For pictures follow the below link
Kalbarri was voted the #1 tourist destination in Western Australia in 2003 (said a sign on the side of the freeway). One could see why. The coast line is beautiful and there are heaps to do (as an Aussie would say). To the west is the Indian Ocean and running from the east through the town is the Murchison River. Unlike to the North where the reef fringes the shore, in Kalbarri the barrier islands and reefs are much further out leading to some pretty spectacular waves and a dramatic coastline. Judging by the number of anglers on the coast and the large number of fishing boats and tours leaving each morning, there is also plenty to catch in the area. As we have seen in the past weeks, Western Australians love to fish…
We decided a nice hike in the Murchison River Gorge in the Kalbarri National Park would be a good way to spend a day. After seeing so much sea life for the last week we wanted an inland experience. The hike was beautiful; red earth and sandstone cliffs contrasting against a cool blue-green river. The walk was challenging enough to be exciting (some jumps and scrambling up, down and over rocks) but not exhausting, despite the glaring sun. We not-very-intelligently decided to start the walk at 11am, which meant we were walking in the hottest part of the day. The worst part, however, was the flies. Lots and lots and lots of flies. For those who have not experienced Australian flies this might not seem like anything – but trust me this was the biggest obstacle of the day. The swarm of black insects, relentless, buzzing and crawling over every inch of our faces was a far more daunting foe than the heat and sun that we had been warned about. They just kept accumulating on our hats, bags and clothing as the walk went on. They never tired in their persistent desire to drink the fluid from our eyeballs and fly into every orifice on our face like heat-seeking missiles. Tony lost his mind about half way through, threw his back-pack at the swarm like a 5-year old child and was actually running in the hot desert sun to get away from them. Enough about the flies; we strongly recommend a fly screen when bushwalking in WA.
Despite the flies, Kalbarri was gorgeous and the pictures will attest.
After Kalbarri, it was on to Jurien Bay, which is marked by “the Pinnacles”. The Pinnacles are a desert-area with thousands of limestone columns of various size and shape pointing towards the sky. We went late in the afternoon as the sun was setting and the limestone columns were somewhat mesmorizing. We agreed that Aliens were the only explanation and that this was probably an alien graveyard. Highlighting the experience was the curious echidna that walked out and shared a few minutes of the evening, like a friend dropping in to say hello.
The next morning as we drank our coffee and walked along the Jurien Bay foreshore, there were a bunch of kids fishing. We walked up to ask what they had caught and one cute young girl grabbed a 6-inch Gar Fish out of a bucket and proudly showed it to us and said “this is the only one that is edible”. To be young and Western Australian… next we are off to Fremantle, Rottnest Island then down to Margaret River.
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