The breathtaking Kalbarri Skywalk in Kalbarri National Park is now open and ready to become a major tourism drawcard for the region, providing visitors with a stunning vista of the Park’s gorges, rust-red cliffs, flowing waterways, and bushland from high above.
The newly opened Kalbarri Skywalk is a welcome addition to the National Park. Located at West Loop lookout, the structure features two cantilevered viewing platforms that offer soaring views of the Murchison Gorge, river and surrounds. The platforms project 25m and 17m beyond the gorge rim, and more than 100m above the River. The site also provides toilets, shade shelters, parking, interpretive artwork, improved road infrastructure and a soon to open kiosk.
Kalbarri is part of the traditional lands of the Nanda people, in the Yamatji region of Western Australia. The entry sign ‘Kaju Yatka’ is the Nanda words for ‘sky’ and ‘to walk’. Inspired by the region’s aboriginal heritage and beauty, several local indigenous artists have created interpretative artwork as an important part of the Skywalk experience. This includes the Beemarra serpent, central to the dreaming story of the Nanda people, sandblasted into the path to guide visitors, and message sticks welded with aboriginal art to make a ‘forest’ near the entrance of the Skywalk.
A six-hour drive from Australia’s sunny capital of Perth, Western Australia, Kalbarri is well known for its National Park. A combination of coastal and inland landscapes, the spectacular coastal cliffs provide an excellent vantage point to view humpback whales on their annual migration down Western Australia’s coastline between June and November each year, and access to some of the State’s most spectacular wildflowers.
Inland sites provide stunning vista’s and plenty of established walking trails for beginners through to experienced hikers. In addition to the new Skywalk, lookouts are available at Ross Graham and Hawk’s Head, all easily accessible from car parks, along with the famous Nature’s Window, one of Kalbarri National Park’s most iconic landscapes.
Australia’s Coral Coast’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr David O’Malley, said the Kalbarri Skywalk development will provide a range of benefits including the already sealed road and expanded carparks to improve the visitor experience, and a major boost to local tourism.
“The Kalbarri region is renowned for its adventure experiences both coastal and inland, and the town is close to the unique Pink Lake at Hutt Lagoon. This part of Western Australia has a growing reputation in many international markets. The new Skywalk will contribute to increased awareness and visitation, which in turn will grow the tourism economy for Geraldton, Kalbarri, and tourism operators in the region” Mr O’Malley said.
“An iconic road trip along the Coral Coast Highway to this stunning destination is a worthy addition to any Western Australian holiday ” said Mr O’Malley.
