Kalbarri, Western Australia
Kalbarri | |
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 Kalbarri town, c. 2009 | |
  Kalbarri | |
 Interactive map of Kalbarri | |
| Coordinates: 27°43′S 114°10′E / 27.71°S 114.16°E | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Western Australia |
| LGA | |
| Location | |
| Established | 1951 |
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Area | |
• Total | 142.3 km2 (54.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 1,270 (UCL 2021)[2] |
| Postcode | 6536 |
| Mean max temp | 27.8 °C (82.0 °F)[1] |
| Mean min temp | 14.7 °C (58.5 °F)[1] |
| Annual rainfall | 342.2 mm (13.47 in)[1] |
Kalbarri is a coastal town in the Mid West region located 592 km (368 mi) north of Perth, Western Australia.[3] The town is located at the mouth of the Murchison River, which has an elevation of 6 metres (20 ft).[4] It is connected by public transport to Perth via Transwa coach services N1 and N2.
History
[edit]Kalbarri is a part of the traditional lands of the Nanda people, who were recognised as the traditional owners of more than 17,000 square kilometres (6,600 sq mi) 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.[5]
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.[6][7]
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 with 50 lots of land released and purchased.[8]
Kalbarri was named after an Aboriginal man from the Nanda tribe and is also the name of an edible seed.[9] However, earlier in its history in was known colloquially as 'Mouth of the Murch' by visitors and residence and the name Kalbarri did not become commonly used until 1963 when the Kalbarri Post Office was opened.[8]
The cliffs near the river mouth are named after Zuytdorp, a trading ship of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, commonly abbreviated VOC, that was wrecked there in 1712.[10]
In April 2021, the town suffered serious damage from Tropical Cyclone Seroja.[11]
Tourism
[edit]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 kV power line from the central grid. To increase grid stability, a 5 MW, 2 MWh (7.2 GJ) grid battery has been installed.[12]
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.[13][14]
Murchison River mouth at sunset, 2003
Murchison River after heavy rain, 2011
Climate
[edit]Kalbarri experiences a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh) with hot, dry summers and warm, somewhat rainy winters.[15] Average maxima vary from 34.1 °C (93.4 °F) in February to 21.9 °C (71.4 °F) in July, while average minima fluctuate between 20.7 °C (69.3 °F) in February and 9.7 °C (49.5 °F) in July. Annual rainfall is rather low, averaging 342.2 mm (13.47 in), and is spread across 43.2 days with at least 1 mm (0.04 in).
The town is very sunny, experiencing 185.9 clear days and only 59.9 cloudy days annually. Temperature extremes have ranged from 48.3 °C (118.9 °F) on 20 January 2025[16] to −1.3 °C (29.7 °F) on 24 July 1979.[17] On 11 April 2021, the town was struck by Category 3 Cyclone Seroja, which caused significant damage and widespread power outages.[11]
| Climate data for Kalbarri (27°43′S 114°10′E / 27.71°S 114.17°E, 6 m AMSL) (1970-2024 data) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 48.3 (118.9) |
48.1 (118.6) |
47.2 (117.0) |
39.7 (103.5) |
36.2 (97.2) |
30.9 (87.6) |
30.5 (86.9) |
33.0 (91.4) |
38.5 (101.3) |
41.2 (106.2) |
42.4 (108.3) |
46.5 (115.7) |
48.3 (118.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 33.2 (91.8) |
34.1 (93.4) |
32.6 (90.7) |
29.6 (85.3) |
26.2 (79.2) |
23.0 (73.4) |
21.9 (71.4) |
22.6 (72.7) |
24.1 (75.4) |
26.2 (79.2) |
28.4 (83.1) |
31.2 (88.2) |
27.8 (82.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.7 (67.5) |
20.7 (69.3) |
19.4 (66.9) |
16.4 (61.5) |
13.4 (56.1) |
11.1 (52.0) |
9.7 (49.5) |
10.0 (50.0) |
10.9 (51.6) |
12.7 (54.9) |
15.1 (59.2) |
17.7 (63.9) |
14.7 (58.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) |
11.1 (52.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
3.6 (38.5) |
3.7 (38.7) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
1.9 (35.4) |
4.1 (39.4) |
6.7 (44.1) |
8.1 (46.6) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 4.9 (0.19) |
8.3 (0.33) |
11.6 (0.46) |
18.9 (0.74) |
52.2 (2.06) |
80.1 (3.15) |
71.0 (2.80) |
48.3 (1.90) |
23.3 (0.92) |
13.8 (0.54) |
6.8 (0.27) |
3.6 (0.14) |
342.2 (13.47) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 5.1 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 6.9 | 4.5 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 43.2 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 47 | 46 | 48 | 50 | 51 | 54 | 55 | 53 | 53 | 49 | 50 | 48 | 50 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 16.6 (61.9) |
17.4 (63.3) |
16.6 (61.9) |
15.1 (59.2) |
12.5 (54.5) |
10.9 (51.6) |
10.5 (50.9) |
10.2 (50.4) |
11.3 (52.3) |
11.8 (53.2) |
13.7 (56.7) |
15.3 (59.5) |
13.5 (56.3) |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1970-2024 data)[1] | |||||||||||||
In popular culture
[edit]- 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.[citation needed]
- In the television series Prison Break, character James Whistler states he is originally from Kalbarri.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Kalbarri Climate Statistics (1970-2024)". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Kalbarri (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021.
- ↑ "Main Roads - Distances from Perth". 2006. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2008.
- ↑ "Australian Bureau of Meteorology - Climate Summary statistics KALBARRI". 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- ↑ "Nanda Native Title Determination". Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ "Kalbarri Visitor Centre Australia". www.kalbarri.org.au. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ "Aboriginal Culture & Heritage along the Coral Coast". Australia's Coral Coast. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 Chapple, Rory. "Kalbarri National Park and Kalbarri town have grown up together, depending on each other for survival. Fifty years since their inception there's a lot to be proud of" (PDF). Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ "History of country town names – K". Landgate. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- ↑ "Kalbarri - Western Australia". 2006. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- 1 2 Weber, David (11 April 2021). "Holiday town decimated after tropical cyclone travels unusually far south down WA coast". Australia: ABC News. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ↑ Vorrath, Sophie (17 December 2019). "Western Australia's first big battery delivered to Kalbarri microgrid". One Step Off The Grid.
- ↑ "Kalbarri National Park". exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ "Z Bend". exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ Beck, Hylke E.; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; McVicar, Tim R.; Vergopolan, Noemi; Berg, Alexis; Wood, Eric F. (30 October 2018). "Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution". Scientific Data. 5. Nature Research: 180214. Bibcode:2018NatSD...580214B. doi:10.1038/sdata.2018.214. ISSN 2052-4463. PMC 6207062. PMID 30375988.
- ↑ "Western Australia in February 2024". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ↑ "Kalbarri Climate (1970-2024)". FarmOnline Weather. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
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