Murchison House Station & Kalbarri

We had to head back to the east to get out of Denham & back onto the North West Coastal highway & we started to head south towards Kalbarri. We had heard of a station stay on the Murchison River called Murchison House Station just out of Kalbarri. When we arrived we were greeted by the owner & given 2 options. We could either stay near the homestead on the river with full access to showers & toilets for $11 per person per night or we could pay an extra $50 vehicle access fee & pretty much have access to the whole property with camping options both upstream or downstream on the river or a beach camp. As we planned on staying a few days we decided to spend the extra money & try & find a quiet camp out on the property. We were given a great set of written map instructions & a topo map to find our way. 

So off we went, we decided to try for an upstream camp. Just near the homestead you cross the river causeway & turn right up the river. Straight away we had to negotiate a pretty decent jump up section of rough rocks. Slow & steady in 1st gear low range & Ruby walked up it, with the trailer tracking nicely behind. We had about 6km of tracks ranging from jump ups, to sand, to tracks right along the river edge. There were heaps of awesome campsites all the way along, but we decided to stop at a place called Booli Pool East that had a permanent waterhole & let us camp right on the river. 

A great spot. We found a suitable place amongst the trees that allowed us to have some shade but also a clear patch so the solar panels would work. After we were set up Mat collected & cut some firewood, as we were allowed a fire which was a surprise as we thought we had hit the fire season, but it didn't start until November here. Yes!!!! More camp oven cooking & a fire to stare into at night, we were happy. 

That night we slept as well as we have since the Kimberley, as it was so quiet & peaceful. We reckon there wasn't another camp near us for at least 6km back to the homestead the whole time we were camped. Heaven!

The next day we decided to do the drive downstream & out to the coast at Kalbarri. It was a fantastic drive & we stopped off at Castle Rock for spectacular views of the Murchison River, Kalbarri & the ocean. The drive is about 20km long from the homestead & well worth it. I would suggest you would struggle to find anything similar anywhere else in the area. The $50 access fee is worth it. We had a fish on the way home in the river but couldn't hook up despite lots of bites. By the time we got back to camp that afternoon it was getting late. It was a great day out. 

View from Castle Rock

The next day we stayed in camp & had a quiet day. I even baked myself a chocolate mud cake in the camp oven for my birthday, yum!

Birthday cake, a little burnt, but cut the top off & cover with more chocolate delish!

The next day being my 30th birthday there was much to celebrate ha ha! We ventured into Kalbarri for a look around & walked to the top of the magnificent Red Bluff for amazing views. We also ventured to the pub for a birthday lunch overlooking the water. A few takeaway drinks from the bottlo & it was back to camp for a quiet afternoon. 

The next day we went to the Kalbarri National Park. There is no camping here so being based at Murchison House Station which is right next door is very convienent. We walked to the part of the river called the Z Bend, for spectacular views. 

Z Bend

We then went to the famous Natures Window which is a hole in the stone formation with a view over the river. It was really busy with people but we did manage to get a couple of photos. 

Natures Window

On the way out we had a look at the West Loop Lookout. Overall the national park was lovely & there were some wild flowers out which was nice, definitely worth a look. On the way back into the station we went up to their lookout above the hay paddock with amazing views back over the station & towards Kalbarri, another great experience. 

The next day we stayed at camp again & explored the river in front of our campsite. We walked upstream towards a huge flock of ducks, black swans & Pelicans. As we got closer an island formed in the river & as we walked along this a kangaroo came flying back past us, we had obviously scared it. We kept walking but soon discovered there was another kangaroo, this one wasn't game to go past us & got spooked & bounded towards the water itself. The water was covered in weed & we think it thought it could hop across, but in seconds it was completely submerged in the water, we held our breath as it scrambled & swam across & finally made it to the other side. The poor thing won't need a bath for a while that is for sure. I did have my camera & managed to snap a few photos even though it was on the wrong settings, it makes a pretty good sequence I think!

Birds on the river

What's that in the water?????

Is it gone????

Nope still swimming!!

Getting closer 

Almost there

Safety!!

That ended up being our last day at Murchison House Station. We stayed for a total of 6 nights. We loved our stay & would definitely recommend it. If you are after a quiet all to yourselves camp it is definitely worth a look. Their camping on the river at the homestead was pretty good to if you just want to use it as a base for a trip to Kalbarri. But the best bits are definitely in that extra $50 vehicle access fee.