The man, the van and me!: 2011

Sunday, May 22, 2011

On to Kununurra

Tuesday, May 17^th

A beautiful, warm morning and an easy start to the day. A citrus and stone fruit quarantine station is just 60+ km up the road so we juiced our limes and sorted the fruit. The smell of fresh cantaloupe was just superb.

At Warmun (Turkey Creek), we checked on the availability of helicopter flights over the Bungle Bungles but after a great deal of time the pilot realized that he was too busy to take us out and recommended the road trip instead. It is always difficult to know what is best value for money etc. so we decided to leave the Bungles to another time or check out Kununurra options. While we were in Turkey Creek we rang the Arts Centre to see where the rescued paintings from this flooded community had been stored, only to discover that they were just across the road. Fortunately the store room was open so we enjoyed looking at the brilliant work from this area which was Rover Thomas’s country. A meeting of the women in the community closed the gallery so we spent the next couple of hours waiting for Rosie to tell us when we could see some paintings. We checked online and saw some interesting works but they never look the same as the real canvas. Another hour later we became the excited owners of a Jock Mosquito painting – we wondered whether we bought it just because we loved his name!

The drive into Kununurra took us across some very scenic country with many different ranges on both sides of the road. The Kimberyland Caravan Park had been recommended and it was great as our campsite looked out over the Lily Lagoon, the pool was inviting and amenities spotless.

Kununurra

Wednesday 18^th – Monday 23^rd May

Kununurra was an interesting place, with the Ord River Diversion Dam creating Lake Kununurra and the large expanse of the Lily Lagoon. Further upstream another dam has created Lake Argyle but the wet has filled all storage areas and the water being released has ensured that the Ivanhoe Crossing, downstream from the town, is flooded beyond recognition. Apparently there is a 3m salt water croc living around there too! We watched a 1m snake trying to swim against the current with incredible determination but little progress.

The town , set against the backdrop of The Knob and the Mirima NP hills, was created in the 1960s as a service town for the Ord River Irrigation Scheme, which was set up mainly for growing cotton and some fruit and vegetable crops. The cotton failed in the early 1970s and now a sandalwood industry is being developed and the other crops are being eased out. It is now a town of about 8000 people, the vast majority of whom are Aboriginal although the extra people from Warmun sitting under the trees and in the shopping area added to that impression.

It was the time of the Ord Valley Muster, a 12 day festival centred in Kununurra but incorporating the Gibb Challenge bike race, a rodeo, the Kimberley Moon Music Festival, art shows etc so we chose a good time to be in town. Music Under the Stars in the Mirima NP; the Argyle Diamond Mine tour at which we met Ted Hall, an Aboriginal elder who told us of the history of the relationship between the Argyle Diamond Co and the 3 main Aboriginal groups who hold the land there sacred;, the Saturday markets; the Barramundi Concert - these were all events that we attended during our days in town. The highlight was our visits to the 4 art galleries where we saw some amazing paintings in ochre. The launch of the Halls Creek Art Centre with an exhibition at the Red Rock Gallery led us to an opening event with only a handful of people and the elderly Aboriginal artists.

Anne & Brian had left a message to say that we could make it into El Questro, so one day we set off form Wyndham, turned onto the Gibb River Road and ended up just 3km short of the station at a river crossing that was too much of a challenge. As there wasn’t phone reception at El Questro we couldn’t call Anne & Brian to come and pick us up L Emma Gorge was a good alternative and the freezing cold water at the base of a 65m slim waterfall was wonderful.

Alexander Forrest must have been an amazing explorer to traverse so much of this vast region. This part of the Kimberley is cattle country still and many of the homesteads were established by the early pioneering families, most notably the Duracks.

Broome, Dery, Fitzroy Crossing and the entrance to Purnululu NP

Broome to Fitzroy Crossing

Thursday, May 12^th

The morning was spent at the wonderful volunteer-run museum and then the art gallery in the old gaol. We also took photos of the old courthouse and the enormous boab and palm trees.

It was after lunch when we set off for Derby and we loved the drive through boab and termite country. The termite mounds looked like headstones in a vast graveyard and the boabs were a range of wonderful shapes and sizes. They are deciduous so some just had their huge seed pods hanging on leafless branches while others had lush green leaves as well as seed pods. We later saw seed pod carvings for sale in an art gallery.

The further we travelled, the more cattle we saw on the roadsides so extra care was necessary. The road verges had been cleared to make it easier to spot the wandering stock.

On the way into Derby we passed he Curtain RAAF Base and the site of the Curtin Detention Centre. Those poor refugees must suffer greatly in their isolation in this climate.

A stop at the Boab Prison Tree reminded us of the lawless state in this region in the early days and of man’s inhumanity to man. While it isn’t any different to the colonial settlements in India, Africa etc. it is still a shameful part of our heritage. However, at least now the story is being told so that others may learn from it.

We decided to take a detour to visit the Mowanjum Art and Culture Centre, about 4km out of Derby and what a great decision that turned out to be. The Spirit of the Wandjinas art works were stunning, the building designed to look like a wandjina from the air and when completed, it will be an amazing asset to the community. We were overwhelmed by the works and spent an hour there talking to the curator and director, learning about the artists, the building and the optimism of the elders in the community who spent 12 years bringing their dream to life. I loved the explanation that when there was a shortage of funds eg. for the book publication, the elders said, “Don’t worry, we’ll paint the money.” Staff from the Curtain Detention Centre were coming in the evening for a special viewing and we were invited to join them but we much prefer to browse in relative quiet than trying to look around 40 others!

