Bigurda Trail
Kalbarri National Park
Directions - The Bigurda Trail is located in the coastal section of Kalbarri National Park, a short drive south of Kalbarri. From the centre of town, take Red Bluff Road south until you reach the signposted turn-off for Eagle Gorge on your right. Drive to the end of the road, where you'll find a small car park, with the trail head on the northern side of the car park. The end of the trail is located at the Natural Bridge car park, which can be accessed off Red Bluff Road.
The Hike - Out of the two coastal walks in Kalbarri National Park, I was most looking forward to the Bigurda Trail from the images I had seen on the world wide web. Visiting during a higher than average period of rainfall, we had two days of clear weather before another lot of rain rolled through Kalbarri. Having done almost all of the available hikes in the region, the last one on the list was the one-way Bigurda Trail, located along the rugged coastline of Kalbarri National Park.
Given this is a fairly lengthy one way trail, I needed either company on the hike, or someone to pick me up at the end. I roped in Candy and Hal, who were more than happy to join me for this expedition. Dropping my car off at the Natural Bridge car park, we headed back to Eagle Gorge to start this afternoon hike. In the southern hemisphere I'll never understand why you'd hike a trail south to north if you have the option, given the tilt of the earth and the position of the sun, so I'd recommend doing the walk north to south as I have. While the information board for the walk is located right near the car park, there is a short side quest to the lookout at Eagle Gorge, gazing out over the coastline to the north where you'll see Pot Alley, and a bit further on to Mushroom Rock. Having seen the coastline from a boat tour the previous evening, it was nice to complete the full experience by hiking the rest of it towards the Natural Bridge.
After getting some lovely views from the Eagle Gorge Lookout, and almost being blown off our feet, we headed back to the trail head to begin walking south. The coastal part of Kalbarri National Park is one of the most accessible areas to experience the amazing wildflower display in winter and early spring, and early on this was proving to be the case. The Mushroom Rock Nature Trail had provided a small dash of colour, but the Bigurda Trail would be another level of wonder during our visit. One of the first delights was the Tamala Rose, a member of the Diplolaena family that is one of my favourite flowers in the South West. It's one of two Diplolaena species found in this area, along with a couple of hundred different native species you might find at this time of year. Following the well defined path leading through the coastal heath, Hal would start a trend by shooting off into the distance, while Candy and I walked at our own pace.
It was easy to see the change in weather that was rolling in, with the bright blue skies being invaded by a spotty mass of clouds arriving from the west. This added a fun element to the hike, as I love a good storm rolling in. Taking advantage of the bright blue skies while I could, this first stretch of walking was flat, relaxing and full of wildflowers. I was doing my best to hold a conversation with Candy as we walked along, but kept getting distracted by new wildflowers, and the need to stop and photograph them. Candy was very accommodating, and Hal was pretty quickly way ahead of us. The views along here set the benchmark for what to expect for the whole walk, with a mix of open sky walking and being pressed right up against the edge of the sea cliffs. If you enjoy dramatic coastal scenery then this will be the walk for you.
Split up into smaller sections linking the various lookouts and car parks that are dotted along the coast, it's amazing that you feel pretty away from it all considering the main road along the coast is somewhere off to your left for the whole journey. Hal eventually waited up for us as the trail swings closer to the cliffs, and the views looking up and down were pretty special. The wind had thankfully calmed its farm, so we could enjoy the views without having to secure our hats or squint just to see. Visiting during a busy part of the year for the offshore highway known as the migration path for the Humpback and Southern Right Whales, my gaze kept switching between the stunning landscape ahead, and the tiny splashes out in the ocean. We would get some pretty spectacular scenes a bit later on but for now the splashes were too far in the distance to photograph.
The scenery on the trail continued to be excellent, and although it could be classified as a bit samey, not a bad thing given how picturesque it was, getting a variety of photos was going to be a struggle. I had a few favourite angles to shoot, with one being the classic wide vista showing the rugged cliffs, big sky and trail snaking along the edge. Another was zoomed right in on the cliffs, showing all the weathered layers, whether that be sandstone (orange) or limestone (cream/white), but my favourite was a solitary Hal in the distance just soldiering along. Occasionally we would come across something different like a wildflower, or around this point, the first of many Nankeen Kestrels soaring around the edge of the cliffs looking for its next meal. Coming up to one of the little dips the trail takes inland as it curves around a gorge, we noticed a car parked in the small car park, with a man sitting there waiting for the sunset. This must have been his quiet spot away from the tourists, and as we got into the middle of the little concave bay, it was amazing to see the bowl shape extending all the way down to the water.
This place is called the gruff sounding "Goat Gulch", and although there were no goats here, I did find it funny that someone had to make a sign calling it that for the BEN (Beach Identification Number). Rising up and over a little hillock, the gnarly and jagged shapes of the limestone clifftops caught my eye, and while I was doing that, we all noticed something else further out to sea. Big splashes that were much closer to shore than what we'd seen previously got us excited, and we were treated to a few Humpback Whales having a play about 200 metres offshore. I managed to catch a couple of breaches where the gentle giants were fully out of the water, no easy feat from here as you don't know where they are going to come up from. We must have stood there for about ten minutes watching for more, and we were even treated to one doing a Spy Hop, where the head comes perpendicular out of the water, something they do when they want to observe the surrounding area. I've hiked along the coast of WA many times during whale migration season, and thought that spotting them was really hard, as I'd been told you need to sit there and adjust your eyes for five minutes.
