For The Love of Travel

Kalbarri is part of the traditional lands of the Nanda people. The Kalbarri Skywalk’s entry sign “Kaju Yatka” introduces the visitor to the Nanda words for ‘sky’ and ‘to walk’. The Skywalk offers lovely views of the Murchison River gorge and surrounding landscape. The engineering behind the structure is impressive – two cantilevered steel viewing platforms, anchored deep into the cliff’s sandstone, project out 17 and 25 metres respectively, hanging in mid-air 100m above the gorge.

Another attraction to drive to, is the Z-bend lookout, which overhangs a sharp bend in the Murchison River, but I got to see it from the Cessna!

The Ross Graham lookout has lovely views over the Murchison, and there is a walking trail which allows you to explore the shady banks and tranquil pools of the river.

Hawks Head lookout, is named in honour of a hawk-shaped rock formation visible from the lookout.

On the way to the Kalbarri township, visited Pot Alley, which provides speccy views to the south, capturing the ruggedness of the coast.

Again from the Cessna, the Murchison River mouth @ Gantheaume Bay, Kalbarri, opening out into the Indian Ocean.

Peeps! Sharing absolutely one of the highlights of my trip so far! A fraction of images taken in a 3 hour aerial photography shoot, flying with Shine Aviation.

Bowes River mouth, close to Northampton, offers lovely surf beach colour contrasted with the stunning green of the river.

The Murchinson River Gorge is a riverine gorge. Carved by the meandering lower reaches of the Murchison River, it is more than 80km long, and up to 129m deep. It lies almost entirely in Kalbarri National Park. The loop carpark leads to the Kalbarri skywalk.

Hutt Lagoon is a marine salt lake, 14 kms long and 1.4kms wide. It’s separated from the Indian Ocean by a barrier ridge and dune system. It has a microalgae production plant that farms Dunaliella salina. This microalga gives the lake its pink colouring and is used to produce beta-carotene, a natural food-colouring agent and source of vitamin A. Brine shrimp is also harvested here and sent to prawn and fish farms where it is used for food.

Above, Red Bluff’s sandstone rust red cliffs, close to Kalbarri.

The Abrolhos Islands lie about 60 kms west of Geraldton, consisting of about 122 islands clustered into 3 main groups (Wallabi, Easter and Pelsaert) over 100 kms. Classified as a National Park, they are described as the ‘Galapagos isles’ of the Indian Ocean. The islands have a thriving pearling industry, decades of crayfishing and numerous ship wrecks – the most notable of which is the Batavia, wrecked on Morning Reef in June 1629. The shipwreck and bloody aftermath of the Dutch merchant vessel is a fascinating tale of maritime treachery, murder and heroism, unparalleled in Australian maritime history. Peter Fitzsimons’ in his book “Batavia”, describes the story as a ‘true adults-only version of Lord of the Flies, meets Nightmare on Elm St’.

And returning back to Geraldton, the amazing sweep of colourful ocean and cliffs at Horrocks, and the Bowes River mouth.

Some eclectic activities in Geraldton……

Visited the exhibition at the Geraldton Art Gallery, “Stitched and Bound”, organised by WA Quilters. Nadia Sevic’s “Lucky’, is of a horse chosen to lead the herd because of his qualities of power and intelligence; the colours of his mane flow like the stars in the night sky.

Tracey Barelli’s “Window View” is about looking out of her sewing room window and seeing a mulberry tree being trimmed each within an inch of its life. The tree grows again from the stick it is, to being lush with berries.

Judith Wilton’s “Brush with Technology”, looks at the collision of the simple photograph of bottle brush flowers and the myriad of ways a computer can manipulate images -colours, shapes, patterns etc.

HMAS Sydney 11 memorial @ Mt Scott commemorates the loss of 645 crew in Nov 1941, after a brutal torpedoing and shelling battle with a German raider, HSK Kormoran – a wall of remembrance with photos and names; pool of remembrance dramatically reinforces the concept of ‘going down into the depths’; the waiting woman watches over her loved ones eternally at rest; the dome of souls with seven pillars (representing states and territories), comprising 645 silver doves (birds are symbolic as spirits of the dead, flying free between water and sky). A moving tribute to those lost in war.

Separation Point offers spectacular panoramic views over the multicoloured ocean water – green, turquoise, navy blue, grey, white spume waves….fabulous.

The Big Marble, a.k.a ‘Horizon’, is an unusual sculpture on the Beresford foreshore, a 1.5m sphere of clear acrylic with 1,800 litres of water inside. The light reflection inverts surrounds. A combination of art and physics.

Ilgarijiri (‘things belonging in the sky’) Eggs, cast bronze and ceramic mosaic. “The Emu in the sky is a sign to tell us when its time to go hunting for Emu eggs. The whole community goes out looking. As children, it was always a competition to see who could find the first nest and eggs. Mum always made a cake out of the first egg and others were made into omelettes. The Emu egg is like gold to our people” (Margaret Whitehurst, Wajarri)

The Iris Sundial was developed by Bill Newbold in 2004 and dedicated to his wife. The 2 parts of the sundial are called the Gnomon and the Hour Plate. Basically, the gnomon casts a shadow on the plate and this shadow shows the time. As the sun changes position relative positions in the sky over the day, the position of the shadow cast by the gnomon changes to align with the different times around the outside of the plate.

54 people were quick to sign up for Skeetas Boardwalk Seafood Smorgabord, an event that was part of the Shore Leave Festival. I booked my spot when planning my trip up north. Met some interesting locals and also a delightfully convivial San Franciscan, who had just finished working in Perth and was now on his own journey of travel for a few weeks. A really relaxed and pleasant afternoon enjoying delicious food, wine and people’s company.