Canoeing the Murchison River in Kalbarri
This was our third time in Kalbarri and we were really excited to finally canoe the beautiful Murchison River. We joined Alex from Outback Action on their Wilderness Canoe Tour where we canoed a 3km stretch of the lower reaches of this river system. When I asked Alex what we needed to bring, his first reply was a sense of humour and this certainly summed him up. As soon as we boarded his monster OKA truck the fun started.
OKA truck
After collecting everyone from outside their accomodation, we headed out of town. Being that little bit higher in the truck provided amazing views across the bay and Tumblagooda sandstone range. We then turned off onto an unsealed road and down to the historic Murchison House Station. You can camp here between April and October and we would recommend it, as its a beautiful station. Sadly it was shut when we arrived at the end of October, but by joining this tour we luckily still got to explore it. We met their friendly goat herd, which is the backbone of this stations farming as well as their historic outbuildings. The station was famous for once being owned by an Indian prince with a colourful life and a passion for military vehicles which are still on the property.
After the tour of the Homestead we drove the short distance to the banks of the river and after our safety briefing jumped into the canoes. We had a lovely group with us today with guests from all over the world and a range of ages and canoeing experience. The first section of the river was really shallow and we had great fun navigating through the sand bars and had to portage short sections.
Our first stop was Gregory rock, which is steeped in history and is also a cultural significant site for the original owners.
Once back in the canoes we had fun ducking through the overhanging branches of trees which line the banks, before pulled up at the bush kitchen for an amazing BBQ breakfast.
The fly’s had just started as the prevailing winds were from the east, but it didn’t stop us all tucking into our breakfast and coffee. While Alex was cooking up a storm, we had the option of canoeing further down the river, which we did or jumping in for a swim which most of the rest of our group did. After breakfast we had the easy trip back with the tide and stopped off for a swim and cool down.
Thanks Alex for a wonderful morning.
Sarah x.
