Kalbarri itself is a beautiful little town, with white sandy beaches and a plethora of stunning scenery nearby.
After leaving the Murchison River Caravan Park where we spent the night, our first stop was just across the road to see the beach.
Kalbarri is located at the mouth of the Murchison River, and the town beach is actually inside the river’s mouth.
Heading out towards the headland, is Chinaman’s Point, just off the main road through town.
From here, you get 360-degree views.
You can see down the river mouth, back towards town, across the river to the northern coastline, and down the southern coast to Red Bluff.
From Chinaman’s Point you can also get out to more beaches, but they are pretty rocky.
Red Bluff
Heading south along the coast from Kalbarri, the first stop is only 5.5 km’s away, Red Bluff, the same Red Bluff you can see from Chinaman’s Point.
As you might guess, Red Bluff is named because of the vibrant red sandstone that you can’t miss.
From the carpark, there are two lookouts, both on the same paved track. The closest, Pederick Lookout, is 700m return and has views looking south towards Eagle Gorge.
Red Bluff Lookout, on the other hand, is 1km return with views back to the town of Kalbarri.
It is paved all the way out, except for the very end which has some sandstone steps down. If you have mobility impairments, you might not be able to make those last few metres, but the view from the top is arguably better anyway!
If you are feeling particularly adventurous, there is also a 1km dirt track from Pederick Lookout down to the beach from Red Bluff. It’s pretty steep and uneven in places though so do be careful if you take it.
When we were here in September, there were lots of wildflowers in all different colours that added to the vibrancy of the sandstone.
Eagle Gorge
It’s not far down to Eagle Gorge, another of Kalbarri’s sandstone formations, just 5km’s by car. Between the two is Pot Alley, we decided to give this one a miss though. Eagle Gorge is the starting point of the Bigurda Trail, an 8km paved walking track that follows the coast to all the key landmarks including the Shellhouse, Grandstand, Island Rock, Castle Cove, and ending at the Natural Bridge.
If you visit between May and September, you’ve got a good chance of seeing Humpback Whales off the coast as they migrate, we spotted one while we were here!
Eagle Gorge is, as its name might suggest, known for the wedge-tailed eagles that have made it their home. We were really hoping to see one of these massive birds, but unfortunately, it was not to be. We did see even more wildflowers and a lizard though.
Pont naturel
The access road for the remaining attractions puts the Natural Bridge right at the end, so we started there and worked our way back seeing everything except for the Shellhouse.
From the carpark, it’s a 750m return walk on a paved track to the Natural Bridge viewing platform.
It’s similar to the other natural bridges you can find along many coastlines. For those that have seen the one that used to exist along the Great Ocean Road before it collapsed, this one is much smaller, but nevertheless, it’s a beautiful stretch of coastline that is worth taking some time to check out.
Castle Cove
Castle Cove lookout is a 400m return paved track from the Natural Bridge car park. You can, however, walk directly from the Natural Bridge viewing platform to the Castle Cove lookout.
From here, you can look over the cove to Island Rock, a large rock that looks like it was at some point an outcrop from the cliffs and could have even been a second natural bridge. Now though, it is separated from the cliffs and stands on its own.
The cove itself is shallow, so the blue Indian Ocean is very vibrant and crystal clear. You can see straight through it to the rocks below.
Island Rock
It actually isn’t far from Castle Cove to the Island Rock Lookout, and to be honest, the Castle Cove Lookout actually gives you a better view of the whole rock.
Island Rock Lookout is only 800m from the Natural Bridge, so it’s not far to walk, but if you want, you can also drive into the Island Rock Lookout carpark.
From here, you can look back towards Castle Cove, so you see Island Rock from the opposite side. It is closer, so you get a better look at the detail in the rock, and it does make it look more like an island, but if you are pressed for time, you could just do the Castle Cove Lookout and rest easy knowing that you saw Island Rock as well!