Derby itself was a very spread out, quiet place, surrounded by mudflats and mangroves and the big caravan park had few paying customers.

Derby to Fitzroy Crossing

Friday, 13^th

Not an unlucky day for us at all.

An early morning walk around town took me to the shameful Derby Prison which was operating until 1975. The 2 open cages with their rings cemented into the floor so that prisoner neck and ankle chains could be attached again demonstrated the shocking treatment of Aboriginal people in this region. The information boards indicated that most of the people were arrested and gaoled over possession of cattle or meat – a 2 or 3 year sentence! These prisoners were then set to work on the jetty from which wool and cattle were exported until the road transport took over. The jetty was very long because of the huge tidal variations and the cattle were loaded when the ships were sitting in the mud.

Once again we visited the Mowanjum Art Centre, this time to buy a painting so that we had our own creation spirits and teachers. It took most of the morning to make a choice! There were many reasonably priced but of course the ones that I loved were the more expensive ones. As this is a community run gallery, the artists receive 60% of the price and the other 40% goes to pay the manager, curator and to keep the centre operating.

Back on the road again, more boabs, cattle and termite mounds, although these ones were a different shapes and colours.

In Fitzroy Crossing there were Aboriginal people sitting under the trees, standing around the petrol station and in groups under verandahs. The streets were wide and dusty and we drove to check out the caravan parks. The 1^st in town looked fine but there was no one staying there, the Crossing Inn had people in various stages of intoxication staggering up the road or sitting around holding loud conversations and the 3^rd was just beautiful!

Fitzroy Crossing to Mary Pool

Saturday, May 14^th

The Fitzroy River was a wonderful sight. Although no longer in flood, there was plenty of water flowing around the large sandbars, forming waterholes and ‘great fishing spots’. Sadly, the fish were aware of this too and stayed away!

At the Crossing Inn, the gallery, reception and everything was closed up but I managed to find a staff member of this community run organisation to open the gallery for us. Surprisingly, the art was mostly of the central desert style and as there wasn’t anyone to ask, we assume that the people here have connections with the centre or else they have had teachers from that region help them with their paintings. There were carved boab nuts here too as well as painted turtle shells, painted ‘saws’ from the freshwater sawfish and even some ceramics. The signs in the bar indicated the problems with heavy drinking in this place – no service for drunks, no spitting, no humbugging, no fighting etc.

Geiki Gorge was our next stop and the drive in took us through some beautiful scenery. Information at the entrance to the gorge was minimal but we set off on the longer walk – 2.2 or 3km depending on which sign we read but still a 1.5 hour walk. The Fitzroy River cut its way through the rock but as the river bed was very wide, the effect was attractive but not spectacular.

As we returned to town to the locally owned IGA, we saw that there were some big developments in facilities at the high school and that many of the locals lived in well-maintained houses away from the river, although at the supermarket there was a lot of rubbish lying around the carpark.

The afternoon drive towards Halls Creek took us through some beautiful scenery, low ranges of rocky outcrops and mesas, flowering wattles, a red-flowering grevillia and constantly changing plant life.

Our planned stop at Mary Pool delighted us as we drove across the road fording the Mary River to a large campsite with huge white-limber eucalypts, shady camping areas, corellas in their hundreds and many fellow travellers. The cooler night demanded windcheaters and long pants – we will need to collect firewood for the trip further inland. An amazing thought after months of hot weather.

As we wanted to visit the Yiyilili community’s art gallery and it is open on weekdays, we decided to stay another night at this beautiful spot and go back to the Laarri Art Centre on Monday.

Sunday, 15 May 2011

Those corellas were up before first light, screeching and organising their flocks, then the cacophony stopped and all was quiet for an hour or so .... but too late for us to go back to sleep. We moved 50 metres to a spot overlooking the river once the campsite had cleared and enjoyed sitting in the shade, reading, walking along the river and just enjoying this very relaxed way of life. We also had our first camp fire even though it was not particularly cool and we enjoyed a mozzie free night.

Mary Pool to Purnululu NP turn off.

Monday, May 16^th

Instead of an early departure, we ended up chatting to Steve & Jan, our camping neighbours, sharing our travel stories.

The drive into the Yiyili community was beautiful as the flood plains were covered in grasses and the rocky outcrops had slim, white-trunked eucalypts growing on them. The art gallery was part of the school and there had been a great deal of money spent here on new structures as part of the BER program. Regardless of some of its failures, the BER money has made an incredible difference to the infrastructure in schools across the country. The principal artists were the 4 generations of the Cox family and there was a strong focus on design. The acrylic colours were vibrant and it was a modern style of painting, exceptionally colourful and symmetrical. We were pleased that we had visited although our only purchase was a CD of music by the Walkabout Boys who were all members of the local community.

The drive to Halls Creek was more interesting than expected due to the number of ranges in the area and the reappearance of the magnificent boab trees. Halls Creek had a dusty collection of buildings, an art centre that was closed, public toilets that were closed or filthy and the place had a very scruffy air. We went to the TAFE to look at art works but with price tags of $400 we felt that they were overpriced and we were not prepared to pay despite the fact that all of the money went back to the artists, which is most unusual. We ended our visit by going to the Great Wall, a quartz reef that had been exposed as the softer rocks around eroded. It was worth visiting but we decided to head off to find our camp for the late afternoon and evening.

