Why your family will love Carnarvon in Western Autralia

Tracy Morris shares the fruits of Carnarvon and why your family will love visiting this sunny part of WA.

Lying on our backs looking up to the sky, my family and I hear the countdown begin: “Five, four, three, two, one … we have lift off!” The roar of jets blasts around us, as well as the sound of our own cheering and clapping, as we soar higher towards space – or, at least, experience what that might feel like.

We are dressed in space suits, all squished up inside a small shuttle for a simulated ‘blast off’ at the famous Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum. This is our first port of call in the town of Carnarvon, 900 kilometres north of Perth, with caravan in tow.

With its impressive 29.5-metre-diameter reflector, it’s hard to miss the mammoth space dish as you arrive into town. The museum is full of historic space technology, memorabilia and interactive buttons for little fingers to push. It’s fascinating to hear all about its past and the role this space tracking station played in the space race and moon landing.

Go bananas

The town’s other famous icon is the banana. Fun fact: Carnarvon was the first place in Australia to grow the tasty yellow fruit and is now known as the food bowl of Western Australia, but that’s not what impresses our two mini blondies. Here, bananas are popped on to a stick, covered in chocolate and frozen – the perfect treat as you explore the area and the colourful Fruit Loop Trail. Cruising along the trail we spot rows and rows of tropical fruit and veggies, stopping at stalls here and there for a nibble.

Nature’s delights

With our food supplies restocked, we take our rolling home 75 kilometres north of town to make camp at Point Quobba, famous for its blowholes and snorkelling. As we enjoy the views over the rocks we hear a mighty roar, soon followed by a huge jet of water erupting skywards. Although we are covered in sea spray, we can’t resist waiting around to see if the next jet eruption will be bigger than the last.

As the swell settles with the change of the tide, it’s time to enjoy the calm coral-filled lagoon known as the ‘aquarium’. Surrounded by bright white sand and filled with an abundance of marine sea life, it’s the perfect spot for Marli, our five-year-old, to learn how to snorkel. She is even treated to a visit from a sea turtle!

This untouched, wild coastline ticks all the boxes in our eyes, so we decide to stay a little longer. The kids play happily in the dunes each night as the sun sets, and with bellies full of freshly caught fish, we think: does it get any better than this?

This article originally appeared in Caravan & Camping with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here.

Planning a holiday to WA? You can read our complete family-friendly travel guide to WA here.

All images © The Blonde Nomads/ Tracy Morris