Trip to Kalbarri National Park
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Trip to Kalbarri National Park
Come along this June to find out why everyone keeps returning to Kalbarri so often despite the long drive!
Sheer sandstone walls carved out by the Murchison River provide trad, sport climbing, bouldering and deep water soloing opportunities. Roughly 6.5-hour drive north of Perth, Kalbarri Gorge is well worth the trip.
Kalbarri National Park provides opportunities for trad leading in the middle and upper grades and sport climbing at a high level. You couldn’t ask for a more picturesque setting. If you haven’t been before, Kalbarri gorge is truly spectacular and just a great spot to spend a weekend. Winter is prime climbing time in the gorge with excellent friction, pleasant temperatures and no flies.
Though the areas around the Z Bend tend to attract most climbers, there is some moderate trad climbing out at Hawk’s Head. Four Ways is another excellent alternative if you want to avoid the crowd, whilst the remote Wonderwall offers some fun deep water soloing and is a pleasant day hike.
We would love to see you all there. However, we also need to ensure everyone knows what to expect from the area. Kalbarri is not an ideal venue for beginners unless a suitably experienced climber accompanies them. This is because access to routes will usually require lead climbing, and the ability to set up top ropes is minimal. The climbing also tends to be moderate to very hard.
Guides
The main guides to the area are Northern Rock and West Australian Rock. These will give you a good idea of climbing on offer. More routes have been posted on the forum since the above publications; here are some of them:
All climbers on the trip must be independent participants who are entirely responsible for themselves. Following our Public Liability insurance requirements, everyone will need to sign a Deed of Release and Indemnity and fill in a registration form which will be sent out upon committing to the trip and paying for your accommodation.
Any inexperienced climbers must nominate an experienced climber who will climb with them during the trip. All climbing participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or another responsible person. If you are a beginner, it might pay to read CAWA Trips for some further information or e-mail me.
Access
From Perth, head north to Geraldton, Northampton and Kalbarri. The road out to the Z Bend is now sealed and accessible by 2WD. We are very happy to help you with organising carpooling.
Weather
Check the weather forecast to choose your clothing appropriately: if the forecast announces less than 15 degrees and windy, bring that down jacket as it can be freezing in the gorge. Sunscreen can also be a lifesaver if you’re planning to climb multi-pitches.
Accommodation
We have camping sites booked at Z-bend.
Please note that CAWA trips are a benefit for members. Non-members interested in coming with you will need to join online and follow up on the registration for the trip beforehand. The trip will go ahead regardless of the weather.
Members-Only Event
To access the payment, please log in first. If you are not a member, you can join CAWA here.