The planned site on the Ord River was closed so we found the next one just 7km along the road where some now familiar campers were settled, including Robert & Barbara from Cape Leveque. Anne & Brian must have travelled very quickly from Broome as they were now at El Questro. The topic of discussion at this camp was all about the Purnululu NP and whether the campsites there were open or just the road etc. Many frustrated Gibb River Road travellers here as well.

Cape Leveque & Broome

Barn Hill to Cape Leveque

Friday, May 6^thto Tuesday, May 10th

Fond farewells, exchange of phone numbers and on the road again. Stock feed lots on the wide plains towards Broome, lush green grasses and broad plains.

Broome seemed an interesting place, with its multi-cultural past and present visible in Chinatown, buildings of corrugated iron, huge mangrove swamp areas and tidal flats. However, this was the day for organising for Cape Leveque, collecting the 4WD and Wako and heading off up the unmade road.

Imagine our surprise as we drove down the main street and the phone rang and Lizzie Ciszik asked if we were in Broome.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Well, Joel is running down the street after you! Could you please send him back to eat his lunch!”

Amazingly, it just happened that Joel and Lizzie were in Broome for some presentations of awards to builders and were staying out of town at Cable Beach but had come in for lunch. Unfortunately, we needed to collect the car so that we could only chat for a short time but it was wonderful to see some familiar faces.

The trip up took about 2.5 hours to cover 200km. About half of the road was unmade and very sandy. At Cape Leveque, the Kooljaman wilderness camp was a surprise to say the least. The girl at the tourist info in Broome had recommended staying in a Beach Shack at $65 per night rather than camping at $36 per night. The shack Ungug turned out to be just a few posts with some palm fronds over the top! Admittedly, we were right on the beach .... but facing the direction of the prevailing winds! Our little tent was battered during the 2 nights there, the rain came down, our thin mattress meant that we had little sleep ... and it wasn’t as beautiful as Barn Hill! The Wako wouldn’t work, so we also worried about our food perishing! For our 3^rd night we moved over to the campground which was more sheltered from the wind and offered a lovely view of the sunset, however we were pleased to leave and explore other places on the Dampier Peninsula.

The highlight was One Arm Point, where we visited the aquaculture centre and learned about the trochus shell trade with Italy and the restocking of the reefs in the Buccaneer Peninsula. The community was clean and tidy, the people well groomed and everything was well presented.

I visited the school, met Carol the Principal, and we vowed to return to work in this region ASAP! Boisterous but respectful was Carol’s description of the kids J It seems that the community really supports the school and involves staff in cultural activities too. We ended up buying a book about the culture of the people there that had been published by Magabala Press. Carol kindly gave me a school calendar and an application form for registration to teach in WA!

As we headed back towards Broome, we visited the very well kept Lombadina Community and Hunter’s Creek campground, although we couldn’t find the creek! We also went to Beagle Bay to see the church built by missionaries and their stolen generations of people. The building was simple and beautiful and the alter was covered in mother-of-pearl. The arched windows had borders of large pearl shells. The night was spent at the pretty Quandong Point free camp, just a few kilometres from James Price Point where we later learned that the Aboriginal people had reached an agreement with Woodside for the establishment of an LPG hub on the pristine coast.

Our night at Quandong was spent with the most persistent flies and mosquitoes that we had ever encountered and we were forced to take refuge in our tiny tent as soon as the sun had set! What a catastrophe of a journey it all was except for discovering that there could be plenty of relief work available if we provide our own accommodation (and 4WD vehicle – a new travelling outfit for 2012 and beyond will be needed). However, it is all part of the travel experience and a sense of humour is essential.

We were back in Broome early to escape mozzie attacks, so used the time with the 4WD to explore Cable Beach, where we saw camel trains; the lighthouse where eagles had built an enormous nest on a platform below the light; the racecourse where the beach polo teams were organising their horses; the deep water port and Chinatown. Our site at the caravan park on the town beach gave us a wide view of Roebuck Bay. I loved the sign that said not to walk on a particular part of the beach as it was a ‘reptile breeding area’ – no mention of the ‘C’ word!

Dinner at the Roey pub meant a no-cooking night but wasn’t worth it!

Wednesday, May 11^th

A call from Anne & Brian led us to meet for coffee in town after doing the basics – washing, cleaning etc. After a couple of hours wandering into galleries, pearl and shell shops and lots of talking, we agreed to meet for dinner, so the rest of the afternoon was spent preparing for our departure for Derby and beyond.

Dinner at the Sunset bar & Grill at Cable Beach was awful! Expensive, poor quality food at the bar or $55 per head for a buffet and main course! We ate at the high tables and chairs outside but did not enjoy the meal at all. However, the company great!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Shark Bay to Exmouth

Shark Bay to Carnarvon & Point Quobba

Sunday, April 10^th

The view was just as beautiful in the morning light but there weren’t any sharks or fish visible in the shallows this morning, so we were truly lucky yesterday.

As this was to be a day of 350km travel, we headed off to Shell Beach early. The informative signs were excellent and gave an overview of the present-day use of shell grit and the cutting of shell blocks to maintain the public buildings in Denham. It is a beautiful building material, with great insulation qualities, but the mining is not sustainable in a large scale.

The rest of the morning was spent on the road and our occasional stops saw us limit our time outside in the heat with the flies.

As soon as we opened the door at Carnarvon we were aware of the tropics. Gone was the dry heat, here was the humidity of the north-west coast. The banana plantations and rich red/brown soil of the vegetable farms and the water laying on the roadside indicated why this area produces 1/3 of WA’s winter fruit and vegies. The locusts in the air also indicated that the crops were there for the taking!

