Journey to the Centre of the Earth

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There was only one problem with hiring a campervan and driving all the way from Broome to Perth... we had to drive all the way back again to return it, a trip of around 2500kms in all! Fortunately however, we had saved the best for last - for our return route along the Great Northern Highway would take us straight past Karijini National Park, the jewel in Western Australia's crown.

First though we had to deal with the small matter of backtracking 600kms to South Hedland – where we spent the night (Monday 2^nd June) at a nondescript caravan park just off the main road – before taking the inland highway a further three hours south the next day to the Karijini turnoff. It was along this stretch of road that we passed some of the longest road-trains we had encountered on the entire trip – many of them four trailers long and with over eighty wheels – before winding our way up through the rugged Munjina Gorge, on the boundary of the national park.

Formerly known as Hammersley Range National Park, Karijini (meaning simply 'hilly place') was the name by which the local aboriginal people referred to the region. But while the name itself might sound nice, it gives little indication of the natural beauty contained within the park's borders. For hidden deep within the red earth is a network of spectacular inter-connected gorges, created and perfected by mother nature over the course of billions of years.

Entering Karijini from the east, we headed straight to the Dales Gorge Campground where we were able to secure a campsite for two nights. After setting up the van and filling up with a lunch of toasted sandwiches (the less said about Linda's battle with the campground barbecues, the better!) we set off along the walking path to Dales Gorge, where our first view of the gorge – with Fortescue Falls clearly visible - from a viewpoint perched on the rim was most impressive. From the viewpoint we then followed a hiking trail down into the gorge for a closer look at Fortescue Falls, before continuing on to the magnificent Fern Pool – which not surprisingly features quite prominently in the promotional material for Karijini.

With the same stream that later flows over Fortescue Falls dropping from an overhanging rock ledge (underneath which the numerous ferns that give the pool it's name can be seen) into a beautiful plunge pool surrounded by bushes, trees and striking red cliffs, Fern Pool truly is a magical sight to behold. The site is also considered to be sacred by the local aborigines, and as a result visitors are asked to show respect by refraining from making excessive noise and by using a small steel ladder to climb into and out of the pool rather than diving in (partly for safety reasons, but also to keep the noise down). All of which, when combined with the secluded setting, only adds to the overwhelming feeling of tranquility at this very special place.

While I swam over to the waterfall for a makeshift shower and shoulder massage, Linda sat quietly by the ladder with her feet in the water, clearly fascinated by the resident small fish who soon crowded around, and – once they had become accustomed to her presence – started to nibble at her feet! With only a handful of other people around we couldn't help but be seduced by this wonderful little beauty spot, and as we made our way back up towards the campground it was fair to say that we had already fallen under Karajini's spell!

The next morning we polished off breakfast, loaded our backpacks with snacks and water, and set off to explore Dales Gorge more thoroughly. From our campsite it wasn't far to a viewpoint high above Circular Pool – where the gorge comes to an abrupt and spectacular end with sheer cliffs on three sides surrounding a small pool into which water seeps from the rocky walls. From there we followed the Gorge Rim trail alongside the top of the gorge - marvelling at the spectacular views along the way - before arriving back at the viewpoint high above Fortescue Falls that we had visited the previous day.

From there we re-traced our footsteps from the day before down into the gorge, past Fortescue Falls and back to Fern Pool for another refreshing swim (Linda once again finding the water much colder than I did – which had become a recurring theme throughout the trip!) before back-tracking to Fortescue Falls to pick up the Gorge trail that follows the riverbed all the way back to Circular Pool.

And what a trail it was! In places clinging to the base of the sheer cliffs, while at others it crossed the water on strategically placed stones, this certainly wasn't your average hiking trail. But then again, nor was the scenery like anything you would expect to find anywhere else, with the sheer rock walls on either side of the gorge made up of layer upon layer of red rock separated by dead-straight horizontal layers of blue/grey iron ore. Rarely in nature do you find such perfectly straight lines; nor the right angles that appear where a block of earth has been dislodged and fallen from the cliffs.

Eventually, after innumerable photo stops along the way, we made it to the natural amphitheatre of Circular Pool – where no matter how cold the water was (and it was definitely pretty cold!) we were determined to go in for a swim. Interestingly though the water trickling into the pool from a waterfall that springs out of the sheer rock face was considerably warmer, as it is naturally heated by the earth as it passes through the rock on it's way down into the gorge.

Feeling refreshed and relaxed, we finally tackled the short but steep trail up out of the gorge not far from Circular Pool, stopping to marvel one last time at the views from the top before we headed back to our campsite for the evening – where Linda once again managed to cook up a storm in spite of her cramped surroundings, as a blanket of stars twinkled away overhead.

