Kalbarri is a beauty spot perched above the mouth of the mighty Murchison River. It's compact and pretty with a generous swathe of grassy foreshore that runs the length of the Main Street. The houses are old clapboard in the main and surrounded by verdant, subtropical gardens. Here and there, holiday units have been developed but they manage not to impinge too much on the character of the town. Clean, white sandy beaches rim the river and there are a couple of boat jetties that provide perfect launch pads into the deep holes below. The water is clear and crispy as a chilled Sauvignon, turquoise and glassy green in the channel. Watching the boats navigate the mouth is an education. Large waves break on a reef directly opposite the river and skippers have to run the gauntlet, angling parallel to the break for at least 200 m in order to circumnavigate these rocks, before they can turn into the mouth and run for the safety of the channel.
The dangers of the coastline are well illustrated by the shipwreck memorial that overlooks the river mouth. This details the many wrecks that litter the local ocean floor. Zutydord, ( look up the others)
We arrived in Kalbarri on the 13th September. It was a rainy sort of day and the National Park that you pass through for about 40km to reach the coast from the highway, was a uniform dull green carpet, stretching to the horizon. Here and there, pull offs with a camera sign indicated that this would be a great spot for a photo, but Tom and I found it difficult to spot the difference from the preceding 10 km of bush. Lining the road, however, were impressive stands of very tall flowers which we initially mistook for Kangaroo Paw. Later and closer inspection revealed them to be a sort of grevillea, I think, with meter high stems topped with orchid like flowers in cream and red. They provided a dramatic and beautiful relief from the ponderous scrub of the Park. We stayed on a fantastic park. Tudor Caravan Park wins the blog award for the best value and friendliest park owners. They also offered free wifi which actually worked and the amenities were spotless. The kids loved the jumping pillow and made a couple of lovely friends in Brianna and Ryan Hefrin. There was a deep, but chilly pool, a telly room and a well designed camp kitchen. Best of all, it was within walking distance of the main drag where the Bakery sold delicious cream doughnuts amongst other scrummy treats.
Whilst we were in Kalbarri, there was a festival on called the Zest Fest. It had and African theme this year and featured lots of drumming and yummy food. The kids loved the Velcro wall which involved donning a Velcro suit, bouncing up and down on the bouncy castle, then flinging yourself at the wall and sticking to it! Amusing though this was, the funniest thing had to be watching Ned and Oscar sumo wrestling. Dressed in heavy, over large, padded suits, they cannoned into each other and then fell over, whereupon they rolled around on their backs like beetles, too rotund to get their feet to the ground. I was weak from laughter.
The boys and I took part in the race around Kalbarri the next day, which was a car based treasure hunt. We came near to last, but had a fantastic time racing around the place, trying to work put the answers to all the clues.
Kalbarri has a special charm and energy about it for me, as it was here, during a Sandboarding trip that Tom and I first clapped eyes on each other.
I remember returning there on my own back in 2000, after having bought my banana yellow campervan ( Harry ) and receiving my first email from him. I walked back up the Main Street with a golden glow suffusing the air I breathed - I was so happy. I felt that same energy infusing the place this time as well, even though Tom was working for much of our stay. It was just a gorgeous place to exist.
Other highlights were visiting the Parrot Park where a breeding program is aiming to restock some of the more endangered native species, watching offshore Jakes Point breaking at about 8 ft, running along the coastal track on breezy, sun drenched evenings and horse riding along the river
Finally, we had a nostalgic family outing with the very same sand board tour that was the start of it all. We left Kalbarri on a sunny, wind still day, having leapt off the jetty a few more times with the sound of kids laughter echoing in our ears.