Echidna rescue at Kalbarri.

Galena Bridge Free Camp, Murchison River

Friday 4th - Monday 7th November

We managed to find a secluded spot on the Murchison River just in from the busy Galena Bridge Free Camp. Our planned one-night stay turned into three, as it was an ideal spot, the weather was lovely and we were all ready for a few down days. We swam, kayaked, read and unpacked from our time in Steep Point. It was a lovely 3 nights and we all felt rejuvenated and ready to explore the delights of Kalbarri.

Just up from our camp was this lovely part of the Murchison River where we spent each afternoon.

We played the 'chocolate game' one afternoon, it was hilarious.

An interesting bug Emilia found near our camp.

Kalbarri, WA

Monday 7th - Wednesday 9th November

Although we only spent 2 nights in Kalbarri we explored most of the sights at the stunning national park (there are a tonne of photos below) however what we will all remember the most about our time in Kalbarri is the cute echidna that we rescued and the inspirational wildlife carer we took him to.

The story begins at dusk on our first night in Kalbarri. We had just left the national park after spending the afternoon exploring the gorges and lookouts. We noticed an echidna near the middle of the road and both Daniel and I looked at each other in sadness, assuming it was dead. Daniel had to pull onto the shoulder to avoid him and it didn't look like he was moving. As we drove on we both agreed we should go back and check, just in case he was still alive. Although he hadn't moved an inch, when Daniel went near him he curled up tighter into a ball so we knew he was alive! Daniel picked him up using a hessian bag we had (although he still got a few pricks from the echidna’s sharp spines), then he rode back to camp at my feet. His nose looked damaged and there had been a little bit of blood on the road. I started making phone calls, hoping we'd be able to find a local wildlife rescue centre. The National Park's advice line provided us with a few phone numbers and said we needed to put him in a metal crate to keep him safe- we improvised and emptied a metal can bin from the caravan park then popped it over the top of him. It was 8.30pm by the time we spoke to Kerryn, a local wildlife carer who was able to take 'Puggles' (yes we named him!). Although the kids were getting ready for bed, they quickly got re-dressed once they heard she had lots of joeys at her place. We spent a lovely hour at her house listening to some of her stories about the kangaroos and wallabies she's looked after over the 10 years she's been a wildlife carer, whilst cuddling and patting some of the joeys currently in her care. We left Puggles in her safe hands (in a huge eski lined with flannel sheets) and we heard the good news the next day that he only had a minor injury to his nose and he had began to stretch out and move (indicating he was on the mend). Kerryn was going to let him rest for another night before taking him out near the national park to release him (well away from the road!). It was such a pleasure to meet her and such a wonderful experience to see all the joeys in her care.

On our way into Kalbarri we stopped at the Ross Graham lookout for the first view of the 80km gorge that the Murchison River has cut through the area. The whole park is spectacular and this lookout was just the start.

That afternoon, after checking into the caravan park, we came back to the other side of the National Park to walk the Z bend trail- this lookout at the start allows you to see the sharp bend in the river that gives this area it's name (Z bend).

Along the Z Bend Trail walk we were afforded stunning views of the red and white sandstone rocks, with many overhanging rocky outcrops.

The walk involved clambering over boulders, meandering through rocky crevices and climbing ladders down the steeper sections. It was a such a picturesque walk and, as we did it in the late afternoon, we were the only ones there.

Enjoying the view over the Murchison River once we reached the end of the trail. 

The kids rock hopped over the river to explore the rocks on the other side.

On the trail back up, the layered rocks were so interesting with some looking liked they'd been stacked up.

I loved the look of this tree stump growing out of rocks.

Climbing up one of the narrow crevices. 

The wildflowers throughout the park were just beautiful, with the best ones seeming to be alongside the road. We stopped so I could take some photos and I managed to slip and fall on the gravel as I got out of the car. I ended up with a bruised bottom and elbow (and ego!) but I still managed to get the shots I wanted. The pink wildflowers were my favourite as they were so vibrant.

