Day 27 Kalbarri - 26/3/11

Well we did stay another day as we decided to do a day trip to Kalbarri rather than calling in there with the caravan on our way north.  The countryside was again amazing with different shaped hills.  One is called Elephant Hill because it looks like an elephant laying down with its trunk out the front.  There is a patch where there are no trees which looks like an ear.

Can you see the elephant?

We went to Northhampton first which is one of the oldest settlements (1864) outside Perth with a population of 842.  The first railway in WA went from Geraldton to Northhampton in 1879.  We then headed to the coast and Port Gregory.  Just before Port Gregory is Lynton Hiring Station at the foot of the hills.  The stone buildings once housed convicts who worked on the Geraldine Mine and local pastoral stations.  The convict facilities were built in 1853 and have been recently restored. 

The creative entry sign for Northampton

Port Gregory has the Indian Ocean on one side and Hutt Lagoon on the other which is known as the Pink Lake (there are a few of these in WA) due to its colour created by the naturally occurring beta carotene.  On still days there are stunning reflections and on windy days there is is a pink haze through the skies.  The town is protected by five kilometres of exposed coral reef which provides safe anchorage and boat launching areas for fishing and water sports.

The Pink Lake

The beach at Port Gregory

We then decided to call in and say hello to King Leonard at the Principality of Hutt River.  Unfortunately the King was not in residence but his wife, Princess Shirley showed us around.  There is a post office and you can buy stamps but you have to post your postcard there and the stamps have to be put on the back of the envelope and when they are taken into Northhampton, the post office there franks the front.  There is a big bust of King Leonard, a chapel, a souvenir shop and another room with lots of memorabilia.  There is also a pyramid that someone random built on the property.  I have to say it was all a bit sad.  Princess Shirley is 83 and the King is 86.  She seems to be the one who has to be around for the tourists while King Lenny goes off to be in parades etc.  It wouldn't be much of a life for her.  Was it worth the 30kms of dirt road
(the map only said 12kms!)?  Well maybe not but we can say we have been there.

The gateway into Hutt River Province 

A very large bust of King Leonard

We headed on for Kalbarri and stopped to have a lunch at a little shelter some way out of town.  Well, you should have seen the flies, there were thousands and I am not exaggerating!  We had to put our fly veils on and even that didn't stop them all.  I am sure we must have eaten at least a couple.  Yuk!

Trying to eat my lunch through my fly veil

 Next stop was the Kalbarri Cliffs in Kalbarri National Park.  They were absolutely amazing.  However, don't come without your fly veil.  If I thought there were thousands where we stopped before, there were millions here!  Fly veil time again but that didn't stop them swarming on your arms and back.  It was awful.  However, we braved the little buggers and walked to the viewing platforms and saw the Island Rock, Natural Bridge and many more.  The scenery was spectacular.  Of course the flies following us into the ute so we then spent the next 20 minutes trying to get them out.  I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

Island Rock

The Natural Bridge

Some of the flies on Peter 

Onto Kalbarri where the Murchison River runs into the Indian Ocean.  We stopped for a cool drink (it was 37 degrees) and an iceblock.  Kalbarri has a population of 2000 and is also famous for whale watching and the wildflowers and has a parrot breeding program with Australia's largest free flight aviary.

From there we returned to Geraldton via the highway.
cheers

Pete and Roz