We ventured out to look at the 1-mile jetty, saw the catamarans racing on the inlet and the boats at the Yacht Club, then had lunch on the nicely established estuary in the company of 3 lovely French girls who were travelling around the country at a great rate of knots and having a ball. We swapped travel destination ideas and they told us that the snorkelling at Point Quobba was better than at Coral bay as the reef was only a few steps off shore. As Doug Simpson had recommended Point Quobba as a fishing spot, it seemed that we had all things covered for a few days.

The road to the point was undergoing major remaking as the recent cyclone had certainly done some major damage. There was plenty of water along the roadside .... and the storm clouds were building ahead of us.

What more can I say about WA fishermen’s shacks? Decrepit, rusty, an accumulation of the old and decaying, they line the point in their numbered disorder.

There were plenty of people about, snorkelling the reef which is just a step off shore, or waiting for the change in tide to go fishing. A number of large caravans also lined the road/camping area.

I quickly put on the gear and headed into the warm water. It was beautiful! There were white brain corals, branch corals and others in vivid purple, blue and green; clams that closed over when they detected movement above them; , amazing reef fish of all sizes, particularly the vivid blue ones about 3cm long, that knew that they didn’t have any predators in this marine park, swam around me. There was a lot of dead coral as well but the whole area was superb.

Later in the afternoon Graeme went fishing along the beach with lots of hopeful fisher-people and within the first 10 mins had landed a beautiful trevally.
Others along the shore were catching small ones as they were closer to the reef. GVS was going to stop then as we could not store or eat any more but he kept the line in for another 15mins without another fish anyway.

The storm clouds were all around us but it didn’t rain until the middle of the night, when the heavy tropical clouds opened up and GVS had to close the door and move the shoes, chairs etc that we’d left outside.

Point Quobba

Mon. April 11^th

Happy Birthday, Glenda. Enjoy that new camper trailer.

We woke to a sultry, cloudy day and the flies were busy even at first light. We could hear the swell breaking on the outer reef and watched as the spectacular waves hit the rock ledges and cliffs, sending giant sprays of water up over the reef. There was little wind and the skies all around were threatening but overhead it seemed fine. Many of the weekend campers had gone, leaving only the relatively few caravans.

We walked up to The Blowholes to see and hear and see the water rush up through holes in the ledges with each large wave that came in. It was spectacular and the colours changed dramatically when the sun came out momentarily.

We decided that we wanted to stay for a few days and not rush up to Coral Bay, although our time frame is governed by the Easter crowds that will invade Exmouth and force us to move on towards the end of next week.

Snorkelling, fishing, reading, watching the terns and sea eagles on the off-shore and relaxing were the order of the day and when the sun came out after lunch we took shelter under one of the beach shade structures and spent the day in and out of the water. The fishing was not successful but rather than wait and return to try again at dusk, we settled for baked trevally. The good life!

Tues. April 12^th

A strong wind shook the van all night, so there were many opportunities to look at the beautiful stars as sleep was fitful. The sky was a mass of luminous dots, the Milky Way was clearly visible and in the pre-dawn time one of the planets glowed brightly in the east. By morning the wind had eased to a strong coastal breeze and the clouds had been blown away so another beautiful day began.

I snorkelled along the reef again but the wind had stirred up the sand and it was only clear over the shallow parts. However, the range of coral, clams and fish was amazing and I saw more of the larger fish this time. My favourite though was swimming among the iridescent blue small fish that swam in large schools around the sandy parts of this bay.

By lunch time the heat was strong and the wind was up again, so we decided to pull up camp and head up towards Coral Bay, going via Carnarvon to restock and check everything. In the end we set off from Carnarvon after 3:30 and although I was not keen, we pushed on to Wannaroo Station, which meant that we had a 20+km trip on dirt roads after 5pm, the last 6km heading westwards into the setting sun. Not a good idea as the ‘good gravel road’ was a corrugated track, not much better than the ‘sandy track’ noted in our Camps 5 book.

We set up camp on the cliff above the beach and looked out at the reef and the rocks of the inner reef below. A nice place to spend the night.

Wannaroo to Coral Bay

Wed. April 13^th

Another glorious morning and I went for a walk to find the caretaker and pay our camp fees. A long walk along the 4wd track led back to the beach where I discovered that the caretaker was not there and would check our campsite later. We decided that this was not a good 2wd camp and should head off, so I walked back towards the caretaker’s van, stopping to talk to some people nearby who had been there for a few days but not enjoyed the experience. Our discussion led to a conversation about the Canning Stock Route and it transpired that they had volunteered to work on the water holes and fuel drops along the track and were most interested to hear about James Canning and his trip there in 2010 as part of the centenary celebrations.

Coral Bay was established as a village in the 1980s as the Americans had set up a naval base at Exmouth and some roads were graded but it still exists only for tourists. The arid and harsh climate restricted any form of settlement until the influx of marines, surfers etc prompted the sinking of a bore some 3000+ metres down to supply hot (65 degrees) and saline water for a small tourist industry. The cooling plant, sewage works, wind farm etc are all situated out of sight from the main area, behind a small rise. The one main road runs between the foreshore and most of the limited accommodation. We had not seen so many tourists in one place for a long while and it was not what we expected, however we booked in for 3 nights as it gave us a chance to snorkel the Ningaloo Reef and consider an outer reef tour. Great decision for me and GVS was happy with strong internet and phone connection.

