Karijini to Broome by Maria

From Exmouth we started heading inland for the first time in ages, making our way to Karijini National Park. We were all pretty excited about going there having heard nothing but superlatives from the people who had been there. Question: Would it match the hype? Answer: Yes. Karijini is one of those rare places that meets and exceeds the hype created.

Fern Pool

Our camp at Dales

The drive in was interesting and at times scary. There are so many heavy oversized vehicles on the road travelling between the different Pilbara mine sites. At one point, we very nearly run off the road by one of these massive vehicles. The lead vehicle was way too close to the main trucks so we had almost no warning of the approach of two massive trucks carrying what looked like swimming pools! Both Michael and I experienced a huge rush of adrenalin when we actually made it rather than ending up in the ravine next to us. A truly Pilbara moment.

We camped at Dales Campground which is a massive camp area divided into smaller sections (or loops as they are referred to). A simple arrangement, which is managed very well with clean, basic facilities and a nice outlook over the surrounding savannah. We booked in for 4 nights which would give us enough time to explore the numerous gorges.

We visited most of the gorges and walked in the three main ones, Weano, Hancock & Dales. There were so many highlights it’s hard to describe them all. We loved the cool, clear waters of Fern Pool and were in desperate need of a swim (read bath!) when we arrived there. We were even treated to a fishy pedicure by the spangled perch, the little fish that nibble the dead skin on your feet. Can’t imagine why they liked mine the best... Hancock Gorge was amazing and quite the challenge for someone as uncoordinated at climbing as I am. Wading through the chilly water certainly added to the experience. Weano Gorge is where Handrail Pool is located: to reach Handrail Pool, you have a climb down beside a waterfall using a handrail – who’d have thought?

Getting a fish Pedicure!

My personal favourite was the walk we did on our last day which took us to Circular Pool, through Dales Gorge and then a final climb up Fortescue Falls. The walk to Circular Pool was like meandering through an ancient lost city (it looked a bit like the jungles near Angkor Wat) and the pool when was simply breathtaking. Teal green, crystal water. Towering ochre and red cliffs. Water trickling down the ferns on the cliff walls. The rest of the walk was just as beautiful with incredibly varied textures, colours & vegetation. And did I mention the serenity? We were alone for the whole of the Dales Gorge walk. Incredible.

Circular Pool

The Karijini Visitor’s Centre is probably the best one we have seen on our trip. We were lucky enough to have a rainy day on our second day which was the perfect time to visit and also meant we were in no rush to leave. Fantastic exhibits and information accompanied by a real insight into both the indigenous and pastoral history of the area. A quote that stuck with me was from an Aboriginal elder who said that when white man came to the area, they named the mountain overlooking the town of Tom Price, Mt Nameless. She said, ‘They never asked us what we called it. We’ve had a name for it for thousands of years.’

To confirm, yes, Michael does have speedos on.

As we drove around Karijini and the Pilbara, the only thing in my mind was the colours and finding some way to paint them. It was so peaceful and meditative. Seems I’ll have to investigate art classes back in Brisbane.

We spider climbed across the wall on the left

On the other side. Now Michael has no boardies on!

Handrail pool

From Karijini, we started making our way to Broome where we were meeting up with the Carius family. We stopped in to the busy hub of Port Hedland for a few groceries and lunch before driving to Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park. Now that was a surprise. You drive in the middle of nowhere, turn off the highway and drive through a station for about 20 kms and arrive at this absolutely massive caravan park on the beach. And it was chockers! Our stay there enabled us to clean the red dust off us, do huge loads of washing and explore the huge white expanse of Eighty Mile Beach.

A quick 700m trundle down to the waters edge!

Not a bad sunset either

We took a drive down the beach and then tried to walk to the shoreline. After half an hour and lots of squelching along the flats, we gave up and turned back. At low tide, it’s a massively long way to the water line! We were treated to a magic sunset that night before the next stage of our adventure.