Length: 2.6km
Duration: 0.75hrs
Grade: 4
Style: Return
Start: Z Bend Lookout Car Park
End: Z Bend Lookout Car Park

Location: Kalbarri National Park
Closest Town:
Distance from CBD: 585km
State: WA
Latitude: -27.64922856
Longitude: 114.455003

Keep the Trail Access info current...

Click Edit to Modify

Edit Access Conditions

Select items to indicate conditions for access to the trail.

2WD Access

4WD Access

Public Transport

Bitumen Road

Gravel Road

Steep Road

Winding Road

Speed Bumps

Vehicle Ford

Entry Fee

Large Car Park

Small Car Park

Accessible Parking

Accessible Toilet

Public Toilets

Drinking Water

Untreated Water

Picnic Shelter

Picnic Table

BBQ Facilities

Campfire Pit

Camping Area

Keep the Trail Features current...

Click Edit to Modify

Edit Trail Features

Kalbarri National Park...

Select items to indicate features found along the trail.

Concrete Path

Timber Boardwalk

Gravel Path

Sandy Trail

Rough Trail

Undefined Trail

Prams & Strollers

Manual Wheelchair

Motorised Wheelchair

Bicycle Trail

Mountain Bike Trail

Historic Rail Trail

Dog Friendly

Urban Walk

Coast & Beach

Historic Lighthouse

Waterfalls & Lakes

Rainforest Walk

Goldfields & Mining

Heritage Walk

Aboriginal Art

Alpine Region

Alpine Huts

Exposed Ledges

Rock Scrambling

Steep Terrain

Bush Bashing

River Crossings

Scenic Viewpoints

Well Marked

Drinking Water

Untreated Water

Fishing Spots

Swimming Spots

Overnight Campsites

Trail Running

Horse Riding

Z Bend River Trail is a 2.6km, grade 4 return hike, located in Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia. The hike should take approximately 0.75hrs to complete.

Hike Summary

For the more adventurous hikers, once admiring the views from the Z Bend Lookout, you can embark on the trek down into the gorge, meandering between boulders and river red gums to reach the Murchison River.

One of the most scenic locations in the Kalbarri National Park, the Z Bend is suitably named after the tight bends the Murchison River has carved into the Tumblagooda Sandstone gorge.The Z Bend can be admired from a lookout or it can be experienced first hand by taking an hour long hike descending down into the gorge. As you climb over boulders, through passages and down ladders, keep a look out for the endemic wildflower species Kalbarri Spider Orchid as well as many other wildflowers Pink Poker, Flame Grevillea, Starflowers and many more orchids and flowering natives. Once in the gorge if the season permits you can have a swim and cool off in the waters of the Murchison River, or walk along the rock edge and enjoy the calm surroundings. When returning to the Car Park ensure you take the time to sit back and relax, use the bbq facilities to enjoy a picnic lunch. As this is a gorge risk area, extreme caution should be used.

About the region

One of Western Australia’s best known parks, with its scenic gorges though red and white banded sandstone and its soaring coastal cliffs. Kalbarri National Park surrounds the lower reaches of the Murchison River, which has cut a magnificent 80km gorge through the red and white banded sandstone to create formations such as Nature’s Window and The Loop, Z-Bend and Hawks Head, with scenic gorge views at the Ross Graham Lookout and views of the town and river mouth at Meanarra Hill.