There was a lot to see in the Kalbarri area and so diverse too! We went from seaside to outback dry cliffs each gorgeous in their own way.
Kalbarri itself is a bit of a resort type town, it has from memory 4 resort swimwear stores and we counted three bakeries. The Red Bluff bakery (fairly sure) has an amazing display of donuts and as you can see we indulged along with a very good loaf of bread and 2L milk deal that is a LOT better than the IGA.
We didn't spend up big at the supermarket because like all the IGAs in these small towns the prices made us decide we could manage on what we had already.
Having said all that, it's a lovely little town with a pretty beach and a holiday feel so I'd suggest dropping in for a look about and maybe a donut or two.
Murchison House Station has a couple of options for camping, you can head out in your 4x4 for some remote full self contained camping on the grounds of the station. They provide maps of where you can go and a conversation about safety gear. Given this is a working cattle and goat station the access is a bit rough and they prefer you travel with a friend and take recovery gear. There is little to no mobile reception out there so the standard notifying of a friend of departure and return days/times is recommended. The cost for this type of camping is $12.50 per person from 16yrs plus $50 per vehicle for 4x4 access. We chose to stay at the Homestead on the river, easy access, pretty campsites and amenities with hot showers; Yes we took the easy way out. Great spot, farm animals to make friends with, the goats particularly were into the whole head scratch thing, and a river to fish in or go for a paddle. All this for only $15 per person, so we stayed 3 nights, that way we could spend the middle day checking out the national park. We really do think this is a much better option than the Caravan park in Kalbarri.
We started out at the Z bend lookout then took the trail down to the rivers edge to explore and have lunch. The views from Z bend were awesome and well worth the look. We'd recommend good footwear and reasonable fitness to get down to the river, the track is well marked but has a number of stairs/ladders needed to access parts, a lot of fun but hardly wheelchair accessible. The trip down and back goes through spectacular rock formations and cliffs, you never know what's around the next corner and it took a lot longer to traverse than the signs said simply because we were constantly stopping and taking pictures.
Now that we'd done the more challenging walk it was time to take it easy and play tourist. The walk down to Natures Window was wide and bitumen so an easy stroll dodging all the Asian tourists flooding the area, we must have timed ourselves to encounter a tour bus. We did manage to wait out the crowds and get a good picture of the window and down into the gorge, beautiful spot but then I keep saying that about everything.
From there we went around to check out the skywalks, also a busy little area with a cafe on site. Incredible views down to the gorge from the platforms that the camera just doesn't do justice though we did try.
Cost to enter the park is $17 per standard vehicle for the day and you can really see it in that time.
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