Kalbarri, Western Australia

{{Multiple issues| {{Update|date=April 2021}} {{More citations needed|date=August 2022}} }} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2012}} {{Infobox Australian place | type = town | name = Kalbarri | state = wa | image = Kalbarri.jpg | caption = Kalbarri town, {{circa|2009}} | lga = Shire of Northampton | local_map = yes | zoom = 10 | coordinates = {{coord|27.71|S|114.16|E|display=inline,title}} | postcode = 6536 | est = 1951 | pop =  | area = {{wikidata|property|raw|P2046}} | elevation= 6 | elevation_footnotes = <ref name="climate">{{cite web |url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_008251_All.shtml |title = Kalbarri Climate Statistics (1970-2024) |publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |access-date = September 30, 2024}} </ref> | maxtemp = 27.8 | maxtemp_footnotes = <ref name="climate"/> | mintemp = 14.7 | mintemp_footnotes = <ref name="climate"/> | rainfall = 342.2 | rainfall_footnotes = <ref name="climate"/> | stategov = North West Central | fedgov = Durack | dist1 = 592 | dir1 = north | location1= Perth | dist2 = 167 | dir2 = north | location2= Geraldton }} '''Kalbarri''' is a coastal town in the Mid West region located {{cvt|592|km}} north of Perth, Western Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/Internet/Regions/touring_wa/distance_perth.asp#K |title=Main Roads - Distances from Perth |year=2006 |access-date=7 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726115032/http://www2.mainroads.wa.gov.au/Internet/Regions/touring_wa/distance_perth.asp |archive-date=26 July 2008 }}</ref> The town is located at the mouth of the Murchison River, which has an elevation of {{convert|6|m|ft|0}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_008251.shtml|title=Australian Bureau of Meteorology - Climate Summary statistics KALBARRI|year=2008|access-date=8 September 2008}}</ref> It is connected by public transport to Perth via Transwa coach services N1 and N2.

== History == Kalbarri is a part of the traditional lands of the Nanda people, who were recognised as the traditional owners of more than {{convert|17000|km2}} of land and water in the Yamatji region, in Western Australia, on 28 November 2018. Nanda people have been awarded exclusive native title rights over several key areas including Paradise Flats, Bully, Wilgie Mia, Mooliabatanya and Syphon pools.

The story of the Beemarra serpent is the central Dreaming story of Nanda people. The Beemarra is, according to Nanda culture, an ancestral being responsible for the creation of the land and waters in the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.creativespirits.info/ozwest/kalbarri/aboriginalhistory.html|title=Kalbarri Aboriginal history|year=2008|access-date=2008-09-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080722074353/http://www.creativespirits.info/ozwest/kalbarri/aboriginalhistory.html|archive-date=22 July 2008}}</ref>

Kalbarri was named after an Aboriginal man from the Nanda tribe and is also the name of an edible seed.<ref>{{LandInfo WA|c|K|2008-09-09}}</ref>

The cliffs near the river mouth are named after {{ship||Zuytdorp||2}}, a trading ship of the Dutch East India Company ({{lang |nl |Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie}}, commonly abbreviated ''VOC'', that was wrecked there in 1712.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kalbarri.com/kalbarri/history.html |title=Kalbarri - Western Australia |year=2006 |access-date=2008-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719165954/http://www.kalbarri.com/kalbarri/history.html |archive-date=19 July 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The area became a popular fishing and tourist spot in the 1940s and, by 1948, the state government declared a town site. Lots were surveyed and the town was gazetted in 1951.

In April 2021, the town suffered serious damage from Tropical Cyclone Seroja.<ref name="abc-seroja-damage-apr'21">{{cite news |last1=Weber |first1=David |title=Holiday town decimated after tropical cyclone travels unusually far south down WA coast |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-12/cyclone-seroja-wreaks-havoc-wa-one-mile-jetty-destroyed/100062020 |access-date=12 April 2021 |publisher=ABC News |location=Australia |date=11 April 2021 |language=en-AU}}</ref>

== Tourism == The town is geared towards tourism and fishing, and 200,000 tourists every year, with the population of the town swelling to 8,000 during holiday seasons. Attractions include daily pelican feeding, the Kalbarri National Park, Murchison River Gorge and the Murchison River. There are two charter boats to go on to view the Murchison River. Electricity to the town and hotels is supplied by a fragile 33{{nbsp}}kV power line from the central grid. To increase grid stability, a 5{{nbsp}}MW, {{cvt|2|MWh}} grid battery has been installed.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vorrath |first1=Sophie |title=Western Australia's first big battery delivered to Kalbarri microgrid |url=https://onestepoffthegrid.com.au/western-australias-first-big-battery-delivered-to-kalbarri-microgrid/ |website=One Step Off The Grid |date=17 December 2019}}</ref>

