Written by Christi Sparrow
Welcome along on our road trip in Western Australia! After first enjoying Lancelin and Jurien Bay for nine days, we headed north to Kalbarri. On our way out of Jurien Bay, we stopped at Three Bays Walk in Green Head, and then we made two more rest stops before arriving in Kalbarri. First we found Town Park in Dongara where we had our picnic lunch, used the facilities, and let the kids play. Then we stopped in Geraldton at the Aldi store to stock up on groceries. We have found that the price of groceries in the smaller towns can be quite high, so we loaded up on some basics when passing through the relatively larger Geraldton.
All told, it was a 4.5-hour drive from Jurien Bay to Kalbarri; but with our three long pit stops, our travel time from check out to check in was nine hours. Whoa, is that right?! Turns out, it is. And as we approached Kalbarri, we all felt it. The kids were whining, and we were all hungry. The sun was just setting as we spotted the “Welcome to Kalbarri” sign, and we pulled over for an impromptu roadside stretch opposite the most gorgeous pink and orange sunset over the ocean.
During our first three days in Kalbarri, most of our attention was spent booking accommodation for the next few weeks of our road trip here in Western Australia. The July school holiday snuck up on us and coincided with the middle of our trip, so we were struggling to find accommodation along our route. Without a camper van or proper camping equipment, we were limited on what type of accommodation would work for us.
After many calls, inquires, and Google searches, we finally strung together a fantastic and diverse combination of apartments, cottages, cabins, stations, and even two nights of camping! More on all of that in future posts. For now, let’s talk about Kalbarri!
Top Tip: Consider purchasing a National Parks Pass which gives you access to all parks in WA for a specified time period. This is a fantastic investment for your road trip in Western Australia. Holiday Park Passes are available for five days, 14 days, or four weeks; or you could spring for the annual pass which is good for an entire year!
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Kalbarri: 10 nights
A quiet seaside town 570 km, (354 miles) from Perth, Kalbarri is situated on the coast at the mouth of the Murchison River. Natural wonders abound in Kalbarri and include cliffs, beaches, gorges, rock formations, and wildlife such as pelicans, dolphins, and seasonal whales. Kalbarri National Park is a major attraction and home to many special spots such as Z-Bend, Nature’s Window, and the newly opened Skywalk over the Murchison River Gorge. There are endless hikes and a stunning coastal boardwalk. In short, there is plenty to see and explore in Kalbarri!
We stayed on the north end of town in a two-bedroom apartment at the Kalbarri Beach Resort. With a (cold) swimming pool and playgrounds, it was a great place to be. The foreshore was an easy 10-minute walk from our apartment, and it boasted an incredible playground complete with various swings, a pirate ship, climbing webs, and Chloe’s favorite, a zip line! At 8:45 every morning at the foreshore, local volunteers host a pelican feeding, (when the pelicans decide to attend), and the green lawn makes a perfect place to enjoy a meal of fish and chips.
Want to learn how you can travel with FREE accommodation? Visit our Travel Resource page and follow links to Trusted House Sitting and WWOOFing.
Skywalk, Kalbarri National Park
A brand-new attraction in Kalbarri National Park, the Skywalk, (actually there are two Skywalks!), allows you to walk directly off a cliff and over the Murchison River Gorge. The fully-accessible trail and Skywalk offer sweeping, breathtaking views of the tranquil, greenish river, red rock cliffs, and green bush. I highly recommend it! Chloe and Camden particularly liked the animal statues that dotted the trail from the parking lot to the Skywalk.
Nature's Window, Kalbarri National Park
Just a short drive from the Skywalk within Kalbarri National Park is Nature’s Window, a famous, beautiful wind-eroded rock formation. It’s a rocky 1 km hike from the parking lot, so wear sturdy shoes, (which we failed to do!), but the effort is worth the views. Chloe loved the hike. Sitting in Nature’s Window, we pretended were in a cave, and we spotted the prefect shelf to store our cans of beans! (My husband is English, and Heinz baked beans are a thing.) The layers of red rock are striking against the blue sky. This is also the trailhead for an 8 km loop trail.
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Z Bend, Kalbarri National Park
Also in Kalbarri National Park, Z Bend is yet another must-see lookout point because it offers a breathtaking bird’s-eye view of a stunning, stark curve in the Murchison River Gorge. Peering over the edge of the lookout point, you feel as though you’re hovering. Kalbarri National Park just kept impressing us!