The Grandstand
Our last stop along the Kalbarri cliffs was the Grandstand. The access road brings you in nice and close, and from the carpark, you can again follow the paved walking track out to the viewing point.
As with the rest of these coastal sights, the Grandstand has of course been named because it looks like a grandstand. The red sandstone is perhaps at it’s most vibrant here. The reds seemed almost unreal to us as they are so rich.
Port Gregory and the Pink Lake (Hutt Lagoon)
Heading south from Kalbarri along the coast brings you past the Pink Lake, also known as Hutt Lagoon. To get the best views of it though, you have to head to Port Gregory.
Port Gregory is an unusual port in that it is a tiny town that doesn’t really have any kind of port at all. If you drive all the way through it, you get to a beautiful beach that could just about pass for one on a tropical island somewhere, even down to the little shanties.
There’s a small jetty and a few little fishing boats that operate from the town. Otherwise, though, that’s about it.
If you are short on time and just want to see Pink Lake, you don’t need to go all the way into Port Gregory. Instead, the best vantage point for Pink Lake is the road in.
It passes through just above water level, with the lake only metres from its edge. From here you can get brilliant views of the vibrant pink water.
Hutt Lagoon is pink due to the presence of a bacteria in the salt called Dunaliella salina. This bacteria produces beta-carotene that in turn is a red/orange colour and is farmed in a 250 hectare series of ponds connected to the pink lake. It turns out that this farm is actually the largest microalgae production plant in the world.
Hutt River Province / Principality of Hutt River
Next up, we passed through Northampton on the way to Hutt River Province, now known as the Principality of Hutt River.
Yes, this does require doubling back on ourselves. Unfortunately, this is the quickest way to get to Hutt River Province on sealed roads from Kalbarri. If you have a four-wheel-drive or aren’t worried about taking dirt roads, then there is a shorter route from Kalbarri to Hutt River on unsealed roads.
The Principality of Hutt River Province is a fascinating place that claims independence from the Australian Federation.
We were fortunate enough to meet Prince Leonard Casley, the founder of the Principality, on our visit. He is getting on in age and stepped down from the throne in February this year, crowning Prince Graeme as the new ruler.
Prince Leonard makes the claim that he successfully seceded from Australie in 1970, of course, the Australian Government, primarily the ATO, disagrees.
You can read all about the history and disputes on Wikipedia here, but regardless of the legal status of Hutt River, it makes for a remarkable tourist attraction.
Over the years, the province has produced just about everything a country could be expected to have, including coins, banknotes, stamps, medals, passports and more.
If you want to visit though, the gates are open from 9am to 4pm, and a “visa” is required, which can be purchased on arrival in the form of a passport stamp, or a ‘government’ card.
It costs $4.00 per person with free entry for children. These ‘visas’ are purchased at the government building/post office after you enter.
Once you’ve bought your ‘visa’, you can explore the public areas of the province, and if someone is available, they can tell you about the history and some of the highlights.
For us, Prince Graeme shared much of the principality’s past, and Prince Leonard showed us various letters he has received over the years that are of particular significance, including one from the Queen of England.
In many ways, the public spaces are both a museum and a testament to the eccentricities of Prince Leonard and his late wife, Princess Shirley. There are collections of all kinds, from shells to coins, to gemstones, to bank notes, to passports and all types of province memorabilia produced over the years.
There is a church, which has its own quirks, and a recently built shrine called “Princess Shirley’s Sacred Educational Shrine”.
I mean no disrespect, but the irony of these two concepts amuses me. It is, however, just another example of the unusual combination of things you will find here.
It was constructed following Princess Shirley’s passing and honours the exploration of the spirit world that she was so interested in.
It also incorporates various calculations that Prince Leonard has come up with to represent different aspects of that world.
C'est un mélange éclectique de maths et de spiritualité chinoise qui m'a mis incroyablement mal à l'aise.
L'église pourrait passer pour une petite église catholique dans une ville de campagne rurale.