Thurs. 14^th & Fri. 15^th

Coral Bay was a great place to see fish, coral and just chill out! Each day was hot and sunny and perfect for the beach or pool. I snorkelled along the inner reef, which was much further out than the Point Quobba reef and not as diverse in its coral or fish; we went to the daily fish feeding where large snapper that could tell the time arrived just before 3:30 each day and waited for their fish oil pellets; we walked along the beach and up through the dunes to the boat harbour and dozed in the afternoons when it was too hot to be in the sun.

Our trip out to see green turtles and snorkel on the outer reef was wonderful, made more so with the sighting of dugongs, swimming with turtles and reef sharks and the myriad of fish species out there.

The couple volunteering at the information kiosk were interesting to talk to and from them we learned about the road from Tom Price up to Karratha, via the Millstream NP, and we decided to change our plans and go through Karrijini but then up to Pt. Headland. Some considerable time was spent trying to establish the likelihood of hiring a 4wd camper in Broome and again in Kununurra to see Cape Levique and the Bungle Bungles, both essential things to do according to many recommendations, and the Easter break was causing some logistics issues, so tensions were mounting again until we agreed to see if we could change our options and stay on in the Cape Range NP over most of the Easter break and then head out to Karijini. So much time spent on the computer, planning, calling etc. but our time line for Darwin has put us back on a schedule. And the cost of vehicle hire in Broome is outrageous!

After a large caravan park, albeit with all facilities, we are anticipating a quiet time again in the NP, as each of our booked sites had limited places – 8 or 9 at each camp ground – and the lack of any facilities and water would keep many of the travellers away. Turquoise Bay is calling J

Monday, May 2, 2011

Karijini to Broome

Karijini to Port Hedland

Monday, April 25^th& Tuesday, April 26th

The Hamersley Range is superb and the drive from Karijini through the range to the Fortescue flood plain was spectacular. We took our time, stopping at a lookout for a view and to read about the construction of the road through a gorge. Amazing engineering achievement!

As we travelled, the number of road trains with 4 trailers increased, as mining does not stop for public holidays. The output of ore from Tom Price & Newman is incredible, but most of that ore goes by train to Port Hedland, so these trucks were going from smaller open cuts to the port.

All of WA is quiet on weekends and holidays but Port Hedland was like a ghost town. The main street was closed and deserted and the whole area was industry and port related, dusty and dry. We understood how Stu must have felt when he first arrived in Gladstone!

The Dampier Salt Co had huge stockpiles of pure white salt waiting beside its production basins to be loaded into trucks and onto ships and the trucks were constantly moving on the road, about the only sign of life!

As we needed somewhere to stay, to wait until businesses opened on Wednesday so that we could, hopefully, buy a new tyre, we visited the caravan parks and discovered that $50 at the TOP 4 was a bargain (but we only discovered this when we had driven around Port and South Hedland for ages looking for other options and finally booked into another in desperation, only to be charged $40 for a dry and exposed site inside a cyclone wire fence just off the main road.) We were aware that housing in Hedland was expensive and realised that many workers lived in caravan parks but it was still an eye opener to realise that the impact was to push up all accommodation prices to amazing levels and that service was not a necessary component of business as there was such a high demand – lump it or leave!

Trying to make the most of things over the couple of days, we went to a couple of parks and had picnics, walks along the beaches, visited the iron ore port

and cleaned and cleaned the van, ourselves and our clothes, as red dust had pervaded everything.

Port Hedland to Pardoo Station

Wednesday, April 27^th

A phone call to Beaurepaires brought good and bad news – they had a tyre for us but could not fit it until the following day L There was no way that we wanted another day in Port Hedland so GVS rang another tyre dealer who said that he would fit it for us. As it turned out, he not only did this but didn’t charge us. A good Port Hedland story!

The morning disappeared as we dealt with the tyre, shopping and fuel but we headed off towards 80 Mile Beach before lunch, feeling pleased to be on the road again. A stop beside a river about 80km north of Port Hedland was very pleasant and lifted the gloom of the past few days of industrial town life.

GVS decided to go to Pardoo Station, about 130km out of Hedland, so we headed down the dirt road, uncertain of what we would find although the big signs indicated fishing, bird watching, relaxing in the cafe or swimming in the pool. What we found was a 100,000 acre cattle station with about 80 sites, some accommodation in dongas, some powered camping and others, like ours, unpowered for $15 per night. The whole area had an incredible collection of buildings, from the Pardoo Store & Cafe to the enormous machinery sheds. Like many farms, Pardoo had its collection of machinery, earth piles and junk at the entrance!

Having chosen a site under some trees, we headed to the river estuary, about 4km down a dirt road. The mangroves were full of red mud crabs and mudskippers, there were gulls and kingfishers and the Santa Gertrudis cattle were resting in the shade on the grey clay mud under the mangroves. We could see large fish jumping out of the water and frantic schools of small fish racing to avoid being dinner for larger fish! Other fishermen were trying but small catfish were stealing their bait. Graeme spoke to a fellow who came in on a tinny and had caught a 90cm barramundi ! Something to aim for ...... next time.

As the mozzies drank our blood once the sun went down, we realized that we were now moving to more tropical climes and the book Capricornia by Xavier Herbert was an appropriate choice as these cattle ‘barons’ were still doing it tough!

