Kalbarri and Abrolhos tour diary
Kalbarri and Abrolhos tour diary
Posted on
What a wonderful six days we had on our inaugural tour of Western Australia’s Coral Coast – taking in wildflowers, the Abrolhos Islands, Kalbarri and the Pinnacles Desert. Here’s a run down of how it went, along with some pics from the trip.
Day 1: Perth to Geraldton with a wildflower tour in Eneabba
It was overcast and threatening rain as we headed north from Perth with 11 intrepid travellers from all over Australia.
We arrived at the Western Flora Caravan and Tourist Park in Eneabba by lunchtime and devoured a delicious picnic lunch before taking a guided wildflower walk around the property. Alan Tinker, owner of Western Flora, is an absolute treasure trove of fascinating insights and information about the native plants of the Eneabba sand plains. He enthralled us for two hours with stories of survival from the plant world around us. We saw how plants maximise their chances of reproduction by giving signals and rewards to insect and bird pollinators; we witnessed ‘death valley’ in the sticky leaves of the insectivorous sun dews; we came to appreciate a ‘messy’ dead tree as nature’s slow release fertiliser. It was a marvellous afternoon from which we all came away seeing the world a little bit differently.
Day 2: Abrolhos Islands
It was a chilly morning in Geraldton and as we tried on flippers and snorkels in the offices of Geraldton Air Charter we wondered who would actually be brave enough to swim when we got to the Abrolhos. After a briefing and a hilarious blow-by-blow break down of the famous Batavia shipwreck by Brad the pilot, we piled into two small planes – with Mary promising to drive the bus if Simon and my plane went down, how gallant.
The flight out was wonderful! The ocean was as calm as glass as whales and dolphins coasted along below us. With a light blanket of cloud just above us it felt like we were in a secret world of our own. And then we came upon the Houtman Abrolhos Islands themselves.
The 122 islands of the Abrolhos lie 60 kilometres off the coast of Geraldton. They’re clustered into three main groups – Wallabi, Easter and Pelsaert – spread over 100 km from north to south. Our flight path took us over islands covered in fishing shacks, with nursing stations and even a pub on two of them! We saw where the Zeewijk and the Batavia were wrecked and heard the incredible tales of those who survived, and didn’t survive, the wrecks.
It was amazing, and eerie, to see in real life the place where over 120 people were brutally murdered by Jeronimus Cornelisz and his followers in 1629 after the wreck of the Batavia. And to see the small barren-looking islands that supported the lives of 88 survivors from the Zeewijk for over nine months as they built themselves a boat from salvaged materials in which they escaped the islands.
We landed on East Wallaby Island where we spent the rest of the day enjoying the peace and sunshine – some of us snorkelling in the clear waters and others exploring the island on foot. And in no time at all it was time to fly back to Geraldton and move on to our next destination – Kalbarri.
Day 3: Kalbarri Coast
After a wander into the sleepy town of Kalbarri we headed off to the Bigurda Trail – a stunning eight km coastal walk. The various shades white, pink and red of the Tumblagooda sandstone cliffs were striking against the deep turquoise ocean beyond; and wildflowers galore kept everyone enthralled along the way.
After the walk and a fortifying picnic lunch we headed back toward Kalbarri to do the Mushroom Loop Walk. It was the perfect compliment to our cliff-top perspective as we got down to sea level and up close and personal with some beautiful and fascinating geological features.
A swim in the afternoon was all that was needed to top off a perfect day. Oh, and a glass or two of wine on the balcony with new friends before a scrumptious dinner.
Day 4: The Loop and Z Bend
As we jolted our way along the seemingly endless corrugations into the heart of the Kalbarri National Park we wondered whether the bus would make it to Natures Window and the Loop Walk in one piece. Happily we arrived at the carpark and, once we stopped vibrating, we began a great 9 km walk, mostly following a big bend in the Murchison River.
The walk is extremely varied, starting along a ridge above the Murchison River before descending to the waters edge – first along a rocky platform and then beside the sandy shore. As the day heated up we stopped for lunch under the shade of a big river gum while some took a splash in the cool water. By mid afternoon we were back at our start point and looking forward to a cup of tea and a sit down before taking a look at the Z Bend.
As we strolled down to the Z Bend lookout it was amazing to see so many different flowers in bloom, only about 10 km south of where we had been. It was getting to late afternoon and the bush around us was warmly lit and full of bird song. With happy hearts we took in the surroundings and Ollie reminisced about the old days when she would take groups of school kids on a multi day camping adventure through the gorges of the Murchison. We weren’t jealous of those adventurous souls though as we headed back to our accommodation for a shower, a home-cooked meal and a real bed.
Day 5: Lesueur National Park
We headed off early and, with a stop in Dongara to resupply our homemade chutney stores from the local market, we were in Lesueur National Park by lunchtime. Although the walk to the flat-topped Mt Lesueur is not long, I did wonder whether we would have to set up camp and stay the night. There were just so many weird and wonderful wildflowers to admire along the way! With over 900 species of plant living in the park it’s a real treat, especially in late winter and spring. A favourite, both for us and the emerald jewel beetles, was the Hakea neurophylla with it’s delicate pink flowers and gorgeous veined leaves.
A short drive from Lesueur took us to Cervantes for our final evening together. Mary especially loved the quiz.
Day 6: Pinnacles and Yanchep National Parks then back to Perth
After a satisfying breakfast we headed out to see the weird formations of the Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park. We practically had the whole place to ourselves as we wandered amongst the sandstone pillars, theorising on their origin. The visitor centre at the Pinnacles is one of the best I’ve see in a National Park and was well worth a look.
The drive back home was broken up perfectly with a visit to Yanchep National Park for lunch and a pleasant walk around the lake. It was one of those beautiful sunny winters days and there was a great atmosphere in the park. Lovers were lying on the lawn and families were kicking the footy, and we were still happily chatting after six days together.
And that was that. Meg invited us all to join her on the Inspiration Outdoors Pilbara trip next year and Mary was met by a man with a wheelbarrow. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone again and seeing others on next year’s Kalbarri and Abrolhos adventure.
