THE IVY TRAIL

We arrived in the park with the expectation that we would only stay a night or two on our way through to Darwin. 

After spending the first couple of hours in town visiting a local watering hole (Kalbarri motor hotel bar).
The afternoon fast approached so we decided to make our way into the national park to see some of the landmarks before the sun set.

First we visited the skywalk, which was breathtaking! It offers panoramic views of the rocky landscape with the Murchison river flowing through the heart of it. It gives a sense of how untouched this landscape is despite the volume of tourists that pile into minivans to come and admire the immeasurable beauty of these wonders. 

Nature’s window is an arch on a rocky outcrop that overlooks the Murchison river and surrounding landscape.

The swarms of flies surrounded us in their thousands. However, I was so enamoured by the remoteness and beauty of the landscape that they only emphasised the true meaning of being out in the wild.
We drove to Nature’s Window to enjoy a macro view of the gorge. The sun was setting on the Western Horizon, immersing the red rock in a golden glow.

The following morning, we began the Z bend river trail. The landscape surrounding us was captivating from the start. We descended into the valley. Epic sandstone walls, varying shades of reds, blacks, and occasional yellows seemed to grow out of the earth at either side of our trail as we delved deeper.
It was nothing short of astounding! The patterns in the rock were dramatised by erosion and discolouration creating a natural art display. 

A study conducted in the area found 24 rock shelters, numerous grinding stones and flake tools used by the Nanda people who occupied this region for thousands of years. As I walked through the gorge I could understand why they chose to seek shelter in this area. The great rock faces of the gorge offer shelter from the blistering heat of the surrounding area and the Murchison river offers both fresh water to drink and fish to eat.   

The further we ventured into the gorge, scaling along rock flakes and scrambling up boulders we got more of a sense of the solitude that you may experience in the remote regions of Australia.

Somehow, two days in Kalbarri turned to five as we tried to see enough of this National park before we left it behind to continue our epic road trip around Australia.

A bit of advice for anyone looking to travel to Kalbarri.

Firstly, bring a fly net! At times the flies were just about unbearable! This is coming from someone who is a well-seasoned veteran at dealing with small pests, having experienced the midges of Scotland and mosquitoes of Southern Africa! I found this fly net to be particularly useful.

Secondly, make sure to allow yourself enough time to explore the park at its fullest before you leave. I would say three full days (minimum) is needed to enjoy the hikes, soak in the beautiful views and not feel like you’re rushing.We also really enjoyed seeing the park in different light over the course of the day.