Pardoo Station to 80 Mile Beach

Thursday, April 28^th

From the time that we left Karijini we hit ‘The Doldrums’ .... every sailor knows about sitting there, frustrated, irritable and waiting for something to happen J Port Hedland, Pardoo and now 80 Mile Beach had little to offer us. 80 Mile Beach was pretty, with lovely white shell-covered sand and beautiful blue water that wasn’t deep enough for swimming. The sunset over the water through clouds produced those stunning pink and purple colours and then the incredible red sun as it sank below the horizon and that was certainly the highlight.

Graeme joined dozens of other beach fishermen trying to catch something on the incoming tide but without luck. The only fish being caught were catfish and the people in WA don’t eat them, so they were thrown back. This was a place just for fishermen, many of whom drove onto the beach or had dune buggies so that they could drive away from the competition and wreck the beach in doing so. It was hard to tell how far offshore the reef ran but the stories of catching big fish and sharks abounded so interest was keen.

The weather was hot and humid and we were grateful for the afternoon cloud cover. This area was hit by a force 5 cyclone in 2009 and the trees had yet to recover their size and leaf cover so the only shade came from our awning. The before and after photos at the store showed the great devastation caused by the winds and the recovery, just 16 months on is impressive.

80 Mile Beach to Barn Hill Station

Friday, April 29th

A few drops of rain and a beautiful sunrise! The humidity was high but again the cloud cover kept the temperature down to a manageable level. Xavier Herbert, in the mammoth saga about Capricornia, had a wonderful description of the wet and dry seasons and how the presence of one leaves one longing for the onset of the next! He also wrote about the wet bringing insects of every dimension and variety into life .... thank goodness that the wet is (almost) over, as last night our outside lights brought us unwanted visitors in their 1000s, including flying ants that crawled down the back of our shirts then bit!

Having finished reading Capricornia, I am staying in the Territory with Mary Durack’s ‘Keep Him My Country’. In both texts the coming of white settlers into the harsh outback is described in all its complexity and the effect on Aboriginal people in graphic detail. While Herbert details the plight of the ‘yellow people’ (mixed race), Durack writes clearly of the problems for all of those trying to survive in the rugged bush and has many characters offering different approaches to the lives that they have been forced to lead or have chosen. The notion of the country getting into the blood is an interesting one, particularly as it related in the text to white men going ‘combo’ ie. taking lubras as bed partners. The issue of men’s need for sex is a major one in both texts. Hopefully I’ll be able to buy ‘Kings in Grass Castles’ in Broome to reread what was already an Australian classic when I was at school and refresh my understanding of the history of the Kimberley.

Barn Hill Station was a wonderful relief – great camping under trees, an interesting coastline and beach and lots of fish .... or so the story goes AGAIN!! The eroded red cliffs meet the sea in many places at high tide, while in others there is white sand and a few rocky outcrops. It was much more interesting than the 80 Mile length of shallow, tyre-track covered beach. The facilities are basic – corrugated iron amenities complete with snakes and green tree frogs in the toilet cisterns, rammed earth huts, a lawn bowling green of sorts – but during the ‘season’ it seems that the place is packed. Many come for 3 months or more. Mozzies drove us in for a while in the early evening, but our Bushmans worked quite well and the fishing and walking were fun. 3 nights or more here should be good.

Sat. April 30^th

With butcher birds warbling, magpie larks squawking and the Brahman cattle walking around and occasionally mooing, it was a noisy start to the day. Fishing and walking again on a sunny, humid day and Graeme had 4 turtles swimming around the rocks on which he was fishing while I found a shovel-head shark washed up onto the beach with ½ its side chomped out, presumably by a more powerful predator.

I continued my beach cleaning project, collecting plastics, bottles etc as I went on my walk. I’ll need to go back in the morning with a bag as the king tides brought a lot of debris up onto the edge of the red cliffs. Back to camp to be in the shade for the middle of the day, then back to the beach for a swim and to watch the sunset.

Sunday, May 1^st – Thursday, May 5^th

Barn Hill Station proved to be one of the highlights of the trip. Hot, sunny weather, interesting walks and fishing and very friendly and interesting neighbours kept us there longer than planned. We both felt relaxed and comfortable, even prepared to eat our way through our tinned food in order to stay on. We considered the 300km round trip to Broome to restock the fridge and pantry but decided that it probably wasn’t worth it. However, our neighbours helped us out by giving us fish, fresh and smoked so the chef produced some creative meals!

Karijini National Park

The 90km drive to Karijini NP took us further into this red-soiled landscape and we realised that there would be no escaping the dust. After exploring the beautifully designed information centre and paying for 3 nights camping, we went on to the Dales Gorge site where we set up in the Dingo area, which even had warning signs about dingos around the BBQ area. The sites here are quite well spread out, so there won’t be over-shadowing caravans here. As with Cape Range, we needed to be completely self-sufficient in food and water, so washing in a cupful of water would continue, although the swimming water in the gorges was fresh, so no lingering stickiness of salt-encrusted skin hereJ and the red dirt would soon cover every exposed surface anyway.

We headed straight down to Circular Pool, a beautiful swimming hole at one end of the gorge. The track down was steep but worth the effort. The water in the pool was very crisp, but the water flowing out of the rocks was warm, so a refreshing swim followed by a warm shower was the repeated action. Graeme supervised from a shady seat on the rocks.

The climb back up didn’t seem as long, although I needed to catch my breath a couple of times, then we spent the rest of the afternoon reading until I set off to explore the other walking tracks and the view down to Fortescue Falls.

