Overview
About Island Rock
Why stop
- A distinctive sea stack with a close view from the lookout decks.
- An easy, accessible boardwalk links several coastal lookouts.
Heads up
- Exposed to wind, with some cliffside sections slick when wet.
Map
Where it is
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Kalbarri Tour Guide
Your drive to Island Rock, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Kalbarri National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Kalbarri audio tourRecorded for this place
Natural Bridge, Castle Cove and Island Rock“Up ahead are the lookouts for Natural Bridge, Castle Cove and Island Rock.”
Plays as you drive up to Island Rock in the Parkwolf Kalbarri Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Shell House and Grandstand Rock Gorge
- Sentenced to the Mainland
- A Journey Fueled by Summer
- Built to Hold a Fish
- 58 audio storiesacross Kalbarri’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Perentie, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Western Grey Kangaroo, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 18 trails, 19 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Island Rock
The sea stackIsland Rock is a solitary sea stack on Kalbarri's southern coastal cliffs, separated from the…
Island Rock is a solitary sea stack on Kalbarri's southern coastal cliffs, separated from the shoreline after once being part of it. From the lookout decks, you can see its layered, flat-topped profile against the ocean and the red-banded cliffs. I'd stop here if you're exploring the coast and give it more than a drive-by: the platforms offer different angles, and the nearby boardwalk makes the cliffs easy to explore. For a photo, leave some water and cliff in frame so the gap around the stack is clear.
An easy coastal walkThe full Natural Bridge–Island Rock loop is about 1.
The full Natural Bridge–Island Rock loop is about 1.8 km from Natural Bridge car park, linking Natural Bridge, Castle Cove and this lookout. The route is flat and hardened, and is described as suitable for unassisted wheelchair users and prams. Public parking and toilets are at Natural Bridge car park; there are no other facilities along the trail. Some sections run close to the cliff edge, and visitors report that the boardwalk can be slippery when wet.
A piece of the old shorelineWaves and weathering widen fractures in the coastal rock until arches and sea stacks are left…
Waves and weathering widen fractures in the coastal rock until arches and sea stacks are left behind. Island Rock is one of those remnants: a piece of shoreline now standing apart offshore. Its shape makes that slow process easy to picture from the lookout.
Watch the waterWhales may pass offshore during migration season, and visitors sometimes spot dolphins too.
Whales may pass offshore during migration season, and visitors sometimes spot dolphins too. Bring binoculars if you want to scan the ocean; these are lucky sightings rather than something to plan your stop around.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Kalbarri
29 sightingsPerentieMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
12 sightingsWedge-tailed EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
33 sightingsWestern Grey KangarooMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
44 sightingsBlack-flanked Rock WallabyMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
24 sightingsEmuMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
23 sightingsEchidnaMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Kalbarri. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