The Kalbarri National Park is home to a phenomenon of geography and geology known as the Z Bend, a tourist lookout, and "Nature's Window", a rock formation overlooking the Murchison River. Red Bluff and other coastal cliffs and formations are located south of the town. The Rainbow Jungle (The Australian Parrot Breeding Centre), was severely damaged by the 2021 cyclone and was permanently closed. {{Gallery |align=centre  |width=219 |height=160

|File:Kalbarri, Western Australia.jpg |Murchison River mouth at sunset, 2003

|File:kalbarri river 2011.jpg |Murchison River after heavy rain, 2011 }}

==Climate== {{See also|Climate of Western Australia}} Kalbarri experiences a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: ''BSh'') with hot, dry summers and warm, somewhat rainy winters.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Beck |first1=Hylke E. |last2=Zimmermann |first2=Niklaus E. |last3=McVicar |first3=Tim R. |last4=Vergopolan |first4=Noemi |last5=Berg |first5=Alexis |last6=Wood |first6=Eric F. |title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution |journal=Scientific Data |date=30 October 2018 |volume=5 |pages=180214 |publisher=Nature Research |issn=2052-4463 |doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214|pmid=30375988 |pmc=6207062 |bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B }}</ref> Average maxima vary from {{convert|34.1|C}} in February to {{convert|21.9|C}} in July, while average minima fluctuate between {{convert|20.7|C}} in February and {{convert|9.7|C}} in July. Annual rainfall is rather low, averaging {{convert|342.2|mm|in|abbr=on}}, and is spread across 43.2 days with at least {{convert|1|mm|in|2|abbr=on}}.

The town is very sunny, experiencing 185.9 clear days and only 59.9 cloudy days annually. Temperature extremes have ranged from {{convert|48.3|C}} on 20 January 2025<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/month/wa/archive/202402.summary.shtml |title = Western Australia in February 2024 |publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |access-date = September 29, 2024}}</ref> to {{convert|-1.3|C}} on 24 July 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.farmonlineweather.com.au/climate/station.jsp?lt=site&lc=8251 |title = Kalbarri Climate (1970-2024) |website = FarmOnline Weather |access-date = September 29, 2024}}</ref> On 11 April 2021, the town was struck by Category 3 Cyclone Seroja, which caused significant damage and widespread power outages.<ref name="abc-seroja-damage-apr'21" />

{{Weather box |location = Kalbarri ({{coord|27.71|S|114.17|E}}, 6 m AMSL) (1970-2024 data) |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |Jan record high C = 48.3 |Feb record high C = 48.1 |Mar record high C = 47.2 |Apr record high C = 39.7 |May record high C = 36.2 |Jun record high C = 30.9 |Jul record high C = 30.5 |Aug record high C = 33.0 |Sep record high C = 38.5 |Oct record high C = 41.2 |Nov record high C = 42.4 |Dec record high C = 46.5 |Jan high C = 33.2 |Feb high C = 34.1 |Mar high C = 32.6 |Apr high C = 29.6 |May high C = 26.2 |Jun high C = 23.0 |Jul high C = 21.9 |Aug high C = 22.6 |Sep high C = 24.1 |Oct high C = 26.2 |Nov high C = 28.4 |Dec high C = 31.2 |Jan low C = 19.7 |Feb low C = 20.7 |Mar low C = 19.4 |Apr low C = 16.4 |May low C = 13.4 |Jun low C = 11.1 |Jul low C = 9.7 |Aug low C = 10.0 |Sep low C = 10.9 |Oct low C = 12.7 |Nov low C = 15.1 |Dec low C = 17.7 |Jan record low C = 10.2 |Feb record low C = 11.1 |Mar record low C = 10.0 |Apr record low C = 3.6 |May record low C = 3.7 |Jun record low C = 1.1 |Jul record low C = -1.3 |Aug record low C = -0.4 |Sep record low C = 1.9 |Oct record low C = 4.1 |Nov record low C = 6.7 |Dec record low C = 8.1 |rain colour = green |Jan rain mm = 4.9 |Feb rain mm = 8.3 |Mar rain mm = 11.6 |Apr rain mm = 18.9 |May rain mm = 52.2 |Jun rain mm = 80.1 |Jul rain mm = 71.0 |Aug rain mm = 48.3 |Sep rain mm = 23.3 |Oct rain mm = 13.8 |Nov rain mm = 6.8 |Dec rain mm = 3.6 |year rain mm = 342.2 |unit rain days = 1.0 mm |Jan rain days = 0.9 |Feb rain days = 1.0 |Mar rain days = 1.2 |Apr rain days = 2.3 |May rain days = 5.1 |Jun rain days = 8.2 |Jul rain days = 8.5 |Aug rain days = 6.9 |Sep rain days = 4.5 |Oct rain days = 2.6 |Nov rain days = 1.5 |Dec rain days = 0.5 |year rain days = 43.2 |Jan afthumidity = 47 |Feb afthumidity = 46 |Mar afthumidity = 48 |Apr afthumidity = 50 |May afthumidity = 51 |Jun afthumidity = 54 |Jul afthumidity = 55 |Aug afthumidity = 53 |Sep afthumidity = 53 |Oct afthumidity = 49 |Nov afthumidity = 50 |Dec afthumidity = 48 |Jan dew point C = 16.6 |Feb dew point C = 17.4 |Mar dew point C = 16.6 |Apr dew point C = 15.1 |May dew point C = 12.5 |Jun dew point C = 10.9 |Jul dew point C = 10.5 |Aug dew point C = 10.2 |Sep dew point C = 11.3 |Oct dew point C = 11.8 |Nov dew point C = 13.7 |Dec dew point C = 15.3 |source 1 = Bureau of Meteorology (1970-2024 data)<ref name="climate"/> }}

==In popular culture== Kalbarri was featured at the end of the 2005 film ''Wolf Creek'' when character Ben Mitchell (Nathan Phillips) was airlifted to hospital from Kalbarri Airport.

In the television series ''Prison Break'', character James Whistler states he is originally from Kalbarri.

==References== {{Reflist |30em}}

Category:Kalbarri, Western Australia Category:Coastal towns in Western Australia Category:Towns in Western Australia Category:Shire of Northampton