead of your trip while network access is available, this can be done without a network connection and without roaming charges.