We sat out and enjoyed the evening but during the night we were cold for the first time in months and needed a blanket on the bed.

Thursday, April 21^st

As the unmade road conditions seemed reasonable, having been recently graded for the Easter visitors, we decided to explore the western gorges before the crowds arrived. While the dirt road from the Visitors’ Centre across to the Weano area was generally fine, the drivers on it were not, and we were covered in dust as they sped past. One large tour bus passed us at such speed that we lost visibility for a few moments after it had disappeared behind us! However, the views of the Hamersley Range and the flat plains were superb.

Having decided to tackle the harder walk before the heat of the afternoon, we set off down into Hancock Gorge with the aim of swimming in Kermit’s Pool. The walk was steep and involved climbing down a ladder but the gorge was beautiful. Access to Kermit’s Pool involved climbing steep and narrow ledges or walking through the water. We opted to do the latter, so with wet shoes and clothes we arrived at a point where I decided that swimming through the gorge was the best option. GVS once again sat out on the rocks in the shade while I swam, slid over small waterfalls, climbed through narrow crevices and eventually swam in the small pool with its towering walls and beautifully cool water. It was a wonderful experience, as was the return trip where ‘spider-walking’ up the narrow crevice over the waterfall was great fun and a challenge. Four French girls walked in without getting wet and we saw them a number of times over the day as they hiked in each area, revelling in the more difficult terrain.

The return climb was hard work in the heat and it was Graeme’s turn to call for rest breaks along the way (he had the pack to carry) and we stopped at the car park area for a leisurely lunch before heading off to walk the Weano Gorge track and swim in the small pool there. The afternoon sun lit up one side of the gorge while the other was in shade, so I enjoyed the swimming and exploring further up the gorge, while Graeme read in the shade and watched the myriad of insect life – purple butterflies and a range of dragon flies, including spectacular blue ones and vivid red ones. The small pools were alive with insects and the only sounds were cascading water and the insect noises.

As we were unlikely to return to this part of Karijini during the rest of our stay, we decided to visit other gorges on the way back ..... a decision that we came to dearly regret.

The Joffre Falls were not interesting enough from the viewpoint to entice us to climb down and explore, after the earlier adventures, so we drove on to the Kalamina Gorge area, where some travellers pointed out our FLAT TYRE. Oh dear! The rough, rocky road into this gorge had taken its toll and poor GVS spent the next hour pulling apart the van in order to access the spare wheel, lying in the red dirt under the car and trying to keep his cool in the afternoon heat.

We were aware that we would need to return to Tom Price to have the tyre repaired but it was too late in the day to do so now, so we hoped that a garage or tyre centre would be open on Easter Saturday, as the long weekend was looming with Good Friday, Easter Monday and the ANZAC Day holiday on the Tuesday, it could be some time before we were able to continue our travels. We arrived at the Visitors Centre to seek help, just as the 2 women were locking up, but one gave us the number for directory assistance so we headed to the public phone .... only to discover that it was a phone-card only machine! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. However, after a quick look through my spare cards and I located one that I’d had for years and still had $4.50 credit. Bad luck, good luck! Tyre Power Tom Price would be open from 7am – 12 noon on Saturday, hooray, however they did not stock spares to fit our van so we must keep our fingers crossed that this tyre can be repaired. The alternative would be to head off to Port Headland, a trip of over 300km, without a spare tyre. Not a good thought. The Easter weekend was also a problem as all services were closed until Wednesday.

Friday, April 21^st

Another cool night and chilly early morning followed by a hot and sunny day in which the accumulated red dust, in and on the van was readily visible. Our campground filled up last evening but it was still a very peaceful place in which to stay. We spent the morning reading and writing before heading down to Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool for a swim. Such a beautiful oasis in the red-soil plains. I then walked along the Dales Gorge, a beautiful and varied environment with a wonderful forest of paper barks, small fish in the pools, butterflies and dragonflies everywhere, to Circular Pool where once again the cold water was refreshing and the warm water coming from the rocks was a treat. Graeme, meanwhile went back to camp to pull everything apart and remove the tyre (from under the chassis) so that we would be ready to head off early into Tom Price.

Once again we had a beautiful starry night to enjoy.

Saturday, April 22^nd& Sunday, April 23rd

Up and off to Tom Price to see about having the tyre repaired. The Tyre Power business was well signed and booming – 10 people there at once – but alas, our tyre could not be repaired so we set off to another dust-covered dealership and had a temporary patch put on to hold us out until Port Hedland. The rest of the day and the next were spent enjoying, on my part, the beautiful walks and swimming holes of Karijini. GVS, who doesn’t walk or swim, was of the opinion that if you’ve seen one gorge, you’ve seen them all.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Karijini National Park

Wednesday, April 20th

Circular Pool, Karijini NP

It was easy on the way down!

On the way to Kermit's Pool

We sat out and enjoyed the evening but during the night we were cold for the first time in months and needed a blanket on the bed.

Thursday, April 21^st

As we were unlikely to return to this part of Karijini during the rest of our stay, we decided to visit other gorges on the way back ..... a decision that we came to dearly regret.

Friday, April 21^st

Once again we had a beautiful starry night to enjoy.

Coral Bay to Cape Range then on to Karijini NP

Coral Bay to Yardie Creek Gorge in Cape Range NP

Sat. 16^th – Tues. 19^th

Another glorious cloud-free blue sky! A fine morning to travel to the next adventure after our few days of being in the coastal tourist strip and the 150km drive brought us into termite mound country and locusts before we hit the coast. We passed the defence installations, communications and airstrip before reaching Exmouth, which seemed to be a collection of motels and tourist facilities.

