KALBARRI 1 - MURCHISON RIVER CARAVAN PARK (23 MAY 2014)

Our day had to improve, and it did, apart from the weather that is. Our journey north to Kalbarri was completed in a howling westerly wind which was strong enough to make driving an exercise in greater than usual concentration. We did stop briefly at Port Gregory, an alternative fishing spot north of Horrocks Beach, but after a quick tour through the town we came to the conclusion that Horrocks had been a far better choice.  Admittedly we did not see Port Gregory at its best, but it did not have the same appeal in any sense.

One nearby attraction is the Pink Lake, so named for the colour imparted to the water by the beta carotene produced by algae which call the lake home. There was only a slight tinge of colour in the water on the day of our visit for a number of reasons, including the low daytime temperature.

This was a shame, because as this photo filched from the Internet shows, when the lake it at its best it is very pink indeed.

On under the heavy skies we drove. Here we are, the outskirts of Kalbarri. One last hill.

And then came our fist glimpse of the Murchison River estuary

and, as we rounded the final bend, the township of Kalbarri came into view. Even on this bleak day it seemed to be just what we had anticipated.

And this has definitely proven to be the case. Kalbarri has been all we had hoped for. Let's fast forward a few days when the weather had improved to take a look at our chosen park, the Murchison River Caravan Park. 

The entrance to the park is situated on Grey Street, the road which runs along the eastern bank of the wide mouth of the Murchison River and is virtually Kalbarri's 'esplanade'. The Murchison River is one of three caravan parks in Kalbarri, a fact which is testament to the popularity of the town as a tourist destination. The Anchorage, the second large park, is also sited on Grey Street with views across the cray boat harbour, whist the third park, The Tudor, is located 'inland' in the 'burbs.



Our arrival provided us with a new experience. Once we had booked in, we were told that we had to actually drive out of the park again to make our way to the large drive-through section where our allocated site was to be found.  So off down the driveway we went and around this really tight curve around the lawn area (just what one wants hauling a long rig!).









A left turn, a drive along another of the park roadways











and out onto the roadway which forms the northern boundary of the park we went. This was bizarre. It felt as though we were leaving immediately after arriving!

Past the row of colourful and obviously very new cabins we drove and 

finally turned into the area of newly developed large sites 

where I was able to drive on without the need to back and fill. This is always something of a luxury after a day's travel.










As this front view of our patch for the next fortnight or so shows, these sites here at the Murchison River are long. We had oodles of room for the van and the cruiser in front of it with further space at the rear for the kayak and a 'sun lounge'. They may be long but they are very, very narrow, but with the Vogts as our neighbours on our annex side, this was of little consequence.



These sites are new, and a deal of improvement work was being carried out during our stay. Once the lawns have become more established and the shade trees have matured, this will be a very good spot. The park management does make the claim that  these are the largest drive-through sites in Australia, something we would roundly dispute. We have stayed in at least two parks where our sites were much larger than these....but enough nitpicking. What else is on offer at the Murchison River Caravan Park?






A bonus for those camped in this end of what is a very large park, is the ablution block. Now I accept that waxing lyrical about what looks to be an ordinary sort of shower block is somewhat unusual, but so are these, and wonderfully so.









They are fully self contained, only the second of this type we have come across in all our travels to date (Emerald was the first). So what is all the fuss about? Luxury, that's what. A fully private bathroom and toilet.

A veritable Tardis of a washroom. Room to move, places to put things, lots of hooks, a good bench and a strong, hot shower. And complete privacy. This is a good as it gets in the world of caravan parks. We can only hope it becomes the thing of the future. Parks will sell site spaces like hot cakes on the strength of ablutions like these once the word is out...and the word does get out and about very quickly in the somewhat confined world of 'those on the road'.



  





As I mentioned previously, this is a large park, and the developed areas of it have a variety of sites, most of which are level, shaded









and come with their own annex mats as an alternative to a slab. We actually prefer this type of arrangement as it means there is never any problem pegging down the annex or shade cloth walls, nor is there the requirement to place the van with complete precision against the edge of the cement. Some can become a little tatty, but we always pop our large C-Gear floor over them in any event.








Nooks and crannies abound at the Murchison River, where odd little pathways lead from one section to another.











Older ablution blocks are liberally dotted throughout as are BBQ sites 














which augment the old but functional camp kitchen tucked up next to the caretaker's shed.










A row of sites right on Grey Street do offer views across the road









to the Murchison River beyond, but despite this obvious ambiance, we would never consider one of these. We are not paranoid about security, but do apply reasonable caution. Here, a quick raid on the goodies inevitably stashed in the annex by a passing miscreant opportunist would be just too easy. 








And for us views across the river were always available from the park tables and benches set up in an elevated position at the park entrance.











We availed ourselves frequently of this facility, where we made new acquaintances








whilst watching the sun set over the Murchison and the Indian Ocean as a number of locals trained for the upcoming canoe and ski race down the river during the Cray and Canoe Festival (more of this later).

And I have to say that this is such a lovely venue that as the sun sank lower and lower,











the 'front of house' party often continued until last light.  







We were very much at home here, and this is just the beginning. Kalbarri National Park with its spectacular ocean cliffs and inland gorges, the Cray and Canoe Festival, some great fish stories (and feeds), the Parrot House, a busy social scene and the Hutt River Province are all to come.