Carnarvon
Outback Travel Guide
Carnarvon is located between Exmouth and Monkey Mia along the Coral Coast, just over 900 kms North of Perth. It is the largest town in the Gascoyne region and is known as the tropical gateway to the North, offering a mild climate with warm sunny winters and mild summers.
The area was first settled in 1876 with sheep farmers trying to find warmer agricultural land, and by 1883 enough settlers had arrived for it to be gazetted as a town. Today the town has thriving agricultural and seafood industries with a wide range of tropical fruits and vegetables grown on the fertile red earth along the Gascoyne River, along with fresh prawns, crabs, scallops etc caught from the sea.
Carnarvon offers pristine beaches and coastal cliffs, deep water fishing from its jetty, spectacular blowholes, a fantastic food trail that cannot be missed, brilliant displays of wildflowers and Heritage Trail where you can take a walk down memory lane.
Carnarvon Attractions
One Mile Jetty
The One Mile Jetty, at a length of 1,493 metres long, was built in 1897 to cater for the developing pastoral industry where wool and livestock was exported to Fremantle. Carnarvon was the first port in the world where livestock was loaded onto ships for transport to markets, and the jetty once had an animal race that ran the length of the jetty where sheep were driven from holding yards onto the ships.
Today the jetty is a great fishing spot for Mulloway, Snapper, Tuna and Tailor to name a few, and if you don't want to do the walk all the way out and back, then you can always catch the Coffee Pot Train.
Tramway and Town Walk Trail
Stroll along the 3km walking trail through Carnarvon as it takes you past the Tramway Bridge, Olivia Terrace, the Precinct railway line and One Mile Jetty. The Heritage Precinct has a fully restored Kimberley train that operated from the jetty to the town in the 1950's. The walk also includes interpretive signage of the region's flora and fauna.
Blowholes
Situated on a pristine coastal strip around 70kms North of Carnarvon are the spectacular blowholes. As the powerful ocean swells force water through the sea caves and up holes in the rocks, the water explodes into the air at heights of up to 20 metres, creating a fantastic sight.
Just 1 kilometre South of the blowholes is a calm coral filled lagoon with a pristine white sandy beach. The lagoon is ideal for snorkelling and there is a great camping area there.
Bibbawarra Bore
Located 16kms North of Carnarvon is the Bibbawarra Bore which still produces a continuous flow of water and reaches temperatures of 68 degrees Celsius (be very careful not to scald yourself). The bore was discovered in 1905 when they were searching for coal at a depth of around 1km. Today you can still see the remnants of a stock trough where the water travelled along the 175 metre long trough, cooling it as it flowed.
Access is only available on an unsealed road when the river is dry, so check at the Visitors Centre before proceeding.
Gascoyne Food Trail
Made up of Carnarvon, Exmouth and Shark Bay, the Gascoyne River region is a major food producing bowl for Western Australia, with tropical fruits, succulent seafood and temperate climate fruit and vegetables.
From Carnarvon you can drive along the scenic North and South River Roads which will take you past the heart of the horticulture industry. Along the way you will come across many plantation shops, cafes and roadside stools selling their products.
If you are in Carnarvon from May through to October then a visit to the Gascoyne Growers Market is a must. The market is open every Saturday morning over this period and is run by the growers themselves and the pride in their freshness of their produce. Here you will be able to buy a diverse range of fruit and vegetables, eggs and seafood, arts and crafts, all the while listening to the buskers.
The markets are plastic bag free, so remember to BYO bag.
Kennedy Range National Park
Kennedy Range National Park is located around 150 kilometres East of Carnarvon and extends for roughly 195 kilometres in a northerly direction from near Gascoyne Junction.
Perfect for a four wheel drive adventure, Kennedy Range National Park is the place to go camping under a star-filled night sky. Here, you're surrounded by pristine wilderness. Go bushwalking and explore gorges and sandstone cliffs, see native animals and birds, and look out over the vast plains of pastoral leases.
Rising up to 100 metres above the valley, the Kennedy Range plateau has dominated the surrounding plains for millions of years. With red sand dunes, Spinifex, wattle and mallee trees scattered throughout the area, this is what the Aussie outback is all about.
Bushwalking trails run from the northern visitor site and camping area, and take you into gorges where you'll see honeycomb-like rock formations.
The best time to visit is late autumn and early spring.
Carnarvon Weather - Average Temperatures and Rainfall
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Avg. Max (°C) | 31.2 | 32.5 | 31.5 | 29.0 | 26.1 | 23.3 | 22.2 | 22.9 | 24.3 | 25.9 | 27.4 | 29.2 |
| Avg. Min (°C) | 22.4 | 23.3 | 22.1 | 19.1 | 14.9 | 12.3 | 11.0 | 11.5 | 13.9 | 16.3 | 18.6 | 20.5 |
| Avg. Rain (mm) | 11.5 | 20.0 | 16.2 | 14.2 | 36.8 | 47.9 | 46.7 | 18.0 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 1.8 |
| Avg. Rain Days | 1.8 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 5.1 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.6 |