The 1.2 km return trail to the lookout starts relatively flat and smooth. For about the first half of the trail, we easily pushed our small stroller. But the last half of the trail has lots of rocky steps and takes a little more care. Extra points go to Chloe who walked, (and hobbled), the entire trail to the lookout after badly skinning her knees the day before in a race with the neighbor kids. We had the stroller at the ready, but Chloe wanted to hike!
If you’re looking for a more challenging hike, take the River Trail or the Four Way Trail down to the foot of the Z Bend Gorge! Easily accessible from the Lookout trail.
Natural Bridge and Castle Cove
About 20 minutes south of town, the scenic boardwalk that connects Natural Bridge and Castle Cove offers a postcard-worthy view with each step. (I mean seriously, how many times can I use the words “beautiful”, “stunning”, and “breathtaking” in one blog post!?) You simply have to see these lookouts to appreciate the vastness and the immense beauty. The majestic, layered rock cliffs, the foamy, crashing waves, the icy turquoise water, the chance to spot frolicking whales or dolphins… what more can you ask for?
Chloe was on a mission to scan the horizon for whales, and she spotted blowhole sprays several times! Camden liked watching the waves crash over and over again. (Make sure your stroller has good brakes because there are no railings or barriers along the cliff-side boardwalk!)
Want to learn how you can travel with FREE accommodation? Visit our Travel Resource page and follow links to Trusted House Sitting and WWOOFing.
Pot Alley
Yet another stunning beach spot! We packed a simple picnic lunch and followed the rocky trail down to Pot Alley Beach. Surrounded by layers of dark red rock, this secluded spot was enchanting. The waves felt like they would consume the beach as they crashed loudly against the rocks. Never has a peanut butter and banana sandwich tasted so good!
Blue Holes
Only a couple of kilometers from town, the Blue Holes was our favorite family beach spot in Kalbarri. The rocks in the shallow, clear water create pools perfect for a dip or snorkeling. My husband reported seeing a starfish as big as a soccer ball! And during our first visit there, we spotted a pod of dolphins playing in the waves! Plenty of parking, a restroom, and a covered picnic table round out the amenities.
Post that you may like to read: Our First WWOOFing Experience: Australia
Red Bluff Beach
Just a little farther down George Grey Drive, Red Bluff Beach has plenty of it’s own unique features. The rocks here are smoother than at Blue Holes, and we spent an evening exploring the creatures that inhabit the still pools and hidden crevices. We found snails, crabs, and tiny fish. Some of the rocks are slippery, so step wisely! Red Bluff Beach is a perfect spot for a picnic, or in our case, a sunset dinner.
Eagle Gorge
Along the coast just south of Pot Alley is Eagle Gorge. The striking lookout point offers panoramic views of the ocean and the gorge and is a short, smooth, paved walk from the parking lot. We even spotted a few blowhole sprays from passing whales in the distance.
It’s about a 500 meter hike down a narrow, rocky trail to the beach, and Chloe loved the adventure. With similar layered red rocks to Pot Alley, the beach at Eagle Gorge is wider, and there are rock plateaus to climb and explore. As you descend to the beach, the gorge is visible to the right revealing a narrow stream.
The surprise at Eagle Gorge was the variety of seashells we found! Bright green spiral shells which reminded us of hermit crab shells, black and white cone-shaped shells, and narrow white spiral shells lay in the sun on the sand which had the texture of raw brown sugar.
Rainbow Jungle
Jay took the kids to Rainbow Jungle, a parrot habitat, one drizzly morning while I locked myself in our apartment to get some work done! A few hours later, they all came home with big smiles and lots to report about their visit. Chloe loved the talking Cockatoos and imitated their “hellos” all day long. Jay was impressed by the large parrot aviary they walked through. And they all enjoyed getting lost in the maze which took them about 30 minutes to navigate!
Very close to town, Rainbow Jungle is a great place to spend a family morning. Admission is $16 AUD for adults and $8 AUD for children.
Post that you may like to read: Making Family Travel Decisions Amidst COVID-19
Big River Ranch
While we were staying at the Kalbarri Beach Resort, I was chatting with another family about farm stays and station stays, and they mentioned that there’s a horse ranch in Kalbarri! Immediately I thought of how our daughter Chloe has been enamored with the Netflix show “Spirit” and how much she would love to meet real horses!
