Galena Bridge Rest Area

Originally we had planned to drive from Monkey Mia to Kalbarri Nationalpark and camp there the first night in Kalbarri. However, on the way to Kalbarri Nationalpark we found a rest area that was right on the river. There was also a small forest by the river. We liked it there so much that we spontaneously decided to camp there for one night.

We parked our car between the trees so that we were right in the forest. While the sun was setting we set up our tents and the table. Then we cooked our dinner.

Later in the evening it got quite cold, so we decided to sit in the car. There we just talked a little.

The next morning we took our time with our departure. First we had breakfast and then sat at our table in the forest. Around noon we packed all our things together and drove to Kalbarri. There we went shopping in the IGA. Since we liked the Galena Bridge Rest Area so much, we already decided in the morning that we would come back in the evening to sleep another night there.

Exploring Kalbarri Nationalpark

When we left Kalbarri, we didn’t drive straight back to the Galena Bridge Rest Area. Instead, we still explored the nationalpark. First we stopped at the famous Kalbarri Skywalk.

The view from there over the endless nature and the large gorge was very spectacular. Because we were there in the late afternoon, we were all alone there.

From the Kalbarri Skywalk we drove on to the Nature Window. To get there we had to walk a 500 meter long path. Because the Nature Window is not far from the Skywalk, the view was quite similar. Nonetheless, we were very impressed. We also liked the Nature Window more than the Skywalk.

By now it was almost 6 pm so we decided to head back to the Galena Bridge Rest Area. While we were still driving through the nationalpark we suddenly saw a snake on the road. We also stopped directly to be able to look at the snake up close. This was my first snake I saw in Australia.

The rest of the drive was also very spectacular. Because the sun was just setting, the light was perfect. Also, the road we were driving was surrounded by trees all around.

A long night under the starry sky

Shortly after 7 pm we arrived at the rest area. We immediately started to rebuild everything. After that we started to cook our dinner. That evening we both treated ourselves to a bottle of wine. So we ended up sitting by the river all night, watching the stars, talking and drinking wine. Throughout the night we could count countless shooting stars. In general we see a lot of shooting stars in Australia.

When the sun slowly rose at half past four, we decide to go to sleep. At around 8 am. it got pretty hot in our tents, which is why we couldn’t sleep long. Due to the alcohol the night before and the lack of sleep, we were quite slack the next morning. After a quick breakfast we lazily packed up our tents and drove to Kalbarri. There we directly booked a campsite so that we could take a shower first.

Since neither of us were super fit, we wasted the day at the campsite. Only in the evening, when the sun was slowly setting, did we pull ourselves together and drove to the beach by car. We walked a bit along the beach there. However, it got too windy for us, so we got in the car and watched the sunset from there.

A day trip from Kalbarri

Later, when the sun had completely disappeared and it was dark, we drove back to the campsite and cooked there. Then we went straight to bed because we were just too exhausted.

The next morning we slept in first. After getting up we showered and packed our tents together. This day we wanted to go on a trip.

As a perfect start to the day, we decided to buy a delicious breakfast beforehand and eat it on the beach. With bread, a dip and fruit, we then parked the car on the beach where we watched the sunset the night before. We had breakfast there with a view of the sea.

Visiting a pink lake

After breakfast we drove down the coast to Pink Lake at Hutt Lagoon. My expectations were high, but I had the feeling that the lake wouldn’t be really pink. When we arrived at pink lake about an hour later, we were pleasantly surprised. The lake was actually pink.

We then stopped at a lookout point and went down to the lake. We could also see the pink color very well directly on the water. It was quite windy, but I still let my drone fly. The shots from above just look a lot more professional. In addition, you can see the lake a lot better.

From Pink Lake we drove back up the coast to Kalbarri. On the way back to Kalbarri we made a few stops.

The Highlights of Kalbarri Nationalpark

First we stopped at Eagle Gorge. The view over the water and the gorge was quite nice but not necessarily breathtaking. So we quickly drove on to the well-known Natural Bridge. This is a huge rock in the shape of a bridge. From the Natural Bridge we went further to Island Rock. From everywhere we had a great view of the sea and the coast. But since every lookout point looked pretty much the same, we then decided that it wasn’t worth stopping anywhere else. In addition, the wind was extremely strong.

So we drove back to Kalbarri. There we first shopped for dinner before we spent the rest of the afternoon at the campsite.

Dinner fail

We had already bought meat for dinner in the supermarket in the morning. We then wanted to prepare this and take it to the beach at sunset to eat there. However, the packaging was already quite bloated in the afternoon, which is why we had a queasy feeling about eating the meat. Nevertheless, we then started to prepare the meat on the grill.

After an hour the meat was still not done, even though it was quite black. Finally we gave up because we didn’t want to eat burned meat. In the meantime the sun had already set and we didn’t even have a proper dinner. Nevertheless, we drove to the beach to see how the sky was slowly turning black.

The next day we had planned to stay another day in Kalbarri. But pretty early in the morning we already decided to leave Kalbarri that day. First, like the day before, we drove to the supermarket and then straight to the beach to have breakfast there.

Heading further south

It was quite hot this morning, so we were unsure what to do for the day. Besides, we had already seen everything there is to see in Kalbarri Nationalpark. In the afternoon we had planned to drive back to the Galena Pool Rest Area to stay there another night.

However, we were so undecided about what to do until the afternoon that we decided not to spend another night at the Galena Pool Rest Area. Instead we drove on to Geraldton.

Two hours later we arrived in Geraldton. There we went shopping at different shops. In the afternoon we looked for a camsite outside of Geralton. This was 50 kilometers away from Geralton and was at the Ellendale Pool.

When we got there late in the afternoon, nobody was there. Luckily the campsite was also free. The campsite was right on the water. When we ate dinner in the evening we could hear all sorts of animals. Of course we could also watch the clear starry sky. A sight we will probably never get used to.