Overview
With every Australian state and territory doing its own thing regarding borders during the COVID-19 pandemic, travelling around the country isn't a simple feat in 2020. But, if you're planning ahead, you might want to add Western Australia's Kalbarri National Park to your must-visit list — especially given that it has just opened a 100-metre-high skywalk perched atop Murchison Gorge, complete with mighty impressive views.
Welcoming the public since mid-June this year — just WA residents so far, with the state's border currently closed to residents of the rest of Australia — the Kalbarri Skywalk features two cantilevered platforms over the 80-kilometre-long gorge. When you're standing on either of the two lookouts, you'll also be located 100 metres above the ground, with cliffs falling beneath you. The pair of platforms are within easy walking distance of each other, too, with one jutting out 17 metres from the cliffside and the other reaching out 25 metres.
Built as part of a $24 million project, the Kalbarri Skywalk is also accompanied by an environmentally friendly kiosk that's designed to operate off the grid on low to no emissions, shade shelters, toilets and parking, as well as 22 kilometres of park roads, plus upgrades to existing tourist sites at Meanarra Hill and Z Bend.
Also onsite: recognition of the region's Nanda Traditional Owners, their culture and stories, including via an entry sign emblazoned with 'kaju yatka' — the Nanda words for 'sky' and 'to walk' — and other artistic elements.
Located 150 kilometres north of Geraldton and almost 600 kilometres north of Perth, Kalbarri National Park welcomed more than 450,000 visitors in 2019 — so, when the rest of the country is permitted to enter WA again, expect to have company. If you're wondering about finding your way around the park, the WA Parks Foundation has just added Kalbarri National Park to its Smart Park mapping program, too, which allows you to download a park map, then navigate through the area offline and in real time.
Find the Kalbarri Skywalk in the Kalbarri National Park, Kalbarri, in Western Australia's mid-west region. For further details, visit the park's website.
Top image: Shem Bisluck/Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.