Natural Bridge to Island Rock

This 1.8 km circuit starts at Natural Bridge car park and combines the Castle Cove and Natural Bridge lookouts with the Bigurda Boardwalk to Island Rock. The full outing takes about an hour with stops. The short sealed paths and raised timber boardwalk are flat, even and step-free, making this one of Kalbarri’s easiest coastal walks. The 1.2 km return figure refers to the boardwalk section; it does not include the extra lookout loop.

Start on the sealed path from Natural Bridge car park and take the short branches to Castle Cove and Natural Bridge. The views open over the Indian Ocean and the red-banded coastal cliffs. Loop back toward the car park, then join the Bigurda path and continue past a shaded shelter. The boardwalk follows the cliff to Island Rock; after the lookout, retrace it to the shelter and take the return path toward Natural Bridge.

Island Rock is a layered sandstone stack separated from the old shoreline by erosion. From the lookout, frame the stack with water or the cliff edge so its separation from the coast is clear. Stay on the platform and marked path for the view.

Natural Bridge, Island Rock and the nearby cliffs show how fractures in the coastal rock widen under waves and weathering. Island Rock was once joined to the shore; it now stands offshore as a sea stack. The boardwalk passes above the layered cliff face, where high swell makes the force shaping it easier to see.

Migrating whales can be seen from the lookouts from June through November, though sightings are never guaranteed; binoculars help with distant animals. Toilets and an accessible picnic shelter are at Natural Bridge, with a separate shaded rest shelter along the boardwalk. The name Bigurda comes from Nanda and means a small kangaroo, or euro.

Pets are prohibited throughout Kalbarri National Park because of ongoing 1080 baiting. Stay on the hardened paths and lookout platforms: the coastal cliffs can overhang, rocks can be slippery, and large waves can surge against the shore.