It is absolutely pouring with rain outside as I write this blog, and yet I sit here so content with how lucky we have been weather wise on this trip so far.
Woke up to the sound of an alarm this morning, first one I have heard in a couple of weeks and a wretched reminder that next week I will have to return back to normal and hear that every day, yuk! But for today, it was a good thing, we were going to Kalbarri National Park and that meant we needed to leave super early to avoid the heat of the day and fit in all the sights we wanted to see.
We drove to the National Park which is just a short 10km out of Kalbarri town site. Our first stop for the day was the very famous Kalbarri icon, Natures Window (not to be confused with Natural Bridge). If you google Kalbarri Natures Window is the first image that appears, and rightfully so. It is a majestic rock formation that has been carved away over many centuries of wind, water, and rain. The rock is a spectacular array of layers and layers of rock all in different shades and hues, kinda like a great big lasagne. All around you can see pieces of rock (some small and some massive) that have finally worn away enough to no longer hold their weight and they have fallen to the depths below. Some of these pieces are so huge you stare at them and wonder what it would have looked and sounded like to witness this actually happening. We have been here before but I did not really enjoy it much last time as there was an icy cold howling wind which made me feel really unsteady climbing the steep scary rocks. Today was the most perfect weather we could have asked for, it was a nice cool gentle breeze and a 23 degree day, so not overly hot for climbing. This made the experience a completely different one and I was really into it and enjoyed it.
Later in the day we went to Angies Cafe and chatting to her we told her we went to Natures Window today. She told us that apparently in the April Easter school holidays the line for people waiting to take a photo of Natures Window was an hour and a half long and stretched nearly the full pathway from the carpark to the site. We always purposely book our travel experiences well away from any school holidays, not only to get cheaper rates and avoid the noise of kids everywhere, but also to beat the crowds. This has worked in our favour most of the time and we generally find ourselves enjoying sites and settings all to ourselves. Natures Window was no different, today we only had to wait for one small group of 4 teenagers to take their photos and then we had the spot to ourselves.
I decided to do the walk across the rock ledge that spans across the gorge, as it was good weather the walk was no where near as scary as I imagined. Last time there was no way in hell I was going to cross it. So glad we did as the views were amazing and we got a load of fantastic photos from way up there. I had a few scary moments where I froze up and my heart started to race and I felt all panicky but then I looked around there were little kids aged 2ish jumping around on the rocks like it was nothing and there were also elderly people walking about without looking the least bit concerned so I kept telling myself that my fear was irrational and breathed through it and kept going. Fear when it overcomes you like that is such an illogical thing. I know I am being completely and utterly ridiculous but at the same time I am totally absorbed in the feelings of my heart pumping out of my chest, dizziness, feeling like I am falling, and the rest of the world gets fuzzy. I don't know about anyone else, but when I am like that I need everyone to totally leave me alone (unless I ask for help). Everytime someone talks to me, even just to say "are you ok?" it makes me feel worse. Not only that, if anyone touches me or pays any kind of attention to me it also exacerbates the situation. I always tell Hobbit to just leave me alone, don't even look at me, just let me talk myself out of the situation. And usually that is exactly how I gather myself together and move on.
The bravery was definitely worthwhile. the views were phenomenal. The walk across the ledge was a really invigorating and exciting experience and the photos we got from there were amazing (although just nothing like seeing it for yourself). We could see some kangaroos below hopping about and there was quite a bit of water in the stream. We saw the building of the Skywalk bridge and boy, it is going to be an AMAZING experience when it is complete (apparently that will be in mid 2020). I really take my hat off to the construction workers dangling off the top of that really high cliff face, with nothing but a massive drop into a rock canyon below, building with steel and concrete, man those guys have balls of steel!
We then thought that this time we would do the Z Bend walk as we had not done this last time and the weather was perfect for a bush walk with medium level difficulty. I felt pretty confident after my bravery at the window to give it a go. We packed out backpack with a light picnic lunch, a tonne of water and frozen water bottles, bug guard, sunscreen, camera, and popped on our 50+ sunshirts, and took off on our adventure.
Well, this definitely tested me!
Lots of scary steep descents, but again there were elderly and young people doing it so it isn't totally bad. You just have to be dressed appropriately, be absolutely sure of your footing before you put weight on your step, and be sensible as you manage some of the narrow ledges and steep inclines. There are some very helpful steps added on the really steep sections but they can be quite slippery as well so keep your hands on the rails and your wits about you, this is not the place to play silly buggers, one slip and you could be waiting hours and hours for a medical chopper to collect you with your broken bones. In saying all of this, the view needs a mention. Oh my gosh, that magnificent stunning Aussie Outback view. I can only try to explain it but please, make sure you see it for yourself! Take time out of those cheap Bali getaways and European vacations to stay home and see for yourself the sheer majesty of our land. When you are down halfway in that canyon and look up at layers of red rocks with all their shades of red, tan, yellow, brown, all swirling and creating intriguing patterns, and then they reach up and meet the clear blue sky, you soon come to love that red blue merger.
