Kalbarri Rocks

Kalbarri National Park’s coastline rocks in three significant ways.

Firstly, the scenery is as stunning as the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, without the crowds. The National Park hugs the coast and a number of short detours off the main road rewards the visitor with amazing vista, after amazing vista: Red Bluff, Eagle Gorge, Grandstand, Island Rock and Natural Bridge. 

In spite of today’s calm seas the powerful surf break continually pounds the coastline into submission producing magnificent sheer cliffs, rocky pillars, natural bridges, vast rock shelves and small sandy beaches.

Secondly the rock is a feature in itself. Unlike much of WA, the rock here is sandstone not limestone. Not the grey weathered sandstone of the East Coast, but a vivid red sandstone infused with WA’s greatest natural resource, iron ore. An hour circuit walk (you have to love a circuit walk) takes us down a rocky gully to a feature aptly named Mushroom Rock. The softer limestone is worn away and the harder sandstone is left, producing remarkable shapes and contours.

Thirdly the wildlife is lavish. Bigurda is the Nanda (local Indigenous) name for the small kangaroo that we see less than 30 metres from cliffs on a low rocky outcrop. Without a blade of grass in sight these animals survive in the steep rocky hills. Cormorants drop dramatically from dizzy heights as they dive into the sea for a snack. Dolphins cruise past far below the cliff top lookouts. A tiny bird with brilliant red features darts through the low vegetation at extravagant speed. Animals from the past continue to haunt this coastline. Extraordinary pipe rock is made of fossilised burrows created by ancient worm like organisms known as Skolithos.

Kalbarri rocks!