Wednesday, April 20th
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.
Circular Pool, Karijini NP |
It was easy on the way down! |
On the way to Kermit's Pool |
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 21st
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 21st
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.
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