Thursday saw us leaving the campground at Dales Gorge and following the scenic Banjima Drive (which despite being unsealed and very dusty beyond the visitor centre was actually the best dirt road we had driven on during the trip) through the national park, before taking the short side road to Knox Gorge – where our first view of the gorge was nothing short of spectacular!

Perched precariously on the edge of the precipice overlooking a ninety-degree bend in the river, there could hardly be a better vantage point from which to get an overview of the chasm below. After snapping a couple of pictures, we set off to investigate the gorge more closely – which meant negotiating the steep climb down by skirting alongside an extensive scree slope all the way to the riverbed at the bottom, where the walls of the gorge soon closed in on either side until it was probably no more than fifteen metres wide.

Upon rounding the right-angle bend in the gorge the shade that we had encountered until now gave way to blinding sunlight, which lit up the rock behind us causing it to glow bright red, whilst also illuminating the turquoise-coloured pools at our feet. The result was positively mesmerising. Eventually we reached the end of the trail, where the walls of the gorge enclosed another small but picturesque pool, from which the stream then flowed down through a narrow gap and disappeared from view into the depths below.

Turning back the way we had come, we passed pool after pool of beautiful clear water until we decided that enough was enough and we really should take advantage of our surroundings by cooling off in one of these natural swimming holes - though naturally with the stream seeing so little sunlight the water was a little on the chilly side! After warming ourselves up on a rocky ledge, we headed back into the shade of the upper gorge before tackling the calf-burning climb back up to the top, delighted with our discovery and keen to see what other secrets Karijini had to share with us.

We didn't have to wait long. Just a few kilometres back down the road towards Banjima Drive (and directly opposite the Karijini Eco Retreat where we had booked a campsite for the next two nights) we stopped off at Joffre Gorge. From another scenically located viewpoint perched atop the near-vertical cliffs we had a somewhat distant view of Joffre Falls, where a small stream could be seen trickling down the cliffs from the plains above to the pool below (though as with most other waterfalls in Karijini the trickle turns to a torrent in the wet season).

From the viewpoint we followed a trail around past the top of the falls to a small side gorge, where we were then able to scramble our way down the steep rocky slope into the depths of the main gorge, eventually ending up beside a picturesque pool at the base of the sheer cliffs directly beneath the viewpoint. From there we could make our way through a narrow gap in the rock to the amphitheatre-like cirque containing Joffre Falls and it's secluded plunge pool, before enjoying another brisk but refreshing swim in the crystal clear turquoise waters back at the main pool. As with Knox Gorge this was as picturesque a swimming spot as one could possibly hope to find – and we had found two such places in the one morning!

After making our way back up to the car park, we were soon pulling into the Karijini Eco Retreat where we took advantage of the opportunity for a rest and some lunch; before heading off once more later in the afternoon to tackle the bumpy but scenic drive to the end of Weano Road - where the Weano, Red, Joffre and Hancock gorges all meet. With only a couple of hours daylight left in the day we had to make a choice, and so we ended up heading down into Hancock Gorge for our third and final hike of the day.

With a sheer cliff on one side and a brilliantly-layered, steep wall on the other side – that turned out to be perfect for clambering up, down and around on - this was perhaps my favourite of all the Karijini gorges. Having made our way to the aptly-named Amphitheatre we then took our shoes off and tackled the Spider Walk, where the base of the gorge narrows to only a few feet wide and progress is made by straddling the stream with one foot each on the sheer walls on either side, so as to avoid having to walk through the water - which despite being only a few inches deep as it rushes down the slope would almost certainly result in a fall due to the smoothness of the rock underneath.

After successfully negotiating the Spider Walk without any thrills or spills, we came to the magnificent chamber containing Kermit's Pool – where the water almost seemed to glow against the dim background of the shaded red earth, with the gorge having narrowed to such an extent that only in the middle of the day would the chamber be illuminated by direct sunlight. A chain hanging above the outlet stream behind Kermit's Pool made it clear that this was the end of the trail, though even without the warning sign common sense would dictate that to go any further without any safety equipment would be inviting disaster, for the water from Kermit's Pool rushes down through a narrow chute into another pool surrounded by overhanging cliffs; and from there down another chute and into another sheer-sided plunge pool.

Nevertheless, one could hardly be disappointed by the scenery on display up until this point; and though Linda and I agreed that the water was too cold to go swimming in without any direct sunlight to warm us back up afterwards, it was with wide smiles on our faces that we re-traced our footsteps back up out of Hancock Gorge, stopping frequently to appreciate (and photograph) the unique and stunning surroundings in which we found ourselves.