Descending closer to the bottom of the gorge, you go through some narrow passages of tall rock, it looks like it has been sliced with a knife. Standing there inbetween them you feel so small, so mortal, you are but 45 and this passageway has been here for thousands of years being slowly etched away at by wind, water, and rain. The arrogance of humanity is washed away with the grandness of the land. Intelligent species? I don't think so. If we were we would spend a lot more time appreciating and protecting these places and a lot less time worrying about selfish pursuits. If everyone in the world experienced the humbling serenity of this environment then they wouldn't ignore environmental issues. No one would ever use plastic again. I suppose it is so easy to become disconnected with your city life and your city friends and your city home and your city pace. That all washes away in the serene peace of an outback adventure. Suddenly the only important thing in life is preservation of the natural world.
We finally made it to the bottom. A narrow rocky corridor opens up to a sight that takes your breath away. A running freshwater stream of clear clean water filled with little fish, tadpoles, shrimp, and other little critters creating bubbles from below. All the way around you is a massive wall of rocks in captivating formations and angles, there is no way you could imagine this up, only nature is THAT creative. We continued our climbing and walking across more ledges and rocks, following the river to a beautiful shady spot where we finally sat down and unpacked our picnic lunch. I think we would have spent a good hour or so there. I know I sat silently for some time and just listened. Trees rustling, a slow trickle of water, birds chirping, insects, and a soft breeze passing by your face. Hobbit threw a skimmer rock in the pond and the sound of the splash echoed across the gorge walls. Sounds are something that really make you feel alive and part of the place. I imagined what it must have been like to be an Aborigine and live in a place like this, not having to leave and go back to the stresses of a concrete jungle city and unnatural office job, to be able to live your life with family and nature in the grandness of a place like this. They are the smart ones. No wonder Western Culture lives on a cocktail of anti-depressives and valium, we are forcing ourselves to disconnect with our spiritual centre - nature. I will never forget this place. I do hope to visit again before I get too old and am physically unable to do the climb. This is why it is so important not to leave your to-do list to retirement, so often by the time you get there you cant do half the things you need to to really get the most out of these places. Do it now.
Leaving was so hard. Climbing UP those bloody rocks was even harder! hahaha. Up up up, it felt like it was ten times higher than the climb down. Mind you, some of the narrow ledges and steep inclines were definitely easier going up than down but boy did my muscles scream out reminding me that I am an unfit sloppy office worker.
Got to the top and felt that rush of achievement. I DID IT!
Definitely didn't have the time nor energy to do the Loop as that was 9k long and the Z Bend was only 2.6k. That will have to be an adventure for the next stay.
We stopped off along our way out to see the Ross Graham lookout and the Hawkes Head lookout, both quite majestic and worth a look, but I personally was way too exhausted to do any walk trails so we just stood at the perfectly built and placed viewing decks and appreciated the views from there.
After a fantastic days adventure, we headed back to our lovely villa and Hobbit had a swim in the pool to freshen up. It had been a perfect day, the kind you just couldn't plan better if you tried. It was supposed to be the coldest day of our holiday, and in deciding to the do the inland stuff that day (they say inland can get up to 10 degrees hotter than the coast, which is why people have died in these trails, they are not prepared for the heat and dehydration) we ended up making the very most of that day we possibly could. Feeling really rejuvenated and exhilarated I can tell you that after a short stint watching a inhouse movie, we soon started dozing off the sleep. When I went to bed that night I slept like the dead, I think my whole body felt like it fell into the mattress and I was engulfed by it.
The rains set in, the winds came, and there I was, sleeping though it all obliviously, contentedly, and warm with the feeling of sunkist skin and a happy glow that can only come from deep within your core. To quote a very smart little green bugger, Master Yoda:
"my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.” Well, for me that 'force' comes from my connection with Australian outback. And who else reinforced this and taught me even more about that connection? My lovely friend Capes, from Wula Gura. As someone who has generations of connection to this beautiful land, he is the best spiritual teacher and guide. You may think you are booking an adventure tour, a sightseeing tour, well you are. But as well as that, you are gaining a spiritual education that no religion on Earth could possibly come close to giving you.
Get out of your house, get away from urban development, and find the peace that allows you to find yourself.
May the force be with you ;)
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