The Kalbarri Skywalk is a newly added attraction that was not here last time we were in Kalbarri. It was awesome walking out on both of the platforms that are suspended 100m in the air. The views were incredible and we all had a good laugh looking at the many hats that decorated the rocks below the suspended platforms. Daniel being Daniel, he decided to climb down to a hat he'd spotted that he thought looked good (whilst I was up reading the information and couldn't ask him not too!). Turns out the hat was quite nice, it was actually brand new (still had the tags on) and it fits me perfectly..scored!!

You can just spot the kids and I at the end of the platform.

The most popular (and most photographed) attraction in Kalbarri National Park is Nature's Window, an opening in the layered sandstone, eroded by the wind, that provides a natural frame around the beautiful view of the river and gorge below. We were there just before sunset so the light was lovely. It was such a different experience to last time we were here, when it was extremely busy and we had to queue up to get a photo. This time we were the only ones there, so we took our time enjoying the serenity of this special place and taking heaps of photos.

As we were turning into the caravan park we noticed all these galahs lined up on the powerlines- just in this one spot!!

'Puggles' the echidna we rescued. As advised we found a secure cage for him whilst we phoned around trying to find a local wildlife carer. He is the biggest echidna we'd ever seen.

The kids loved cuddling these small baby wallabies. They have to be kept warm and fed every 4 hours- they were ready for a feed so keep rooting around the blankets hoping to find a teat!

One of the 6 older joeys Kerryn is caring for. The joeys were hanging in makeshift pouches and kept popping their heads out to look at us. 

This one was using the end of it's tail as a dummy!

Island Rock - one of the many impressive formations along the coastal section of Kalbarri National Park.

Natural Bridge

At Pot Alley the wind and water has eroded sections of the sandstone cliffs, leaving crevices full of interesting patterns.

Looking out to the ocean from under the cliffs at Pot Alley.

That evening the boys tried their luck off the rocks near town.......

...while Emilia and I did a 3km loop walk through Rainbow Valley and along the coast to Mushroom Rock.

At Rainbow Valley there were all these hanging tubes on the rocks, apparently they were the home to an ancient sea worm and have solidified over time.

Sand and silt filled with different minerals have formed layered 'rainbows' along the rocks. 

Another interesting feature along our walk - heaps of sandstone boulders that we had to weave our way through.

We arrived at Mushroom Rock just before sunset. We enjoyed watching the waves crash up on the rocks and we laughed at the hundreds of red crabs that scuttled away as we approached them. After sunset we went back to meet the boys who were fishing off the rocks. We stayed there to watch the lunar eclipse- which we didn't see until late as there was low lying cloud. It was pretty cool once we could eventually see it though!

Jackson speared his first fish at Steep Point!

Steep Point, WA

Tuesday 1^st – Friday 4^th November

After finalising the packing (there’s so much to remember when we leave the caravan!) and dropping the caravan off at Hamelin Pool we began what we’d been told would be a long, rough drive with most people that we spoke to saying it would take us between 3-4 hours to get to Shelter Bay (where we were camping). As luck would have it, the road was in the process of being graded, so that, along with Daniel’s experience driving on sandy tracks, meant we made it out there in only 2 hours. It was an extremely windy afternoon/evening and Shelter Bay provided no shelter so the tent ended up full of sand! It was a rough night’s sleep listening to the tent flap around furiously in the wind. I awoke to find the wind had managed to unzip the lower section of the window in front of me, so I had icy cold wind and fine grains of sand blowing on me!

Thankfully we awoke to much better weather. We went out to explore the cliffs, and to get our photo at the most westerly point on the Australian mainland- Steep Point. We watched a few of the experienced fisherman fishing off the cliffs before exploring some of the bays on the way back to camp. We found a nice, tucked away bay with some rocky areas that the boys decided to explore with the speargun, whilst Emilia and I went for a swim in the crystal clear water. That afternoon the boys went for another dive nearer to camp and by the end of the day they’d got a big Mulloway, a Sweetlip and a Mullet.