À l'intérieur, il faisait étrangement sombre avec les fenêtres toutes teintées d'une couleur bleue qui lui donnait une atmosphère très étrange à l'intérieur.
Ensuite, bien sûr, vous ne pouvez pas manquer la sculpture géante de la tête du prince Leonard.
Nous avons passé environ une heure ici. C'est un endroit remarquable qui, malgré la saleté rouge et dure partout, a encore de beaux jardins et est très accueillant.
Si vous voulez vraiment regarder toutes les collections, vous pourriez probablement passer plus de temps, et c'est certainement un endroit à ajouter à la liste des endroits insolites à voir, même juste pour rencontrer la famille accueillante Casley et entendre leurs histoires improbables.
Geraldton HMAS Sydney II Memorial
Nous sommes retournés à Northampton et l'avons traversé jusqu'à Geraldton. Avec une population de près de 40 000 habitants, Geraldton est la ville la plus étendue que nous ayons rencontrée depuis Darwin et fait plus de deux fois la taille de la prochaine plus grande. Même s'il est encore relativement petit et semble encore assez éloigné, on a tout à coup l'impression que vous avez de nouveau atteint la civilisation, avec des centres commerciaux, des routes à deux voies traversant la ville et McDonald's.
Ce que nous étions ici pour voir, c'est le Mémorial HMAS Sydney II.
Après avoir visité les États-Unis, nous avons réalisé qu'en Australie, nous n'accordons souvent pas à nos soldats le respect qu'ils méritent pour leur engagement et leur sacrifice pour nous protéger. Pas nécessairement parce que nous n'avons pas de mémoriaux ou que nous n'y mettons pas d'efforts. Plus parce qu'en tant que personnes, nous ne faisons tout simplement pas un travail décent pour nous souvenir. HMAS Sydney II est un exemple de mémorial émouvant dont vous ne pouvez pas vous empêcher de vous souvenir. Il rend un hommage si profond à nos soldats tombés au combat.
Le 19 novembre 1941, HMAS Sydney II était sur le chemin du retour à Fremantle après avoir escorté le navire de troupes Zealandia à Singapour lorsqu'il a été coulé par un navire allemand, le HSK Kormoran, se faisant passer pour un navire marchand en détresse. Malheureusement, malgré Sydney mettant le Kormoran hors de combat et obligeant ses marins à abandonner le navire, les 645 marins australiens à bord Sydney étaient perdus (en savoir plus ici).
Ce sont ces marins qui ne sont jamais revenus dont on se souvient au mémorial de Geraldton.
Le mémorial est émouvant avec ses nombreux symboles du souvenir, en particulier la femme qui attend.
Les autres éléments symboliques sont le mur du souvenir, le dôme des âmes, la stèle, la flamme éternelle et la piscine du souvenir.
Le mémorial est situé sur une colline, vous permettant de contempler la ville jusqu'à l'océan, tout comme la femme qui attend, et alors que le soleil commençait à se coucher, l'atmosphère ici est fascinante.
Ne l'oublions pas.
Other sights around Geraldton
Il y a plus à voir à Geraldton mais malheureusement, le soleil commençait déjà à se coucher alors que nous quittions le HMAS Sydney II Memorial, il était donc trop tard pour leur rendre visite. Si vous avez le temps, vous pouvez également voir l'ancien hôpital Victoria House, l'ancienne prison de Geraldton, l'ancien poste de police, le port et le phare de Point Moore. Nous avons fait un circuit rapide de la ville pour voir ce que nous pouvions avant de continuer vers Dongara Port Denison, à 50 minutes.
Nous sommes arrivés juste au moment où le soleil disparaissait à l'horizon et nous nous sommes enregistrés au Big4 Dongara Denison Beach Holiday Park. Nous avons eu un site alimenté pour $37 / nuit et avons été très impressionnés par les installations. Sans oublier qu'il est juste au bord de l'eau, vous pouvez donc écouter les vagues toute la nuit.
Quelle journée!