In this instance it was quite fortunate that we hadn’t booked all of our road trip accommodation in advance. We visited Big River Ranch later that week and, after shuffling around some dates in our planning, booked three nights in their self-contained two-bedroom apartment which shares a wall with the horse barn.
Just a couple of miles outside of Kalbarri, Big River Ranch is a tranquil, 10-acre ranch with about 20 horses in residence. The ranch offers guided horse rides, pony rides, a self-contained family apartment, farmstay rooms with shared facilities, and campgrounds.
We checked into Big River Ranch on July 5th, just as the town of Kalbarri was filling up with visitors and families on school holiday, excited to get away after months of COVID-19 restrictions. Our apartment was simple but comfortable and functional, and it was such a treat to wake up among beautiful horses in the fields set against rolling, green hills and a soft, warm sunrise.
The ranch had a little playground, two campfire pits, a swimming pool, (but it was too cold to swim during our visit in July), and most importantly— pony rides! At five years old, Chloe was too young to go on a horseback ride, but she leapt at the chance for a pony ride around the grounds. This was her first time riding! A little apprehensive at first, Chloe soon settled into her saddle and thoroughly enjoyed riding a beautiful appaloosa pony named Freckles around the ranch. Camden followed behind on a sweet pony named Diablo.
The next day I went on their 90-minute guided group ride along narrow horse paths to the bank of the Murchison River. The scenery was beautiful: hills, ridges, kangaroos, and pelicans. We even crossed the river on our horses!
Big River Ranch was definitely a unique and fun experience for our family. Our ranch hosts, Sue and Rex, were always around to chat or answer questions about the ranch. Sue even gave us a blanket for our future camping adventures and a pumpkin from her garden as parting gifts. I’d say that our first farm stay during our road trip in Western Australia was a resounding success!
Whale Watching Cruise
The majestic humpback whales migrate north past Kalbarri every year between May and August. We thought we’d try our luck in spotting a few of these beautiful creatures on a 2.5-hour whale watching cruise hosted by Reefwalker Cruises, and it was a success! We spotted two pairs of mothers and calves gliding gracefully through the water, effortlessly popping their blowholes out of the water to breathe. One of the calves proceeded to slap the water several times with the underside of its white-and-black-spotted tail.
Chloe was so excited to constantly scan the water for signs of whales, and she was ecstatic each time we spotted one. Since the tour coincided with Camden’s nap time, he spent most of the cruise curled up in my lap which was a lovely way for me to observe the mama and baby whales frolicking in the ocean beside our boat.
So far on this road trip in Western Australia, Kalbarri is the place that has won my heart. The seemingly endless, stunning natural outdoor attractions to explore coupled with the casual town and friendly people make Kalbarri a place I’d happily return to over and over again. I really believe this part of the coast is nothing short of magical, and I count my lucky stars every night that we were able to spend time here.
On to the next part of our road trip! Watch this space to read about our adventures in the Australian outback at two amazing stations! And if you missed Part One of our Western Australia Road Trip, click here to have a read.
Above photo: Red Bluff Beach just before sunset!
Page on our site that may be of interest to you: 7 Essential Family Travel Accessories
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10 thoughts on “Western Australia Family Road Trip Part Two: Kalbarri”
Thanks for sharing your awesome adventure! You are very brave to travel without making reservations – I don’t think I could do that myself hehe. I remember going to Rainbow Jungle when I was a kid and really enjoying it. Unfortunately on our last trip to Kalbarri when I was only 10 we had an awful car accident so now I am somewhat hesitant to want to return. It is such a beautiful part of the world though. Safe travels!
Hi Shelley! Thanks for your comment– I completely understand your hesitation to return. But if you ever do, I’m confident you won’t regret it. 😉 Thanks for reading!
Wow, Your trip sounds like so much fun. Totally loved the blue holes and natural bridge and cove. Would be of great help whenever I will plan to travel. Saving it for the future. Thanks for detailing it out.
Thanks, Swati! There is no shortage of places to explore in Kalbarri! We’ll be sad to leave… 🙂
Looks like a beautiful place and your kids are adorable! Maybe we’ll get there someday! Thanks for the great post!
Thanks, Cathy! We can’t say enough good things about Kalbarri! 🙂
Beautiful. I am travelling vicariously through travel blogs at the moment!
Thanks, Stella! We are very fortunate to be able to continue our travels. Stay well. 🙂
This is awesome! I loved your pictures and the video. Great way to make memories!
Thanks for reading and commenting! 🙂