Karijini NP / Port Hedland / Barn Hill Station, W.A.

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16 - 23 April 2012

From the coastal paradise of Ningaloo Reef, we headed east towards the ancient treasure known as Karijini National Park. With an overnight stop to break up the long hot drive, one memory that sticks out was the plague-like proportion of flying bugs at House Creek Bridge Rest Area. Another one of those rest areas where you can't really shake that distant feeling that there could be some crazed lunatic hiding amongst the bushes - watching, waiting until you fall asleep to make their move... Even though I'm sure most travellers have that niggling feeling from time to time, you tend not to verbalise it because it gives the feeling or thought more credit somehow.





Karijini National Park is the sort of place that you just cannot miss if you are even remotely in the vicinity of that part of Australia. It's a fairly long haul in or out, up or down, however, it is worth every second of the mission into this remarkable place. Even the drive in to Karijini when you are nearing the national park is a sight to behold. The mountains rise up out of the landscape like monster waves with the unusual colourings of the red earth and rock speckled with the different shades of green vegetation. As the mountains get closer, you can't settle the rumble of excitement swirling around in your gut. Being in the bush and knowing you're about to see some super special sights and sites brings such a feeling of excited anticipation.



We were told not to miss Karijini and I would pass the same advice onto anyone and everyone. It did not let us down. We stayed at the Savannah Campground at the Karijini Eco Retreat on the western side of the national park. There were flushing toilets and even hot showers (solar) which thoroughly impressed us. We stayed four nights and that would be the bare minimum as there is a lot to see and so many fantastic walks and swimming holes.



We spent a day over on the eastern side of the park doing the steep walk down to Dales Gorge where we all had a dip in Circular Pool and near froze to death. We then headed over to Fortescue Falls which were breathtaking and did the walk past the falls through to Fern Pool which was just like a little hidden treasure - a turquoise coloured pool surrounded by bush with ferns overhanging the water and a waterfall to finish off the perfect picture. Most people could not resist the urge to get into that delicious looking water but there were a few people more hesitant as there were little fish that would constantly nibble at your feet which felt very ticklish. I thought it was great - swimming in paradise and getting a pedicure at the same time (I'm sure people pay for this kind of thing in Asia...)



The following day was spent around our neck of the woods where we did some walks around the Hancock, Weano and Red Gorges. There was Oxer Lookout where you can get a fantastic view of all three gorges meeting in one point. We hiked the steep descent to one of the gorges and took a dip but decided not to continue further with the walk as passers by told us it would be too difficult and slippery with the children. After the swim, we hiked back to the carpark and had a picnic lunch at the tables, where we proceeded to bump into a couple from the Northern Beaches - unbelievable!!



Our last full day was a memorable one - we walked from our campsite through the bush to the Joffre Gorge Lookout. Alex and I decided to scale down the side of the gorge wall to get a better look and we were confronted by the most spectacular view. We were standing at the bottom of the gorge looking up at the cascading waterfall surrounded by what seemed a perfectly chiselled circular amphitheatre. The water was so clear you could decipher each and every tiny pebble below the water's surface. After scaling back up the wall, we took a drive over to the other side of Joffre Gorge where mum and dad, Reef and Oscar could also view the falls from the top of the gorge. Next stop was the stunning Kalamina Gorge where we took a long walk through the bottom of the gorge and finished up with a swim back near the car park. It was a rather funny sight seeing each of us get in and out of the swimming hole. Dad had a large stick and was trying to lower us in and yank us out. There was certainly nothing sophisticated or poised about any of our entries to or exits from the water. We were struck by the uniqueness of Kalamina Gorge because you could actually take a long walk through this stunning chasm which seemed to go on for eternity. We didn't make it to the end but we saw the most amazing rock formations and colourings and had it not been so late in the day, we would have walked for longer.



Coming in to Karijini we had some pretty serious car trouble. There were moments when we were driving up a hill and the troopy would nearly come to a halt because there seemed to be no power getting though. On our last morning, Alex drove into Tom Price and got some advice and help from a mechanic down there. It was enough to get us comfortably back on the road and thankfully didn't cost us an arm and a leg. It had been a concern hanging over our heads and it was such a relief to be back on the road with a healthier car. So, in one way, we were relieved to be leaving Karijini (because we really thought we could be stuck there for a while) but in another way, even though I felt excited for what lay ahead, it was a little depressing to be leaving. Such a spectacular place and the vastness of the gorges and mountains is really very moving.



Next on the agenda we headed north west towards the coast once more. When you're in the bush, the thought of being back by the ocean is so exciting yet when you're by the sea, you can feel the pulling temptation of the bush. It's sort of strange, particularly when you have lived amongst the sea salt your whole life, but either destination has so many wonderful things to offer. If you are lucky enough to have a balance of both in your life, well... what more could you ask for?



Leaving Karijini, we had a couple of destinations in mind but (as usual!) we only made it to the first one. The second stop always seems to be just that tad too ambitious for us.. We try to limit the road trips to about 450kms max as we still have the pack down before the drive and the set up after arriving, as well as at least one stop in transit. This is quite possibly the reason it has taken us so long to navigate our way around the country!



We made it to Port Hedland which is basically a town born out of the mining industry. A difficult place to find accommodation, particularly as a tourist/traveller, but once again we found ourselves in a rather coincidental situation. After being turned away from our biggest hope of accommodation, we found ourselves at our 'last resort' for the evening. Considering it was already dark (damn you Western Australia for not having daylight savings!) we were lucky to rest our weary heads anywhere. The coincidence was bumping into John and Tracey who were the assistant managers for part of the time we were living in Coogee (Perth). The fact we bumped into them again after clocking up nearly another 5,000kms since Coogee in the troopy was pretty bloody amazing. Just a quick overnighter for us at Port Hedland as it isn't really the sort of place you want to hang around for too long. The swimming pool was a welcome relief though and was thoroughly enjoyed by Reef and Oscar.



After the next long drive, we found ourselves at Barn Hill Station where we pulled up our mobile homes by the edge of the cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean. We stayed a couple of nights and filled our day up with wandering along the beach, rocks and camping area of the station. The boys have loved having their nanna and pa travelling with them. Each morning it is a job to keep them away from mum and dad's campervan while they are still asleep and they are always in there rumaging through all the boxes of food. Mum and dad seem to have endless supplies of goodies so it's a real novelty for the kids as I'm sure they think the food in our ice box is so boring and not very yummy... A stand out memory of Barn Hill Station was the lovely outdoor toilets and showers. Although there were walls for privacy, there wasn't a roof so you could shower while the sun was setting and look up at all the beautiful colours in the sky. It was so much nicer than being in a shower block, although I don't think mum was entirely impressed by the ever-present frogs.



Well, for now it's back on the road and we are bound for Broome!!

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