Kalbarri sits at the mouth of the Murchison River, 570 kilometres north of Perth and about 170 kilometres north of Geraldton. It is a small town — fishing boats, a pub, a few supermarkets — but the surrounding landscape is extraordinary. The Murchison River has carved a series of dramatic gorges through Kalbarri National Park, and the coastline to the south is a succession of red sandstone cliffs plunging into the Indian Ocean.
The national park is the main draw. The river gorges — Z Bend, The Loop, Hawks Head — offer walking trails with views that reward the effort. The Kalbarri Skywalk, opened in 2020, extends two steel platforms 100 metres over the gorge rim. The coastal cliffs south of town offer excellent lookouts and whale watching from June to November. Offline reefs create consistent surf conditions, and the sheltered estuary at town is good for kayaking and fishing. Wildflowers blanket the surrounding scrubland from July to October.
The town itself is modest but functional, with a strong local fishing industry alongside the tourist trade. The Murchison estuary provides shelter for the local fleet, and fresh fish is easy to find. It is a good base for exploring the national park without the infrastructure — or crowds — of a larger resort town.