Kalbarri

We were scrambling over rocks and ledges that were part of the Murchison Gorge, to get to “Nature’s Window,” a wind-eroded hole in the layered sandstone that opens to some great views of the river below. I was feeling a bit nervous with my fear of heights, and difficulty in gauging depth for my next step, so I stood aside to let a petite little lady through. “After you,” she said politely. However, I ushered her ahead and as she stepped onto the next ledge down I said “you go first, if I fall I need something soft to land on.” She giggled so much she nearly fell.

We are at Kalbarri but I think there has been quite a bit of water under the bridge, or through the blow hole since last week. We spent a few days at Denham, Shark Bay, before getting to Kalbarri as we edge our way down the Western Australia coast.

Before leaving Carnarvon we drove up to Quobba to see the blow holes. It was a most impressive part of the coast: quite rugged, and with a treacherous walk over some very sharp rocks etched out by sea and wind, before one could get a decent view of the blow holes. The seas were quite large and crashed against the cliffs with spray and mist. There were also some lovely beaches and protected pools where children frolicked, and some adults practised their snorkelling. In a nod to visitors, a regional authority has put up a sign with some interesting information and warnings to take care in this hazardous landscape at the top of the cliffs. Well, I am assuming this was the messaging. The sign was unhelpfully placed about 40 metres away from where it could be read without traversing the said hazardous landscapes.

There were strong winds and heavy rain in the morning as we set off for the 370 or so kilometres to Denham. We were experiencing the tail end of the cold front that was hitting Perth and the south coast with much ferocity. The drive was buffeted by the winds, so it was not the most pleasant trip.

Denham is a coastal town, existing mainly for the tourists who come to visit Monkey Mia and its dolphins, but it also offers some nice local attractions, coastal scenery. Historically, it is adjacent to Dirk Hartog Island, oddly named for Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog. Those of us from the East Coast of Australia were educated that Australia’s history “began” with James Cook in 1770, with scant acknowledgement of the thousands of years of Aboriginal occupation, and a barely grudging nod that the Dutch and others had examined Australia’s shores in the previous century.

Denham’s more immediate history is that Jason the electrician is a recent immigrant who has set up business in the town and was called upon to fix the electrical problems in the motorhome. Our last night in Carnarvon had been without power, though we did have the battery to supply light. It was the main trip switch that kept tripping and luckily Jason had a suitable replacement part. I think this was our third incident if you only count the last three, so hopefully, that is the end of the problems. Getting that fixed meant that I did not get to drive to Monkey Mia. However, I did get to experience part of this marine wonderland at the nearby Oceanarium which provides a sanctuary for many local marine species. Unfortunately the guide could not utter a sentence without something being “unique.” There must have been dozens of appropriate adjectives she could have used. We even had “hugely unique” and “really unique!” 

Wednesday we drove to Kalbarri, though John left the convoy along the way as he needed to get to Geraldton to oversee the repairs to his Jeep. We are starting to get into the wheat belt part of WA and the wide-open spaces of scrub and brush is giving way to the green fields of wheat and barley. Kalbarri bore the brunt of cyclone Seroja last April. The scars are still very evident with houses that have been ripped apart, roofs torn off and gardens destroyed. It seems a resilient little town and people are rebuilding their homes and lives.

About 40 kilometres from town is the Murchison Gorge, and a marvellously engineered skywalk structure has been built over the gorge to give expansive views up and down the river, and of course, down to the river. The whole site has been sensitively developed, telling the stories of ancient and modern human and animal inhabitants as well as the prehistoric stories told in fossil finds.

In a busy day, Rob and Pauline departed early so that Rob could see an ophthalmologist in Geraldton; John rejoined us at Kalbarri, leaving his jeep in the care of the mechanics at Geraldton; Jenny and Anne went on a more adventurous walk out at the gorge; and all of us went on a small boat ocean excursion from the Murchison boat harbour out into the rather wild ocean and along the magnificent cliff shore. The constant winds and the brutal waves of The Indian Ocean have assaulted the sandstone cliffs along here, creating magnificent little islands and bridges and a most interesting shoreline. The little cruise was quite exhilarating, as the seas were a vigorous 2-metres and we shared the voyage with some sharks and dolphins as well as a herd of surfers enjoying the rolls into a rocky beach. It would have been set off wonderfully by a dipping sun, but the sky remained defiantly overcast and grey.

With just four weeks left, we are beginning to pay attention to the journey home and dealing with the various border restrictions and Covid limitations. South Australia is now willing to welcome us without restrictions. However, if we fulfil our wish to get to Melbourne, we may have to quarantine on return to Canberra. Hopefully things will get ironed out before we get to Melbourne.