Kalbarri is a great little beach town with areas of magnificent geological beauty close by. As it is only 6 hours north of Perth, it’s a favourite for a getaway! We found that to be the case recently when there was absolutely no accommodation available in Kalbarri during the school holiday period. The accommodation during the school holidays was booked out months in advance as the pandemic has restricted interstate and overseas travel and a recent severe storm had damaged a large number of the hotel/motel type accommodation.

When visiting Kalbarri, exploring the Kalbarri National Park is essential. The Kalbarri Skywalk is an amazing piece of cantilevered infrastructure and the views are spectacular.

In my opinion, the highlight of Kalbarri is this rock formation called Nature’s Window. It’s a popular spot for a photo as it does make for a stunning shot with the layered sandstone and the backdrop of the rugged Murchison River. It’s quite busy and there could be a small wait as visitors take turns to get their photo in this iconic location.

Monkey Mia is a place that comes up often in conversation by Perth peeps as a fabulous place to visit. It’s all about the dolphin experience where dolphins come very close to the shore to be fed. We found it over-commercialised and overrated. The area around the beach is overly built up and commercialised. No timing is advertised for the feeding, partly to avoid the dolphins getting too accustomed to being fed. This is also a convenient excuse to get the enthusiastic public to pay entry fees to the area at 7:45am and keep them waiting till 10am before the first feeding. Plenty of time to get hungry and bored enough to spend money on breakfast, coffees and souvenirs!

The feeding of the dolphins was OK with a large crowd being told repeatedly by the ranger to get out off the water. Perhaps, the whole experience was tarnished by the learning of a new fact! Male dolphins mate with female dolphins by forming a group of male dolphins and separating an individual female dolphin. They then use violence and coercion to gang rape her. It’s not right to apply human values to animals when there are legitimate evolutionary explanations to these behaviors. Nevertheless, it does not match with the dolphin’s image of being a gentle, amazing and intelligent creature. (For those taking children to the Monkey Mia dolphin experience, fear not, the ranger is not this explicit in the explanation of mating! The ranger is much more diplomatic and careful in her explanation to cater for young ears and minds!)

The main town near Monkey Mia is Denham. This is a very pretty beach town and worth a stop.

About 45km south east of Denham is Shell Beach. This is a beach made up of shells. Amazingly, the shells comes from a single type of cockle, the Fragum cockle which has evolved to survive in these hypersaline conditions! Amazing!

Australians are extremely privileged to have arguably the best beaches in the world. Of these multitude of spectacular beaches on the vast island coastline, there are a couple that should be considered the best of the best!

Turquoise Bay, near to Exmouth takes the gold medal for best beach in Australia (in my opinion). It has beautiful fine white sand which is a pleasure underfoot. The water is a striking aqua hue, crystal clear and calm. It’s a perfect beach to be enjoyed by the whole family. The kids can play safely in the calm shallows and there are deeper areas further out for snorkeling.

Coming a close second behind Turquoise Bay is Bill’s Bay at Coral Bay. This is part of a marine sanctuary so no fishing is allowed. This is a rare and special spot where the reef is very close to the shore. You can just wade out into the clear water and start snorkeling. There is a lot of coral of various shapes and colours to be seen as well as giant clams, colourful fish and other marine life. This beach is also calm and welcoming for families. Many kids were skimming along the shallows with their skimboards whilst others were snorkeling the reef or paddling around with glass bottomed kayaks. Only in Australia is such a magnificent and special beach accessible to the public for free.

Whilst Coral Bay is predominantly about Bill’s Bay and other marine activities, there are other sites to visit around Exmouth. Check out Vlamingh Head Lighthouse and the Mildura shipwreck on the way out to Turquoise Bay.

The area around Exmouth was once a US communications base and it is impossible to miss the tall radio towers and very seriously worded signage to stay clear of the area.

Behold not just the stunning beaches but the vastness of the bright blue skies we have so much of in Australia!

Turquoise Bay and Bill’s Bay are my picks for the best of the best beaches in the world. Would you agree? Posing this question is potentially controversial as there is an absence of selection criteria and there are SO MANY beautiful beach in Australia (and overseas too!)

On Burkett Road, in central Western Australia, just before the turn off to Exmouth, to the north or Coral Bay to the south, is a working cattle station called Bullara. These industrious cattle station owners have diversified their business by turning part of their property to a charming, well run caravan park. They distinguish themselves by their eclectic metal art work that are scattered throughout the property. These include the famous Lava Trees (lavatories)!

There is a line that forms outside the cafe every morning by hungry people ready to scoff down Bullara’s famous scones with jam and cream! Bullara meat products can be purchased and there are well marked walking trails through parts of the property. Animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, emu and horses can be seen on the property. Bullara also runs paid nightly groups dinners and complimentary damper tasting, 3 nights a week.

This gem of a place is charming, well run and a worthwhile stop if you are in the region.

For a true insight to the ancient geological landscapes (and red dirt) of the PIlbara region, a visit to Karijini National Park is a “must do”. Whilst it is extremely remote, Karijini is quite a well run national park and has some really striking landscape to see. It is well worth a visit as these photos below will attest.

It is also quite a special experience having a refreshing swim in some of the waterholes after completing a dusty hike. Look around at the geology whilst floating in the water and ponder how minute and tiny our lifespans are when compared with geological time.

The Pilbara, a large region in the north of Western Australia is the resource heart of the state. It contains vast natural resources such as iron ore and natural gas. It is also distinguished by it’s ancient landscapes and red earth.

