Kalbarri

A nice roadhouse.

Leaving Shark Bay, we retraced our tyre tracks to the North West Coastal Hwy, then headed south for our next destination, Kalbarri. Same ugly countryside, more goats and dry, windblown scrub. We spy a sign for a Roadhouse, and seeing as a fuel top up won't hurt, decide to drop in. These roadhouses are a real lottery. Some are gross, full of the smell of greasy fried food, but the Billabong Roadhouse was decidedly nice. The place was very clean, and the food on offer was fresh and well presented. We paid for the fuel, picked up a couple of fresh sandwiches for lunch down the road, and got back in the saddle. After a couple of hours we reached the Kalbarri turnoff, and headed west towards the coast. The scenery had marginally improved, and there were some real paddocks and smaller farms. That all quickly change once we crossed in to Kalbarri National Park.

The inlet at Kalbarri.

We wind our way into Kalbarri, and are immediately taken by the blue waters of the inlet, created where the Murchison River meets the sea. It is a nice sheltered waterway, and home to a number of crayfishing boats. It is still quite windy, but the inlet is quite sheltered from the southerly winds. We drive around town checking out the three caravan parks, and decide on the Top Tourist Murchison Caravan Park, where the very obliging manager helps us choose a sheltered site, where the satellite will work. We set up, and sit down to enjoy a cold drink when a friendly voice says "fancy seeing you here!" It is Greg and Chris, a couple we have been bumping into ever since Fitzroy Crossing. They have teamed up with another couple, we also met at Coral Bay, Bob & Ellen, who have also arrived in Kalbarri. We settled in for a terrific Happy Hour, talking over our travels over the past couple of weeks since we last met. They were heading off in the morning. This is one of the truly great parts of our journey, meeting lovely new people who share our gypsy blood!

Wildflowers of Kalbarri NP.

Wildflowers of Kalbarri NP.

We are only staying for four nights, so it will be a quick look around. Kalbarri, is a popular holiday destination for people from Perth. It is like any seaside village, full of surf shops cafes and pubs. We like the feel of the place. There are lots of places, looking like holiday homes, and it has a feel of being a popular retirement area as well. We head for the post office. Brother Neil has forwarded the mail. This is an exciting time for us, as we usually only get the mail once a month! We can't wait to see what surprises there are, and Carolyn can't wait to get the monthly Foxtel book!

Looking through Nature's Window.

The Murchison River Below.

Kalbarri National Park is the focal point of the area. It is a dry and varied landscape. The Murchison River carves its path through the park, creating spectacular gorges. It has a lot of flat heathlands, that are ablaze with wildflowers in the spring. We are a bit late for the wildflowers, but there is still some evidence with a few late bloomers. There is a famous rock formation in the park, so we just have to get a photo. Nature's Window, appears high above the gorge of the Murchison

Looking down at the Z Bend.

River. It is very hot away from the coast, the gauge in our car

Murchison River from
Ross Graham Lookout.

says it's 43 degrees, so we head back to the car, and continue our exploration of the National Park. Next stop is the Z Bend, another amazing piece of nature's work, where the river has carved its way through the rock, which is called Tumblagooda Sandstone. I kid you not! Talk about well named, because the rocks do tumbla gooda around here! The park has excellent facilities, with well made tracks and paths, as well as spectacular suspended lookouts. A short drive away is the last of the vantage spots we plan to visit, at Hawks Head and Ross Graham Lookout. Both are spectacular, with the red and white sandstone. We stood for a while at Ross Graham Lookout watching a cormorant. The water in the river was so clear we could see the cormorant diving below the surface and chasing fish around the rocks. Fantastic!

Back in Kalbarri, we needed  a swim so headed out to Blue Holes, a popular spot with the locals. Carolyn had learned about it during a shop visit trying on clothes! Amazing what those girls talk about! It is a lovely spot, large rock pools in behind the reef. The perfect place to cool off after a hard day exploring. Carolyn also found the best place for coffee during her shopping trip. It was called Angie's Cafe, and was very good, cashing in on the fact that the other two cafes in town were closed, taking a break before the Christmas tourist onslaught!

The Natural Bridge.

Pot Alley.

Next day, we headed down along the coast a short distance to view the famous Kalbarri Cliffs. There are sealed roads into all the main spots, Natural Bridge, Island Rock, Shellhouse Grandstand, Eagle Gorge, Pot Alley and Red Bluff. All spectacular. It is these cliffs that caused so much grief to the early Dutch Sailors. On their journeys to the Dutch East Indies they would ride the roaring forties heading for the Great Southern Land. They would see the cliffs along this section of coast and turn north towards their destination. Unfortunately, the numerous reefs and treacherous seas would bring them undone. The most famous of the wrecks near Kalbarri was the Dutch ship the Zuytdorp which was washed onto the rocks in 1712. Its whereabouts remained a mystery until the 1960's. 

The scenery around Kalbarri is varied and spectacular. We will definitely return for another longer visit down the track. For our last night we decided on good old Fish & Chips down by the jetty. Really good fresh fish. Carolyn went for the local Whiting while I did the local Pink Snapper. Both were delicious, and the view looking out across the inlet, surrounded by seagulls, wasn't bad either. Next morning, we packed up and headed for Geraldton.