And then just to top off an already amazing day, we got back up to the car park with just enough daylight left to head to a pair of nearby (and deservedly-renowned) lookouts, located on the very lip of the gaping chasm that we had just explored. From Junction Pool Lookout we could see right down into the deepest part of Hancock Gorge, where it narrows to a width of just a few metres before opening out into the relatively-broad expanse of Junction Pool; while from Oxer Lookout we were greeted by the sight of all four inter-connecting gorges converging at the aforementioned pool, appearing as a series of almighty red slashes in the earth. Surely there could be few other such places in the world where four deep, narrow (and truly spectacular) gorges meet, and we were privileged to have born witness to such an astonishing showcase of Mother Nature's artistry.

For our fourth and final day in Karijini, I was up at the crack of dawn to embark on an eco-adventure tour (the 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth') with West Oz Active Tours – which Linda had pulled out of so as to put the money towards her dive course in Exmouth. After signing our release waivers and getting kitted out with all manner of protective gear - which included full-length wetsuits (worn under two thermal vests!), harnesses, helmets, rock sandals and various pieces of roping equipment – our small group (just five guests and three guides) were on our way back along the same bumpy dirt road that Linda and I had followed the day before. But this time we would be heading down into the lower depths of Weano Gorge, where we were soon floating through the icy cold water on our inflatable tyre tubes! Lying back on our makeshift rafts whilst peering up at the towering rock walls on either side of the gorge was a truly sublime way to start the tour, and had us all eagerly anticipating the adventures to come.

After negotiating a series of narrow passageways and small pools by a combination of walking and paddling, we stopped for morning tea (coffee and a muesli bar) before tackling our first roping activity for the day – a short traverse and descent into the aptly-named Handrail Pool. From there we negotiated a much longer traverse which led us to a magnificent natural amphitheatre, where our two younger guides were busily setting up a practice abseil from the top of a 10-metre-high rock wall, giving each of us a chance to brush up on our abseiling skills before tackling the 'main event' – a 40-metre abseil down Weano Falls!

Having perfected our abseiling techniques, we tucked into a hearty lunch as Pete (our main guide) finished the preparations for our upcoming descent – which aside from being a spectacular challenge also happens to be the only way out of Weano Gorge without backtracking, since the gorge comes to an end at Weano Falls, with the stream we had been following until now squeezing through a narrow chasm before dropping forty metres into the vast expanse of Red Gorge below.

One by one we stepped up to be roped in, before inching our way one step at a time over the edge and down the side of the cliff – which, despite the flow of water over the falls amounting to little more than a trickle, was made considerably more difficult by the fact that the rocks under foot were slick with moss! Eventually though we each made it successfully to the bottom of the falls, where we were able to take our first look around at Red Gorge – before making a beeline to a small patch of sunlight shining onto the far wall of the gorge where we able to regain some of our lost body heat!

As I watched my fellow 'canyoneers' negotiate the descent of Weano Falls, I had to marvel at the ability of the guides to take a group of people whom they have never met (who may or may not possess the necessary skills or abilities to complete such a challenging trip) and bring them all the way down into the deepest part of Karijini – more than one hundred metres below the surrounding plains – negotiating some of the most challenging (not to mention awe-inspiring) terrrain imaginable... and to do it SAFELY!!!

After taking in the enormity of our surroundings from the bottom of Red Gorge, we then set off once again in our inflatable tyre tubes to cross Junction Pool – where the waters of Joffre, Hancock and Weano Gorges all converge at the entrance to Red Gorge – before making our way through a narrow gap in the sheer rock walls into the bottom end of Hancock Gorge. With our backs pressed against the base of the cliffs (to protect us from possible rockfall) we deflated our tyre tubes and stuffed them into our backpacks, before pulling ourselves up with the aid of a rope through 'The Chute', where the waters of Hancock Gorge flow down through a narrow, slippery, natural waterslide.

It was here that one of the guides enlightened us as to why Karijini is so important and unique, geologically-speaking: for it is one of the few places on Earth that not only features such old, exposed rock (estimated to be around two-and-a-half billion years old) but where that rock is washed clean every year during the wet season; so that the red rust that gives the higher cliff faces their distinctive colour is wiped away from the lower portions of the gorge system, showcasing the incredible layering of the rock with it's bands of blue iron ore alternating with the brown rock. It was also an eye-opening experience to see just how high the polished rock extended above the modest stream flowing through Hancock Gorge – in particular at a tight bend in the gorge nearby – signifying just how high the water levels can rise during the flash floods that sweep through Karijini during the frequent storms and heavy downpours of the annual wet season.

