Day 3 of our Midwest Tour and we woke up in beautiful Kalbarri. Right behind our hotel was a historic spring which we literally stumbled on by chance. It marks the start of the first inland expedition from a shipwreck. George Grey and his party managed to find this spring when they struggled ashore at present day Kalbarri. They then made their way south 460kms to the Swan River Colony in 1839. http://www.wanowandthen.com/George-Grey.html
It’s lovely to watch the boats surge out across the bar, where the Murchison River meets the ocean.
Before it got too hot we headed into the other side of the National Park to walk along the Skywalk. Although it was early, the flies were already out in full force, as were the tourists, so we didn’t linger. Very much worth a visit, though (as long as you bring a fly net!).
Leaving Kalbarri we travelled across the park to join the NW Coastal Highway. There were still a few wildflowers out in the area, including some grevilleas.
Grevillea leucopteris, also known as old socks or white plume grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading, bushy shrub with divided leaves with erect, linear lobes and clusters of white to cream-colured flowers displayed above the foliage. Locally they call it smelly socks and it really does smell like old feet but only at pollination time. Perhaps this means pollination happens as a result of flies rather than bees – I can’t imagine honey tasting like unwashed toes!
We headed south via Northampton and took the Nabawa road. There was a secret spy station along the way!
We stopped for lunch at Ellendale Pool. We didn’t swim, though. The signs warned of amoebic meningitis and although I usually take the opportunity to plunge in any outback swimming hole, I feel like 2023 is the year I want all of my limbs and brain function.
It was back to Geraldton for the night and this time we stayed in the historic Weelaway on Gregory, the original residence of one of WA’s iconic writers, Randolph Stow.
