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Going to Carnarvon

Hello folks, last month I went to Carnarvon for four days and did so much stuff I’ve only just recuperated. It’s not ALL bananas and fisheries round these parts you know.

They’ve got a space museum! Did you know that?? And Buzz Aldrin opened it last year!! Yes you heard me correctly, little old Carnarvon organised for Buzz Aldrin to visit and officially open the doors of their Space and Technology Museum! (Carnarvon was actually a vital cog in the space race mission and putting the first man on the moon). Bet you didn’t know that eh?

They also host the annual Kickstarters Gascoyne Dash. I was hanging on for dear life and holding my breath as I flew round corners at over 200km/hour whilst taking a warm-up spin with Western Australia’s off road racing champ Brad Cooper. The Dash is a two day 500km motorsport event across the desert and it sets off from, yep you guessed it, Carnarvon.

There’s only one thing to do after entrusting your life in the hands of a motorcar driver, and that’s to have a mango smoothie on the relaxing train ride along the beautiful one mile jetty stretching out into the Indian Ocean. So I did.

But once again folks it’s the people and communities that make a town. Yes, Carnarvon has amazing fresh produce and fantastic sustainable fisheries in the Shark Bay World Heritage area (giving it the title “Food Bowl of the West”), an award winning Aboriginal Heritage Cultural Centre and an extremely interesting Woolshed Museum, but it’s the people of the town that make it worth visiting. There’s a real can-do attitude in Carnarvon. The residents here get up and make things happen.

So next time you’re making that trip from Perth up the Coral Coast for your holidays, at the 904km mark instead of driving straight through, pull over for a night or two and say hello.

Here’s a little song and video I made about my visit. Concentrate now, I did so much stuff I had to fit it all in somehow!

Tips and Tricks

Getting to Carnarvon

  • Skippers Aviation operate flights to Carnarvon from Perth and also via Monkey Mia.
  • Carnarvon is about half way between Monkey Mia and Exmouth (Ningaloo Reef) so perfect for a stop over on a Coral Coast self-drive holiday.

Where I stayed

My Insider tips

  • You can visit and experience some of Carnarvon’s working plantations and farms. Make sure to include Bruce Munroe’s Sweeter Banana Plantation and biodynamic fruit and vegetable farmers Wesley and Ketuk Basset’s Westut Plantation on your list.
  • Try the tasty kangaroo burgers at the café at Gwoonwardu Mia Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre.
  • Carnarvon has a lovely warm climate, so if you’re getting a bit hot under the collar, try the locally made Bumbaks mango choc-top ice-lolly to cool off.