Kalbarri, Western Australia
| Kalbarri Western Australia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kalbarri Town | |||||||||
  Kalbarri | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 27°43′S 114°10′E / 27.71°S 114.16°E | ||||||||
| Population | 1,270 (UCL 2021)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1951 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6536 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft)[2] | ||||||||
| Area | 142.3 km2 (54.9 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Northampton | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | North West Central | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Durack | ||||||||
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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
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.
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[5]
Kalbarri was named after an Aboriginal man from the Nanda tribe and is also the name of an edible seed.[6]
The cliffs near the river mouth were named after a trading ship, the Zuytdorp, that was wrecked there in 1712.[7]
The area became a popular fishing and tourist spot in the 1940s and by 1948 the state government declared a townsite. Lots were soon surveyed and the town was gazetted in 1951.
In April 2021 the town suffered serious damage from Tropical Cyclone Seroja.[8]
Tourism
The town is geared towards tourism and fishing, with attractions including the 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. The town attracts 200,000 tourists every year, with the population of the town swelling to 8,000 during holiday seasons. Electricity to the town and hotels is supplied by a fragile 33kV power line from the central grid. To increase grid stability, a 5MW/2MWh grid battery is installed.[9]
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 is permanently closed.
Murchison River mouth at sunset
Murchison River after heavy rain
Climate
Carnamah possesses a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh) with hot, dry summers and very mild, somewhat rainy winters.[10] 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 precipitation is rather low, (averaging 342.2 mm (13.47 in)), and is spread across 62.6 precipitation days. However, on 11 April 2021 the town was struck by Category 3 Cyclone Seroja, causing significant damage and causing widespread power outages.[8] The town is very sunny, experiencing 185.9 clear days and only 59.9 cloudy days annually. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 48.1 °C (118.6 °F) on 18 February 2024[11] to −1.3 °C (29.7 °F) on 24 July 1979.[12]
| 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) | 46.4 (115.5) |
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) |
48.1 (118.6) |
| 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 precipitation 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 precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 7.0 | 10.5 | 11.4 | 9.6 | 6.9 | 4.1 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 62.6 |
| 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)[2] | |||||||||||||
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
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Kalbarri (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Kalbarri Climate Statistics (1970-2024)". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Kalbarri Aboriginal history". 2008. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- ^ "History of country town names – K". Western Australian Land Information Authority. 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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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