It is refreshing to be able to see evidence of the resource industry when passing through both Port Hedland and Karratha. You can see the iron ore ships and the piles of salt when driving through Port Hedland.

When in Karratha, it is an absolute must to drive out to the Woodside Karratha Gas Plant. This is 5 train Liquified Natural Gas Plant. On the drive out there, you will pass by the Pluto Gas Plant. There is a good view of the Karratha Gas Plant from the lookout at the visitor’s center. Despite the pitiful opening hours of the visitor’s center, it is still worth the drive out as there are plenty of informative signage and a great view of the gas plant. It is important to understand and celebrate the various industries and resources that make Australia a prosperous country.

Interestingly, due to Covid, both Karratha and Port Hedland were very busy. The caravan parks were fully booked out in both locations. This was unexpected as these towns are not usually a tourist hotspot. The influx of people was due to the restriction on international and interstate travel. More Western Australians than usual had migrated to these northern towns to escape the winter temperatures in the south. In Port Hedland, we had to utilize the overflow camping area provided by the council at the local golf course.

In the last decade, Karratha has changed a lot. A local beach, Hearson’s Cove is now part of Murujuga National Park and the gravel road to the beach has been sealed. The “city” skyline has also changed with the additional of several apartment buildings and a number of more “fancy” restaurants and cafes.

Although not part of the Pilbara region, Eighty Mile Beach is worthy of a mention. This is a 220km stretch of stunning beach about halfway between Broome and Port Hedland, in the north of Western Australia. There is a very well managed caravan park there. During low tide, the beach is expansive and perfect for a walk and/or shell collecting. Swimming is not recommended as sharks can often be seen swimming around the murky water close to shore. We saw a number of fins only about 2 meters from shore near where the waves were breaking.

In contrast, at high tide, this beach becomes a paradise for avid recreational fishing hobbyist. They line the shore, evenly spaced out and cast out with their extremely long fishing rods in the hopes of pulling in some threadfin salmon or other species.

The Kimberley is a massive area encompassing the northern part of Western Australia. It includes the towns of Kununurra, Broome, Derby, Wyndham, Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and some other smaller places. The most visited town in this region would be the touristy Broome but there are interesting sights in Kununurra that warrants a look. This region is marked by spectacular red rock formations that rise up from the Earth, long stretches of remote, dusty outback and boab trees. To orient yourself in Kununurra, hike up Kelly’s Knob to the lookout.

The best way to see the countryside and to get an understanding of the scale of how humans have changed it, a scenic flight is recommended. These are however very expensive. On this lucky occasion, the cost was offset by some vouchers offered by WA Tourism to stimulate this part of the country. We flew in a 14 person Cessna over the agricultural lands opened up by the building of dams, Lake Argyle, the Bungle Bungles and the now closed Argyle Diamond Mines. Due to the small size of the aircraft and the pilot flying quite low to give the best vantage of the sights, the flight was quite bumpy and jerky at times. Best to take some motion sickness pills if you are prone to it.

After flying over the Bungle Bungles, it’s worth the short trip to Mirima National Park. This is in the outskirts of Kununurra and allows a close-up view of similar rock formations as the Bungle Bungles.

Venturing out from Kununurra, it is worth making a day trip to Emma Gorge. This is the only site in the El Questro area readily accessible to 2WD. The hike to the waterhole takes about an hour and is quite rugged in parts. It’s worth it for the spectacular landscape on the way as well as the magical, cool, waterhole. Coming upon this beautiful waterhole at Emma Gorge makes the sweaty hike worthwhile. Swimming is OK in the cool, refreshing waters of the waterhole but beware a resident freshwater crocodile! To the right most side of the waterhole is a small thermal spring which is lovely if the water is getting too cold for you.

For a closer look at Lake Argyle and the dam, head to Lake Argyle Resort. Bear in mind, despite the vastness of the lake from the various vantage points in this area, the actual lake is much, much bigger and cannot be seen in it’s totality from the ground.

On the way to Wyndham, a “must see” stop is The Grotto. There is a hike down of 144 steps to get to a gorgeous, refreshing swimming hole. This is really a special place!

When in Wyndham, after passing the big croc (because every Australian town must have a big statue as it’s claim to fame!), head up to the Five Rivers Lookout. This is where 5 Kimberley rivers meet and flow out to the ocean.

It’s a long drive from Wyndham to Derby, passing the towns of Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing on the way. Stop for a quick walk at Geikie Gorge about 20km from Fitzroy Crossing. This is pretty but probably not worth the detour.

Just before you get to Derby, pull off to see the Prison Boab Tree. Head through town to the original old Derby where the jetty is. Derby has massive 12m tide ranges hence the massive pylons at the jetty.

After days of adventuring in the Kimberley outback, we headed to Broome for some civilization. Broome is a lovely touristy town with great restaurants, shops and a pearling history. Re-group for onward adventures at the Matso’s Brewery, a Broome institution. Their mango beer has a beautiful fruity fragrance and their chilli beer packs a spicy punch! Swim at the famous Cable Beach! Whilst there could be saltwater crocodiles at this beach, it is considered relatively low risk as the lifeguard is watching for them and numerous scenic flights go up and down the beach daily. As the aqua ocean waters are clear, crocs are easy to spot from the air. Any croc sightings are reported and the beach gets closed.

When driving between the Northern Territory and Western Australia along the Victoria Highway, it’s worth making a stop at Judbarra National Park. This was previously known as Gregory National Park. We stopped for a stretch break and was pleasantly surprised by the magnificence of this area. There is something spectacular about these ancient rock formations rising up, set against the green landscape and vast blue skies. Boab trees and livistona palms dot the landscape in these parts.