It was during one such storm in 2003 that two tourists were injured and became trapped in separate areas of the gorge system simultaneously – one with a broken ankle in Weano Gorge; the other with suspected spinal injuries in Hancock Gorge. Special Emergency Service volunteers were called in to perform dangerous rescues, but were only able to rescue one person at a time. After extracting the man from Weano Gorge in the evening, they were forced to work through the night to try to rescue the woman from Hancock Gorge. It was during this attempted rescue – and well after midnight – that a flash flood ripped through lower Hancock Gorge, sweeping the injured lady and four rescuers downstream.

Miraculously three of the rescuers and the injured woman survived and were rescued the following day; but one of the volunteer rescuers, Jim Regan, had not be so lucky. His body was found the next day in a small pool just downstream from Kermit's Pool – which now fittingly bears his name. And it is directly above here, at the spot where his body was recovered from the gorge that had claimed his life, that a solitary cross bears testament to his bravery and sacrifice – which Linda and I had visited on our way to Oxer Lookout the day before.

It was to Regan's Pool that we headed next, where we first tried our hand at free climbing (though as always with a safety rope attached) in order to bypass the overhanging cliffs surrounding the small pool; before performing our final traverse higher up the rock wall which brought us out of the restricted area and into the narrow chamber enclosing Kermit's Pool. As the guides gathered up all the safety ropes behind us (which they have to set up and take down every day) we peered back into the depths of the gorge below, each of us lost in our thoughts as the overwhelming beauty that we had witnessed over the preceeding six hours or so began to sink in.

Just as I had hoped it would be, the tour had proven to be a fitting finale – not only to mine and Linda's time in Karijini; but to our entire West Coast road-trip. For though we still had the best part of 1400kms to cover in the following two days, there would be very little time for sightseeing – and even less sights actually worth seeing!

In fact the only real 'highlights' to speak of between Karijini and Perth (with the exception of the utterly unique Spanish monastery town of New Norcia, where we spent the final night of our trip) were encountered on the road itself, in the form of semi-trailers carrying such giant loads as to make their support vehicle's 'Long Wide Load' warning signs look totally inadequate! It seemed as though with each passing truck the loads on their trailers would get progressively larger, until we found trucks coming toward us with not one but two support trucks out front – at which point we knew it was time to get off the road to allow whatever behemoth might be approaching to pass! Seriously, some of the loads on the back of these trucks were wider than the road itself - both lanes and shoulders included - and we found ourselves excitedly pulling off the road and reaching straight for our cameras each time we spied a support vehicle with flashing lights coming toward us in the distance!

But just as all good things must come to an end, so too did our road-trip after two days full days of driving, as we finally caught sight of Perth's unmistakeable city skyline. We had been on the road for 43 days, driven almost 10,000 kilometres, and seen some of the most spectacular and unforgettable sights imaginable... and all without killing each other or breaking up! All that was left to do was to check into our hostel in the city, dump all of our belongings in our room, and then stop off at a self-serve car wash on the way back to the Wicked Campers depot to make sure we got our $100 bond back. And then just when we thought the final chapter of our grand adventure had been written as we pulled up outside our hostel, Linda became violently ill in the passenger seat! But perhaps that's a story for another day...

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Photos

Karijini Classic
Dales Gorge from above

Cool Cascade
Fortescue Falls

Sacred Waterhole
Fern Pool

Sheer Cliffs & Tumbling Streams
Pausing to admire the view on the Dales Gorge trail

Natural Amphitheatre
Linda getting back to nature at Circular Pool

From Darkness into Light
Descending into the depths of Knox Gorge

Red Rocks & Clear Waters
One of many small rock-pools in Knox Gorge

Stunning Sight
Joffre Gorge from top to bottom

Rock-bound Cirque
Joffre Falls

Spider Walk
Hiking trail with a difference in Hancock Gorge

Angular Beauty
Scaling the layered rock walls of Hancock Gorge

Vertiginous Viewpoint
View of lower Hancock Gorge and Junction Pool from Junction Pool Lookout

Prepared for Anything
Deep in Weano Gorge on the Eco-Adventure tour

Mission Accomplished
Our happy group of canyoneers after abseiling down Weano Falls

Making it look easy
Ascending 'The Chute' at the bottom of Hancock Gorge

Secluded Stunner
Kermit's Pool

Restricted Area
View of Regan's Pool and lower Hancock Gorge from Kermit's Pool

Regan's Cross
A solemn reminder of nature's fury

The 'Centre of the Earth'
View from Junction Pool Lookout just before dusk

Oasis in the Desert
Karijini Eco Retreat

Outback Sunset
View from Banjima Drive at dusk