Kalbarri’s Many Natural Attractions

In planning the coastal drive from Perth to Broome one of the hardest decisions to make was where and for how long we should stay along the way.

While some areas such as Exmouth and Monkey Mia were natural must-stays for at least three days, the town of Kalbarri was a little more problematic.

Having first visited the town a number of years ago, I remembered it having the feel of a small coastal community surrounded by some pretty spectacular scenery and thus was keen to spend some time there.

Eventually we settled on a two-night stay at the excellent Gecko Lodge, which, while allowing time to see some of this scenery, didn’t necessary allow enough time to fully explore the spectacular 180,000 hectare Kalbarri National Park.

And it truly is a spectacular park thanks to its varied landscapes which range from towering cliffs along the Indian Ocean coastline to ancient inland gorges created by the Murchison River as it carves its way to the Indian Ocean.  These gorges are full of huge colourful rock faces, caves, picturesque water pools and impressive gum trees.

While naturally the scenery hasn’t changed that much since my last visit, there has been one major addition – the Kalbarri Skywalk.  Opened in 2020 and costing around $24 million the Skywalk project, features two walkways over the Murchison River Gorge.

Extending 25 metres over the gorge edge, the walkway’s cantilevered steel structures, which are anchored deep into the sandstone, allow you to look down into the gorge through steel mesh.

And while the walk’s 100 metre drop isn’t quite as big as America’s Grand Canyon Skywalk given the bigger walkway extends 25 metres out over the gorge’s edge it can claim to go further out!

Interpretive signage shares stories of the Nanda people — the land’s traditional custodians. Most importantly it also features a café, which is particularly handy if you run out of essentials such as water.

Naturally the views are fantastic but more importantly it means easier access to the park for those who don’t want or are unable to explore the many walking tracks which lead to other park attractions.

Some of these walks are quite challenging while those leading to the base of the gorges can be downright tough especially given the park’s often very high temperatures.

Although our visit was in May it was still very warm and as a result we were limited to what we could do. Perhaps if we had longer time we may have returned to the park to explore more walks but we were pretty satisfied with our choices which also meant we could leave the park before it really heated up.

The first of our walks took in the park’s aptly named ‘Z Bend’ due to the Z bend created as the Murchison River flows through the gorges. From the carpark, it is a 600m walk to the Lookout which offers great views and was manageable given our level of fitness and agility but could be a challenge for those who struggle with bad hips, knees or ankles!

The Nature’s Window walk takes in one of Western Australia’s most iconic natural attractions – Nature’s Window.  Formed from layers of Tumblagooda sandstone, this natural rock formation, which frames an upstream view of the Murchison River, is accessed via a one kilometre walk from the carpark. Views of the gorge are available from the sealed path and lookouts before the final, rather rocky section.

While this part of the park made for ‘hot walking’, exploring the coastal cliffs which also make up the park proved a windier experience!

It’s this wind and wave erosion which has created a number of impressive cliffs that plunge up to 100 metres to the ocean.

The Red Bluff lookout, the northern-most coastal lookout in the park, has great views south along sandstone cliffs and north beyond Kalbarri to the 200km expanse of the Zuytdorp Cliffs. A short walk from the parking area to the lookout is sealed making it suitable for all levels of fitness.

Despite the promise of spectacular coastal views, a lack of time and fitness levels ruled out us attempting the eight-kilometre Bigurda Trail which hugs the coastline between Eagle Gorge and Natural Bridge.

An early morning stroll along the 1.2 kilometre Bigurda Boardwalk between Natural Bridge and Island Rock suggested this would be the case. Even this short walk revealed some memorable scenery.

While my travelling companion from England was understandably extremely impressed with the scenery around the National Park, another of Kalbarri’s well-known attractions, Hutt Lagoon better known as the Pink Lake, also proved a winner.

As the name suggests the lake is pink thanks to the algae Dunaliealla Salina which produces high amounts of carotenoids – pigments that give the water its striking pink hues.

Fortunately, our morning visit also proved the ideal time to see the pink hues as the lake can shift between shades of pink, red and even purple depending on the weather conditions and the time of day.

While we could have easily spent a couple more days in Kalbarri enjoying its beaches and numerous tourist options, our three day two nights stay provided a pretty good introduction. And it helped explain why Kalbarri is such a popular holiday destination with West Australians.