Later that afternoon we went for along beach walk and the kids showed me the many starfish they’d found. There was some very stormy weather in the days prior to us coming to Steep Point and it seems that heaps of starfish were left stranded high up on shore. Unfortunately, most had died by the time we got there, but we saved any showing signs of life. One section was like a starfish graveyard, they were everywhere.

On Thursday two very memorable events happened – it was an exciting day:

Memorable event no. 1- Jackson speared his first fish! He was beside himself with excitement as he proudly showed me the large Sweetlip he’d shot. Daniel had spent a good few hours training him over the few days (he ended up with a large bruise on his tummy from reloading the gun so many times!), but the time had paid off. Jackson has spent so much time in the water with Daniel watching and learning and he’d been itching to get his own fish, which made the catch even sweeter.

Here's Jackson’s recollection of the event in his own words… ‘I was freezing cold as we’d been in the water trying for a long time and I was ready to give up. I decided to have one more go then we saw a big Sweetlip! I kept lining the shot up and I hoped for the best when I pulled the trigger (Dad was helping me hold the speargun as it’s really long and heavy). I GOT IT! I got a good head shot so I didn’t mess up our fillets! I felt really happy.’

Memorable event no. 2- Two Manta Rays swam under the paddleboard whilst Emilia and I were on it! We’d taken advantage of the calm conditions to paddleboard out in the bay, we hadn’t seen much (even though the water was like glass, and you could see clearly to the bottom) so we headed over to a rocky area and Emilia went for a snorkel. On our way back to camp we spotted some dolphins, so I paddled out to get closer to them – they were much faster and by the time I decided to stop we were quite far out from shore! On the way back in we were going much slower (my arms were getting tired) when I spotted 2 large black shapes in the distance. I couldn’t recall there being any rocks in that area so we started paddling in that direction, hoping they were stingrays. As we paddled towards the shapes, they started moving towards us. Suddenly I realised they weren’t just any stingrays, they were Manta Rays. One was at least 3 meters wide, and the other (the baby we think) was between 1.5-2m. They were quickly approaching and were gliding along very close to the surface, continually flicking their ‘wings’ up. I yelled out to Emilia to kneel down and hold on as they glided right under the paddleboard! It was amazing to be that close to them. Once I’d regained my composure I started paddling as fast as I could to keep up with them. We managed to stay within about 5 meters of them for around 15 minutes, watching in wonder as the mother did something (flick up her wing, swim to one side etc) then the baby copied. Daniel and Jackson just happened to be kayaking back at that point, so they were able to see the majestic rays too. It was certainly a once in a lifetime experience.

By the time we turned back the wind had picked up and it was a long, tedious paddle back to camp. We dropped the kids off and they walked (to lighten the weight) though it was still a massive effort from Daniel and I to get back. We’d been out for over 2.5 hours so no wonder we were exhausted! The experience was worth every sore muscle though.

That evening we enjoyed the sunset from the top of the cliffs before all falling into bed, exhausted after all the excitement from the day.

The cliffs at the most western point were incredible.

Below are the obligatory photos with the Steep Point sign. Since we were here last time they've changed the sign (the old wooden one had so much more character!).

They got up easily but had a bit of trouble getting down!!

The big Mulloway they got- it was delicious.

The haul from Wednesday.

Filleting on the beach in front of our camp - you could see over to Dirk Hartog island.

Our tent was just behind the scrub, only a few steps out to the beach.

Getting ready for our paddleboard, with no idea we would end up paddling with Manta Rays!

Emilia got this photo of 2 giant clams whilst I floated around on the paddleboard (see below).

Jackson beaming with pride with the Sweetlip he shot - the first fish he has got using the speargun. Not bad for a 9 year old!!

Following in his footsteps..Daniel was super proud of Jackson's success too.

By the time I took this photo he was saying 'no more, my arms are too tired to hold the fish and speargun anymore'. 

Some of the many starfish washed up at one of the bays.

This one had dried out up standing up.

The photos below are all from the last night when we went to the cliffs at the most westerly point and watched the sun set over the Indian Ocean.

Emilia did a great job getting this panorama shot with my phone.

We'd turned pink in the dusk light!