by Chris Dobson
When it comes to travelling with kids out here in Western Australia, there’s not many places better than Kalbarri for a getaway.
Our last visit to the fishing town, located on Australia’s Coral Coast, approximately 588km north of Perth, was during the school holidays. Out of habit, our first stop is always the tourist bureau and we came out armed with a local activity sheet and info on anything and everything a kid could be interested in.
To get us started we were straight out for a guided Quad Bike ride along the Murchison River. From there the giant crayfish at the Oceanarium was a highlight for the kids, as were the thousands of tiny seahorses being bred at the Seahorse Sanctuary.
Hours were spent at Rainbow Jungle, this place looks fantastic and seemed to be much bigger than I can remember from past visits. The gardens and birds are gorgeous and we look forward to catching a show at their outdoor movie once the warmer weather kicks in.
Jacques Point turned it on with a huge swell, perfect conditions and a line-up of locals – a great day for photos. We missed the sandbar down in town and wondered if nature will ever return to its previous state, but were thrilled at the sight of dolphins cruising just off shore in front of the kids’ playground.
A trip with kids is not complete without a visit to the Kalbarri Family Entertainment Centre – the new pirate theme park features trampolines, bungy trampoline, mini putt putt, amusement arcade, bike hire, a toddler play area, kiosk and the ‘spider’ – an 11 metre high tower with overlapping elastic bands which gives the feeling of climbing up through a spiders’ web – apparently! The kids can have that one!
We managed to get up in time to feed the pelicans and spent quite a few meal times across the road at the Grass Tree Cafe and Restaurant. They really know how to cater for kids – arriving on opening the kids would be presented with colouring in activities and before they had finished – dinner was served. A 45 minute turnaround was an easy task – and they have a great kids’ menu.
Ticking off the things to do on our way home, we realised we had achieved less than half of the list – we’ll be back to finish them off in the near future!
Have you also been to Kalbarri or the Western Australian Coral Coast like Chris? Is there something that she missed that you could recommend? Let me know in the comments below.
Years of travelling the globe have seen Chris Dobson make this passion her livelihood.As part of the TravelManagers group here in Australia, Chris is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to get back on the road.
Chris lives in Western Australia with her husband and young family.
