Mushroom Rock Nature Trail
Kalbarri National Park
Directions - The Mushroom Rock Nature 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 Mushroom Rock on your right. Drive to the end of the road, where you'll find a small car park (and bike racks), with the trail head on the west side of the car park.
The Hike - For a relatively small coastal town, Kalbarri has a depth of hiking options that I was excited to finally get to explore on a 2024 family holiday to the area. While the Loop Trail and Kalbarri Skywalk may get all the attention because of the dramatic inland gorges, I was keen to check out the coastal part of Kalbarri National Park, as the rugged coastline looked amazing as we drove into town. Knowing there were a couple of trails hugging the oceanside cliffs, I wanted to experience both of them as afternoon hikes.
Having visited the Kalbarri Skywalk and Loop Walk in the morning, Caris and I had a bit of a relax at the accommodation before I decided that the shorter Mushroom Rock Nature Trail was a fun activity we could both do together. We only had two days of warm and sunny weather forecast before things turned for the worse, so I was keen to make the most of them. Planning an afternoon visit was perfectly fine with Caris, as one prerequisite of hiking with Caris is that the UV has to be a low number. Being close to the winter solstice, the UV wasn't very high, and by the time we got going, it wasn't a concern. With the trail head located just over five minutes from the centre of Kalbarri, we were soon at the start ready to go. There are a number of these types of lookouts scattered along the coast, with Red Bluff, located further north, being the most popular one.
Not all of them have walk trails but the southern lookouts between Eagle Gorge and the Natural Bridge are all access points for the Bigurda Trail. Mushroom Rock has a trail all to itself, if you don't count the access point from Rainbow Valley, and initially the area didn't look that impressive from the car park. Heading along the path leading towards the Indian Ocean, that changes very quickly, as you get to the edge of the hill and can see down at where the trail snakes through the valley. Beginning with a descent is always much better than a climb, and were greeted by one of the locals, a Shingleback Lizard just off the trail. Having seen a few wildflowers on my morning hikes, the coastal section of Kalbarri National Park is known for having a good wildflower display in winter and spring. There were some nice finds early on thanks to a Purple Thryptomene, Flowering Drosera and carpets of Grevillea pinaster.
Descending down the hill felt like you were escaping into a different world, one away from the shiny holiday homes lining the road into town. At the bottom you join the loop part of the trail, and it made sense to head in a clockwise direction, taking in the coastal walking first. With plenty of rain falling in June and July, the unnamed creek that has carved the rocky valley you walk along had a good amount of water flowing, enough for a small set of falls near the coast. As you get closer to Mushroom Rock, the trail switches from a gentle single track to requiring a bit more thought on how your next step will go. It's nothing too bad but just be aware of loose rocks as you step down. We came across another Shingleback through here, although it quickly moved off the trail to the safety of the Grevillea bushes. Reaching the coast, you step out onto a flat rocky platform that leads all the way to the water.
It's a pretty cool spot that is quite open, so you can explore to your hearts content, taking care around the edge of the water, especially on a rough day. This area marks the start of a series of information boards telling you about the fascinating geology of the Kalbarri coastline. It's a stunning area to experience up close, and the forces that have gone into creating such a unique and rugged look were of interest to me. I'll let you read about it for yourself, but it explains why the surrounding Tumblagooda sandstone appears the way it does. That includes the namesake for the walk, Mushroom Rock. It's not hard to see why it was given that name, and it reminded me of the one at Peak Charles I saw last year (post for that coming soon). Along with seeing Mushroom Rock, this area provides some stunning views looking north towards Red Bluff, where you can see the iconic layering effect in the sandstone.