Experience Kalbarri, Australia
Friday, October 19th, 2007By: Sarah Monteith
Kalbarri is a place in Australia where one end of town is a seashells throw from the other and a walk to the main road will take you no longer than fifteen minutes and in that time you are likely to be greeted by a few friendly locals and perhaps a few more friendly flies. Car parks are made from compacted red dirt and there is a notable absence of shoe-wearing, however what this town lacks in class and quality it makes up for in character and natural beauty.
Leaving the bustle of the city behind, the only sky scrapers here are the towering gorge’s shaped and hollowed by the winds that blow across the waters and are thick with heat and salt. The sweltering summer heats excuse the casual beach attire worn from sunrise to bed time and the sand on the floors of the weatherboard houses is rarely swept, we will only bring back more from the beach tomorrow.
Some say that the Sun God lives on this unspoiled coastline. His temple is the beach which visitors ritually lay themselves upon. Music of waves crashing filters through the sea side town where all roads lead to the beach. Kalbarri is sandwiched between thousands of kilometers of vast desert and farming properties to the east and the Indian Ocean and Murchison River to the West. Being located 591km north of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, ensures that only a handful of tourists travel the distance to the pristine northern coastline.
The people of Kalbarri enjoy their early starts, with a buzz of activity going on in town by the time the sun has cast its first shimmer on the water of the Murchison. The first hot loaves of bread sit warm on the shelves by 6am and for the amusement of children, pelican feeding starts at seven. This morning productivity is for two reasons. The first is that by around lunch time the gusty sea breeze blows in from the west which makes the afternoon a little uncomfortable. The other reason, being that the people of Kalbarri have a great appreciation for their majestic sunsets and afternoons are a time to unwind and literally soak up the sun. It seems as though this town runs to its own pace that is created by the elements and the relaxed approach to life.
Recommended by the West Australian Tourist Bureau as a sight seeing town, Kalbarri hosts its fair share of spectacular activities. Take a Fishing Charter, Scenic Flight, Coach Tour of the Murchison Gorge, Horse or Camel Ride, Windsurf on the river or try any one of Kalbarri’s many other features or attractions including the Wildflower Centre or Rainbow Jungle.