When there are hundreds or even thousands of them migrating at the same time, it's actually quite easy, and every time you looked out over the ocean there were signs of whale activity. With early dinner plans, we couldn't stand around forever, so decided that it was time to keep moving. Hal set the pace one again, while I hung back enough to get some clear photos, and also photograph a Pimelea species I had never seen before. Leaving Goat Gulch, the next checkpoint along the trail was a place called Grandstand Rock Gorge, continuing the lovely naming. Now we were getting further into the afternoon, the cloud cover had well and truly arrived, and instead of causing the photos to be a little dull, it actually helped to inject a bit of moodiness to the hike. Looking ahead, the seaside cliffs continued to be stunning, with the distinct layering of the sandstone exposed to the brutal elements.
Spoilt for choice with excellent vistas, we arrived at the edge of Grandstand Rock Gorge, and like the Goat Gulch, you don't really get to appreciate the geological features of the area until you're right on top of it. You get a small hint, with the rim of the limestone bowl coming into view. With the trail visible along the edge of the cliff, you start to get the views looking down and see why it might be named after a Grandstand. As Hal powered off to the lookout, I was being watched by a wise Raven, just as I got to the money shot of Grandstand Rock Gorge. Looking down at where the ocean meets the land, the limestone cliff changes colour, as the sandstone layer is exposed, and then you get the beautiful colouring of the white and turquoise water where the waves gently crash against the rock. With better views expected at the official lookout, Hall was already there waiting for us.
The views were indeed better, and I was glad for the cloud cover, as typically at this time in the afternoon you'd be staring right at the sun. Instead it was behind the clouds and giving off a dull glow, making the photos look pretty nice. We were just over halfway through the hike at this point, so enjoyed a short break at the lookout while we savoured the views. With the extent of the bowl section more visible from this angle, it was one of many highlights from this trail. After a bit of whale watching, we moved on from Grandstand Rock Gorge, and made our way towards the next named point at Island Rock Lookout. It was still a fair distance away, so we settled into a rhythm, spaced apart going at our own pace. Meandering along the excellent cliff-side trail, it was nice not to have your face blown off from the wind, like we'd experienced earlier. Something inland caught my eye at this stage, and it turned out to be a herd of feral goats, a problem around the northern part of WA, and this wouldn't be the first sighting for the trip unfortunately.
I had caught up to Hal at one point, and noticed something in the distance that looked familiar. A big, fluffy Euro was having a munch on the vegetation close to the edge of the cliff, so I got Hal's attention and told him to slow up. Having seen a Euro the day before on the Mushroom Rock Nature Trail, it sparked a bit of a debate over the naming of these marsupials, with Caris not accepting that their common name was Euro. After a big of investigation, we found out that the local name for them was Bigurda, which is what this trail is named for. Happy to have seen one here, I edged closer to get some photos, when it decided to hop away and seemingly jump off the edge of the cliff. Very concerned about what I thought was this Bigurda unaliving itself (as the kids say), instead of getting its photo taken, I rushed to the edge of the cliff to find out that it wasn't a sheer drop, and it had skipped off to a safer part below the flat plateau. Relieved that I hadn't caused an animal to flee off the edge of a cliff to get away from me, we pressed on.
Having faffed around a bit while whale watching and enjoying the flora and fauna, we used this relatively highlight free section to power on and finish in time to get home and get ready for dinner. The scenery was still stunning along here, but would be enjoyed while on the move, rather than stopping a lot. Eventually arriving at the Island Rock Lookout, it's easy to see where the name came from, as the single island of rock just offshore provides a focal point. Looking like a solitary apostle you might see along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, this first vantage point marks the beginning of the end for the Bigurda Trail. From here you join onto a newish section of boardwalk leading from the Island Rock Lookout to the Natural Bridge car park, where we passed a trio of tourists that were having a heated argument that was a bit awkward walking near. Deciding what they were arguing about in this lovely location, we each had our own theory. Joining the coastal cliffs once again after a brief dip into the heathland, the views looking down at Island Rock were even more impressive than at the first lookout.
Reaching a new gazebo that has been constructed as part of the trail upgrade on this part of the walk, we had a little rest here, gazing out over the ocean in search of whales. A couple were there and asked if it was hard to spot whales from here. I'm not sure where they had been looking to miss them, but within 30 seconds of asking there were multiple whales releasing spray from their blowholes. Just past the gazebo marks the official end to the Bigurda Trail but you'd be silly not to keep going along the coast and visit the lookout over Island Rock and the one further along at the Natural Bridge. Looking north along the coast, this was a special scene that I loved photographing, made extra special thanks to the clouds and muted golden colouring. The Natural Bridge Lookout is a fantastic finale to the walk, with views looking up and down the coast, including the appropriately named Natural Bridge, and the sweeping vistas looking out over the Indian Ocean. After soaking in the final views from the trail, we made our way back to the car park, driving back to Eagle Gorge where I dropped Candy and Hal back at their car. What a hike, and I what a great finish to two days of hiking in Kalbarri.
Final Thoughts - Out of the two coastal walks you can do in Kalbarri National Park, the Bigurda Trail was the one I was most looking forward to, and it didn't disappoint.
You really are spoilt for choice with the excellent coastal scenery thanks to the rugged limestone and sandstone cliffs, open sky vistas, and the expanse of the Indian Ocean right there.
While having to organise a car shuffle (or bike shuffle if you're doing this solo) can be a bit of a pain, it's worth the effort to hike yet another fantastic coastal trail in Western Australia.
Add in the wildflowers during winter and spring, plus the whale migration, and this is a top notch hike.
Get out there and experience it!
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