Wikipedia tells us that KALBARRI is a coastal town in the Mid West region of Western Australia located 592 km (368 miles) north of Perth. The town is found at the mouth of the Murchison River and has an elevation of 6 metres (20 ft). It is connected by public transport to Perth via Transwa coach services N1 and N2. MOH and I used our free bus passes about 12 years ago go to Kalbarri and it was a most enjoyable holiday for us both. We had a comfortable unit at the Kalbarri Beach Resort.
The local Aboriginal people inhabited the area for thousands of years and have a 'dreaming' story about the Rainbow Serpent forming the Murchison River as she came from inland to the coast. The Murchison River in flood:
The first European people to visit the area were the crew of the trading ship belonging to the Dutch East India Company, the "Batavia", who put two mutinous crew members ashore at Witeecarra Creek near Bluff Point just south of the town. They are believed to have been the first permanent European settlers to this country.
The cliffs near the river mouth were named after another trading ship. the Zuytdorp" that was wrecked there in 1712. The area became a popular fishing and tourist spot in the 1940s and by 1948 the State Government declared it a townsite. Lots were soon surveyed and the town was gazetted in 1952. The name Kalbarri comes from the aboriginal word for 'edible seed' and also they say from one of the locl aboriginal tribesmen. The Murchison River is name after Sir Frederick Murchison by Lt George Gray who was shipwrecked along the coast. This is the Zuytdorp lookout:
Kalbarri is geared towards tourism and fishing, with attraction including the daily pelican feeding. the Kalbarri National Park, Murchison River Gorge and the Murchison River itself. There are charter boats that can be hired to go on to view the River. The town attracts 200,000 tourists each year with the population of the town swelling to 8,000 during holiday seasons.
The Kalbarri National Park is home to a phenomenon of geography and geology known as the Z Bend
and "Nature's Window", a rock formation overlooking hundreds of kilometres of Murchison River.
Pelican feeding in Kalbarri started in 1970 when every morning local Cliff Ross would feed the pelicans the scraps left over after he had cleaned his morning's catch of fish. This would happen at about 8.45 every morning before Cliff went and opened his shop 'Fantasyland' which was just across the road. On the odd occasion Cliff would be out of town and not go fishing in the morning but the pelicans knew where he went with that bucket of fish each morning so if he wasn't there to feed them they would walk or fly over the road and wait outside his house/shop. This became a bit of a traffic hazard so eventually other locals would go feed the pelicans to keep them on the safe side of the road (when Cliff was not there). As Cliff got older, he was there less and less to feed the pelicans and sadly, Cliff passed away recently. The tradition of feeding the pelicans in Kalbarri continues at 8.45 each morning, rain, hail or shine. Run by 4 volunteers who take turns each doing a week every month, the pelican feeding has become one of Kalbarri's main tourist attractions. If you manage to get to the Kalbarri riverfront at 8.45 each morning you will not only get the chance to feed the pelicans but also learn about how it all started and some interesting facts about the birds. The pelican feeding is of course free but the volunteers do appreciate any loose change that be spared to help buy the fish.
We saw the pelicans being fed when we were in Kalbarri although I hadn't realised it was quite so early in the morning. Perhaps I used to get up earlier back then.
The Rainbow Jungle (The Australian Parrot Breeding Centre), located a few kilometres south of the town centre, features hundred of exotic species of birds in their native habitat plus a walk-in cage allowing humans to interact with the birds.
Red Bluff and other coastal cliffs and formation are located south of the town.
Kalbarri was featured at the end of the film Wolf Creek when character Ben Mitchell was airlifted to hospital from Kalbarri Airport.
Oh Mimsie I love your tours of things I always wanted to see. I would love to have taken that bus too, you see so much on a bus or a train for that matter.
ReplyDeleteI would also loved to see Cliff with the Pelicans I am sure that would be something that no one would ever forget.
Thank you for starting my busy day off perfectly:) Hug B
I am so fortunate in being able to begin your day so perfectly for you. You would have been amazed at the numbers of pelicans that gather to be fed. We also did the bus trip when we went to Esperance and that way we both see so much of the scenery and can relax as the buses are very comfortable. Thanks for your kind comments. x
DeleteI love the Nature's Window. Kalbarri looks like a nice place for a holiday, I know my brother has been there. I think I'd enjoy the pelican feeding.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you would enjoy Kalbarri. Perhaps a bus trip for you one day? The pelicans are a real riot and I loved watching them being fed. There is some fantastic scenery around that area and we took a couple of short bus trips so we could enjoy it all.
DeleteNature's window is spectacular. Your country is so rugged.
ReplyDeleteYes it is quite a rugged country but not as spectacular as yours from what I've seen on documentaries etc. We don't have the mountains over here in Western Australia. It is such an old part of the country that most mountains have been worn down by millions of years of weathering. New Zealand is the place for mountains and there are some in our eastern states as well.
DeleteI love learning about these wonderful places in your part of the world. Thanks so much Mimsie, great photos!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed visiting Kalbarri with me. I just wish I could take credit for those wonderful photographs but I try and give credit to those that took them when I can.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteFabba-dabba-dooo!! I got lots of places South of Perth but never managed to get North. It's going on the wish list! That last shot is an absolute stunner... hugs, YAM xx
I love our southwest dearly but haven't regretted visiting some of the more northern parts but once is enough. I long for the forests down south.
DeleteI wish I could take credit for the photographs but those I had are long forgotten so I am fortunate in finding so many free ones on the internet.
Justice was on the cruel side wasn't it? Marooning someone half a world away from home, with no way for them to contact anyone...
ReplyDeleteLove the pelican feeding, Nature's window and the bird park. And the name of the township too. Our indigenous languages are sooo musical.
So many of our towns have delightful names don't they?
ReplyDeleteI often wonder if those two crew members were taken in by the local aborigines and perhaps bred with them. There are known to be fair headed aborigines in the north of our state.
Those pelicans were well worth watching and some of the scenery was a sheer delight. Unfortunately even then I couldn't walk very far and the place we stayed was the other end of the main street from the little town but we did make it there with me having little rests along the way. Fortunately there were plenty of park benches. I loved it there.