(9/6/2018 – 13/6/2018)
We arrived at Lucky Bay Camp Ground, about 30 km south of Kalbarri early afternoon and set up (this is not to be confused with the famous Lucky Bay in Esperance!!!!). Although this part of the Coral Coast is just as stunning too!!!!
From the main road it was about a 5 km dirt road into the campground. Daniel and Stacey arrived later in the day. We practically had the whole area to ourselves!! Our set up behind the dunes was perfect as it made for a bit of a wind break. The area was sandy and flat with toilets nearby and you could have a contained campfire!!! The kids were able to ride their bikes around too. I think it was about $15.00 a night.
Kalbarri is a gorgeous coastal town where the Murchison River meets the Indian Ocean, it is a beautiful spot known for its seaside cliffs and wonderful beaches. One side you have the spectacular and unforgettable views of the coastline and the other side is the Kalbarri National Park which covers an area of 186,000 hectares of rugged terrain, inland river gorges with rock formations as old as 400,000 million years. The Murchison River which is the 2nd longest river in WA runs through the National Park. There are lookouts and walking trails along this coastline as well as within the National Park.
Lucky Bay is a beautiful part of the coast and is protected by a huge reef that ran along the length of the bay. Andrew and Daniel put a pot out there to see if they could catch any crayfish. After a couple of days they swam back out there to check and they caught one. It was a great swimming and snorkelling spot but the water was too cold for me!!!
We drove along the coast line one day stopping at various lookouts, dropped into the Info Centre, shopped in Kalbarri town, kids played on the Nature Playground, we checked out Nature’s Window in Kalbarri National Park and we had lots of fun 4WDriving on the beach and sand dunes!!!
Andrew was determined to get up that hill and after a couple of attempts he made it!!
Here he is fixing up the number plate!!!
You don’t need a board here, just some plastic and away you go!!!!
Andrew and Daniel managed to catch 1 single western crayfish!!
Kalbarri coastline
One day we drove into Kalbarri National Park where we did a 1km return walk to Nature’s Window. It was a pretty easy walk, we had thongs on! This iconic natural attraction is a wind-eroded opening in the layered sandstone that frames a view of the Murchison river. There are great lookouts, shaded seating areas and walk trail options, close to the car park and further afield.
After 4 nights in Kalbarri we packed up and and drove further north to Hamelin Outback Station which is on the shores of the Shark Bay World Heritage area and features 32 km of coastline. It sits alongside Hamelin Pool, site of the extraordinary living fossils the stromatolites. The 202,000 ha property is owned by Bush Heritage Australia.
The next day we drove up to Monkey Mia. Unfortunately we were too late and never got to see any dolphins let alone feed any either!! The whole area was just bit disappointing actually but in saying that we weren’t overly worried about not feeding any dolphins because there are plenty of places at home where we can go. There was alot of construction work going on with the new RAC caravan park. We had a coffee and walked along the beach and then decided to leave. On the way back we stopped at Little Lagoon, Denham, Shell Beach and Hamelin Pool. It was a very full day of driving and sightseeing.
Monkey Mia
Little Lagoon was a magnificent stretch of calm water ideal for swimming and fishing in the clear shallow pools. Andrew and Mitch tried their luck at fishing, yet again, they didn’t catch anything! It was a nice quiet spot to relax for awhile and have lunch.
Little Lagoon
From there we travelled into the town of Denham where Andrew and Mitch had another fish from the wharf – no luck again. After leaving Denham, we stopped at Eagle Bluff where we walked along the boardwalk, such breathtaking views across the Indian Ocean.
Eagle Bluff – various shots from the Drone
Then we continued down to Shell Beach. Incredibly this beach is made up shells from just one type of animal – shark bay cockle and is a burrowing mollusc. Shell Beach is one of only a handful of places on earth where shells replace beach sand. Shell Beach stretches for 120 kms with shells up to 10 metres deep – just fascinating.
Shell Beach
Our last stop was at Hamelin Pool to see the Stromatolites which are formed from single cell organisms that were the first form of life on Earth 350 millions year ago. There is a 200 metre boardwalk where we walked and you can get close to looking at these “living fossils”. Life in Hamelin Pool is therefore among the reasons for Shark Bay’s World Heritage status.
After spending 2 nights at Hamelin Outback Station (great station to stay at by the way), we packed up early Thursday morning as we had a very big drive ahead of us to Tamala Station. We said our goodbyes to Daniel and Stacey, they were heading there too but were staying in a different area to us but we did make plans to meet up one day and drive out to Steep Point (which is the most westerly point of Australia) with them.
(9/6/2018 – 13/6/2018)
Laughtons Living Life 