The road from the top of Cape Range to Yardie Creek, where we had booked a few nights camping, followed the coast with the range on one side and the ocean and camping grounds on the other. At the entrance to the NP, we caused some chaos when we couldn’t produce a booking slip and we later discovered that this was the first day of booked entry into the camping areas. WA’s NP camp areas have all been on a first-come-first-served basis and this is a trial of an online booking system. Bound to be some teething problems J

On the way down to Yardie Creek we called in at some of the other camping areas and discovered that they were all very exposed, small and mostly treeless. At Pilgramunna, our site for Monday evening, our booked site was facing the dry creek and the sea but there was no shelter at all. It turned out that our random booking of site 3 at Yardie, ‘some shade’ listed in the description, was most fortuitous, as it was the most shaded of sites and a very pretty spot.

It expired that we had 3 nights at Yardie Creek and none at Pilgramunna, as the Easter king tides flooded a number of camp sites and the campers were evacuated to day-park or over-flow areas. This also meant that we were unable to extend our stay longer than the 3 nights booked, as the whole of the camping area was completely full and would remain so until after Easter and the school holidays were over.

Our days at Yardie Creek were great, with snorkelling The Drift at Turquiose Bay, fishing and walking and kayaking up the gorge. The weather was hot and sunny and the nights were balmy. The Yardie Creek Gorge was not big but it was the first of the red-walled, rocky gorges of the north and a beautiful spot for kayaking, particularly in the late afternoon when the sun was setting over the ocean and the rays highlighting the reds in the cliff faces. Black-footed rock wallabies bounded over the steep rocks and euros (wallabies) were unafraid of humans.

We were the only campers on the first night, enjoyed ‘happy hour’ with our camp hosts Hazel & Bill and a young Sydney couple, Andy and Hayley on the second and were overshadowed by a large caravan on the 3^rd! It was also here that we met Alan and May, his Thai girlfriend, and rediscovered that 6 degrees of separation is not much at all, as Alan had close ties with Gerry from Mornington FC and spent a lot of time with him in Pataya where they live in Thailand. Alan also knew Trevor Dick, an ex-Penbank parent who went to live in Thailand some years ago.

Yardie Creek to Exmouth and on to the Pilbara

Tues. April 19th

The usual slow start to the day, the usual packing-up tensions, farewells to Hazel and Bill then on to Exmouth to re-fuel, stock the fridge and have a quick drive around the new marina area which will be wonderful in a few years time .... until the next cyclone!

Although we were sad that we could not extend our time at Cape Range, particularly as GVS had some success with his fishing and I loved the kayaking, we set off after lunch and travelled over 400km, exceeding our target in order to make the following day easier. Our late departure turned out to be a wonderful thing as once we turned eastwards, after the Nanutarra Roadhouse, the scenery was spectacular and the rays of the setting sun lit up the ranges in all their glory.

I lack the ability to adequately describe the beauty of this section of road at this particular time of day. The rocky topped small hills glowed in colours that ranged from rich red to chocolate brown and the spinafex mounds in shades of green and grey gave an illusionary softness to the scenery. As the wet season had only ended in late March, there was water along the roadsides, lush grasses growing beside the road and the white-trunked trees were yet to be covered in red dust. As we drove closer to the ranges, the scenery changed again and the rocky-topped hills gave way to rolling ranges that, despite their angular outlines, gave the impression of gentle green hills and valleys.

Our campsite for the night was beside the Beasley River, which was now a series of pools and home to hundreds of cockatoos, ducks, kookaburras and the prolific butcher birds. It also had a variety of dragon flies, flies and mosquitoes!

Beasley River to Dales Campground at Karijini NP

Wed. April 20^th

Happy Birthday Peter Thompson!

The kookaburras woke us before first light so we walked down to the river to enjoy the early light on the white-trunked gums, then set off around 7:30am – almost a record for us! The morning light ws harsher than the evening light therefore the ranges did not glow with the same intensity, but the mounds of spinafex and seemingly random short trees on the ranges, combined with water courses full of tall white eucalypts, provided spectacular scenery. Again we marvelled at the green-ness of the landscape and wholly recommend this time of year for travelling here, as later in the year the grasses would have died and it would be more like Mackellar’s ‘sunburnt country’ (and May begins the tourist season).

We avoided the wandering cattle and the occasional kangaroo and drove into Paraburdoo, to discover a township of many houses, 2-storey motel type fly-in fly-out accommodation for the mine workers, a shopping area and green grass everywhere in public spaces! No shortage of water for lawns here, although it may be recycled mine water. It is very different from the Paraburdoo of Ian’s experience in the early ‘70s, when there was a mine but no township.

Another 90km later and we were in Tom Price, again the lush green lawns of the parks belied the harsh environment. The caged-off shopping precinct indicated social problems, perhaps similar to towns like Roebourne, Karratha and Dampier. However, Tom Price was a pleasant place in which to have lunch and make brief contact with the outside world as phone and internet reception were excellent.

The town was named after an American who worked for US steel company in the 1960s and convinced mining companies and the government that ore stocks were great and the export potential huge. As BHP has just announced a $45billion development project in the Pilbara and Port Hedland is to be expanded to cater for the huge increase in exports, I am surprised that there aren’t statues of Tom everywhere.