Kalbarri Town

 Our Base of Operations

If you take a left at Northampton on Highway 1 and head out to the Coral Coast on 139 you pass a long lagoon that is bright pink. Hutt Lagoon or Pink Lake. It's caused by carotenoid-producing algae. Nearby is Lynton Convict Housing Station where convict labourers were kept in the 1850s. A few miles on and you reach the scenic shoreline of Kalbarri. At the crest of a hill the village at the mouth of the Murchison River comes into view.


The town where we will be based for a month from mid March to mid April hugs the shoreline of the river and is mostly only 4 or 5 blocks wide. Somewhere in the middle of this picture is the Reef Villas--our base of operations.

We're just 1 block up from the river park (the lawn-green area) that extends for a couple of kilometers all the way to the left and out of the frame. Our villa apartment has a full kitchen, a first-floor lanai and a second-floor balcony hidden from the street by tall palms where many noisy birds hang out. There's a sun-heated pool and a laundry with clothesline.

The lanai for us Golden Girls to eat dinner


Our bedroom balcony view


Our first meal out was at Finlay's Fish Bar--very good with local brews. I chuckled at the Buoys and Gulls washrooms

Kalbarri is the perfect size town for us. Small, but big enough to have what we need. The grocery store is great, as I mentioned earlier. The fresh produce in Kalbarri rivals California. Avocadoes, citrus, mire poix and root vegetables, lots of greens and herbs, bananas, tomatoes, all grown here. I found all the spices I need, local eggs, milk, honey, olive oil, and their own sriracha--the essentials, all from Australia. The prices are low, so the country seems to be more food secure than Canada.

The fish store has cases of the frozen catch from here including lobsters--we had one already (delish) and will go out on a lobster boat later this week. They also make a variety of fish and chips wrapped in brown paper. The thick-accent butcher sold us a tomahawk steak for the grill. One little cafe makes Basque cheesecake. There's a gelato shop, too.

Afternoon fish & chips on the balcony


My own dinners with local ingredient: grilled tomahawk steak and stuffed squid braised in tomato and caper sauce with linguine

The bookstore, run by three older women, sadly, did not have a single book on aboriginal history, tho there are some informational signs around town. Tour boats and fishing boats leave from the river docks. The school kids take swimming lessons at China Beach. The Park Visitor Centre staff are chatty and full of tips for tourists.  

The high temps when we arrived (40+C; 100+F) have moderated (25-30 C; 75-85 F). The mornings have been quite cool this week. We often venture out just before sunrise to hike. The flies are less active then, too.









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