2012, Sept 8/9 - Murchison River to Kalbarri

Wild flowers, Kalbarri National Park

Trip Meter Reading Start –  4369

Trip Meter Reading Finish –  4559
Total Km Travelled –  190 km

Accommodation

Anchorage Caravan Park $40 per night (x2 adults and x1 child). Situated across the road from the Murchison River; really nice park; most sites have a view of the river as it is stepped up and elevated; great shower blocks (very clean)

Comments – Luke

Saturday – When we arrived at Kalbari we stayed at a campground opposite a bay.  After that me and dad went fishing.  Dad caught 5 and I caught 0 but they were all undersize.  After that me and Dad walked along a beach.  After that we went back to camp.

Sunday – Today we went to a national park and went to natures window which is a big hole through a big rock overlooking throughout a gorge.  After that we went to the z bend which is a gorge that is zig zaggi.  We also found a sign that taught us about an arthropod that looks like a scorpion.  After that we went back to camp.

Luke - Natures Window, Kalbarri National Park

Comments – Mum and Dad
Turning off onto the road to Kalbarri from the highway we saw the best of the wildflowers to date.  The landscape much greener as there is a significant wheat belt along the way as well.  The Kalbarri National Park covers 192,000 hectares and is most famous for it’s wild flowers with over 1200 plant species recorded in the park, including many species which occur nowhere else on earth.

The town itself is a picturesque relaxed seaside village not overpopulated where the main industry is fishing and tourism.  All 3 caravan parks are within walking distance to all amenities, however we chose to stay at Anchorage as the Murchison River park was booked out and it was still close to the river (we even had water views from our site). The boys took off fishing after we set up while I had a nana nap.

The next day we drove out to Kalbarri National Park to the Murchison River Gorge located on the lower reaches of the Murchison River which has cut magnificent red and white banded gorges for 80 km as it carves its way to the sea.  Tublagooda sandstone deposited over 400 million years ago here; traces of fossils on the sandstone revel first signs of terrestrial life on the planet and can be seen at many places within the gorge including Nature’s Window and the Z bend – see photos.  The walks were well signed and not too long despite the temperature being 30 degrees.   There was little water in the river, but the rock formations were stunning especially if you were there later in the day.

Z Bend Gorge, Kalbarri National Park

From the headland looking toward the town ship of Kalbarri on the Murchison River