Karijini and across the desert

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On Sat 7th we confirmed our route home....we would head south to Karijini NP and then make our way to Marble Bar and trek across the Gibson and Great Sandy Deserts on the GaryJunction Road. This was exciting as it meant we would be travelling through Princess Parrot country and some of the most remote parts of Australia. Coincidentally, this would also be covering part of the route that Midnight Oil and the Warumpi band traversed in their Blackfella-white fella tour in 1986, visiting a number of outback aboriginal communities ( which I have just recently read about in Strict Rules').We had all of our permits and would do further checks on the way to ensure communities open for fuel etc..
On Sunday we did our big shop, washing and caught up with our friends John and Col.Monday 9th we set off early and headed on the long drive down to Port Hedland. We arrived late in the day, set up camp had dinner and hit the sack as we were exhausted. Next morning we were on our way to Karijini NP. This is the largest NP in WA and it's touted as having the most spectacular gorges. On our way we stopped at what used to be called Mundjina roadhouse for fuel. Strangely, although we are in one of the hottest parts of the country, it is now called referred to as Auski Roadhouse! We arrived at the campground and although it was dry, dusty and relatively small, the backdrop of huge rugged escarpments and wide open plains was amazing. With only a little bit of light left for the day,we headed off to explore Fortescue falls. After traversing a steep descent of both man made and natural rock we arrived at a large pool with cascading falls- just beautiful. We had a refreshing dip and then made our way back to camp. The sunset was a brilliant array of reds, purples and a blaze of orange.

Next morning we headed to the other end of the park to check out other gorges and lookouts. The junction of the 3 gorges is spectacular, hundreds of metres down, narrowing as you descend. Although so rugged and picturesque people can be complacent about its dangers. It is critical here that if it starts to rain you must leave the gorges immediately, as they are quite narrow and surging water rises quickly. A reminder of this was a plaque dedicated to honouring and remembering all of the SES who regularly rescue people from the gorges. We then visited Kalamina gorge, the walk through was full of hidden treasures and pockets of unique vegetation and rock forms. The day ended with a beautiful swim in FernPool- an oasis and culturally important, natural pool.

On Thurs 12th we headed for Marble Bar ( reputation for the hottest place in Australia as it has the record for the most number of consecutive days -161 to be exact-over 37 degrees). This was going to be our last stop for fuel and any supplies before heading across the desert towards Alice Springs - a trek that would cover over 1600 km. We had seen a road on the map which would cut across to Marble Bar and save over 150km on our trip. We found out that the road was supposed to be in good condition and so we thought we would give it a go. Our information was accurate and although a large section was unsealed it was a terrific road. We arrived late in the day and stocked up on fuel and a few supplies and then we were on our way! We headed off on the Telfer mine road and out into the wilderness- very exciting! After travelling a little while, (on what was a very good road), we found a great bush camp at Nullagine River and set up for the night.

Next morning we headed off early making our way onto the Nyangumarta Hwy. This took us through our first of many remote communities, Punmu. This community is very small but as we found out they have a great school. We were invited to join their weekly assembly, which was fabulous. The kids were going through activities they had enjoyed on school holiday break, then sang their song and then they were off for the day- it's a great way to finish the week! We spent time chatting with some of the teachers, the kids and some of the locals, before continuing on. The sky told the story of a change coming and thunderstorms brewing, this was consistent with the long range forecast we checked before leaving. We made it to our bush camp at a rocky knoll. This was the most amazing spot. We set up and then walked up the Mesa to watch the sunset, and the surrounding landscape come to life with the brewing storms.After dinner, and just before bed, we trekked up the mesa again to take in the night sky. A combination of 360 degrees of stars and the distant lightning made this the most brilliant and special experience for us.

We woke early to find the weather rumbling and the sky colours amazing. The air was much cooler and we knew it was a privilege to experience a desert thunderstorm. We got rain!! It was fantastic and lucky for us our research on the condition of the road proved accurate as we could continue on even during the rain. It subsided soon and really just helped to settle the dust and it's the best smell- wet earth. We came through Kunawarritji, the next community on our journey and would prove to be one of our favourites. Here we stocked up on fuel again ($3.40 per litre- but better than walking,) and had the critical ice cream! On our journey here we had passed a car who were changing a tyre on the side of the road. We pulled over to see if they were ok and needed a hand. They said they were fine and asked where we were headed and we said Kunawarritji. They said 'we will see you there'. Now, upon arriving in the community we saw them and they said' you made it! We briefly chatted, they wished us safe travels and we were on our way.

After leaving we crossed the famous Canning Stock Route (near well 33) before getting to the junction which would lead us onto the Gary Junction Road. We were heading for Jupiter well as this not only is a little oasis in the desert but is where we were hopefully going to see Princess Parrots. As we continued on, the landscape was constantly changing - large tracts of sand dunes dotted with spinifex, patches of blood wood and marble gums and of course the desert oaks.The next two days we spent at Jupiter well searching for the rare and stunning Princess Parrots. Although our searches proved fruitless, we came across other special sights such as a number of abandoned out stations, working wells and amazing wildlife such as numerous sand goannas, geckos and a beautiful Inland Taipan ( which we of course stopped to get photos of!!!). Unfortunately, even though we did a night trek we didn't come across any of the inland marsupials.Next morning we packed up and headed off. After a number of hours we arrived at Kiwirrkurra, which was one of the most remote communities, being 140km from the WA/NT border. Again, an interesting little community with friendly locals. It is from here that we changed from WA time to NT time (1.5 hours ahead). We topped up on fuel and then continued on and made it the border. Not far along we saw the marker for the No.1 Rabbit Proof Fence and near Kintore found a great bush camp. This proved to be a wonderful camp as when we were spotlighting we came across a northern spiny-tailed gecko. Merlin managed to catch it so we then had a chance to take photos. Whilst Chris was lying on the ground getting shots, Merlin was ready in case it tried to dash off and I was on light duty. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this thing dart across so quickly and was heading this way, I managed to move the light to catch sight of it and it was a huge spider ( not sure what sort but not a huntsman) and was attractive to us because there were heaps of insects gathering around the light beam. I raised the alarm just in time so Chris jumped up off the ground and out of its way- we then proceeded to take photos of it!

In the morning we headed into Kintore (walungurru) to again top up on fuel and meet the locals. As we drove into the community, we saw their footy oval and it was great- red dirt but with the most scenic backdrop. We saw the police as we came into town and asked where the store was. He said it was shut due to some unrest after the weekend footy final. We chatted some more and asked if it was ok if we had a quick play on the oval. He advised to check with Maxi one of the local elders. Maxi was nearby with some other young men so we started chatting. They said no problems re having a kick and told us they were in the victorious team- the Kintore Hawks. We wished them well and headed off. The footy field was amazing and just the thought of being tackled to the ground on this field made me cringe in pain and admire these players even more. The field isn't just soft red sand, it Is as hard as concrete but has the added bonus of sharp rocks scattered throughout- these people are very tough. We left Kintore and along the way we experienced one of the highlights for the whole trip- was saw a Thorny Devil in the wild!! One minute we were driving along peacefully and next minute Chris is screeching to a halt and yelling out thorny devil, thorny devil!!! We couldn't believe it. Chris gently picked up this little guy in his hat and got him off the road for a start. Then we popped him down in a safe spot and got some pics. They are just amazing creatures. The spines/thorns actually aren't that sharp and their side and underbelly are quite soft and smooth. They can get up a bit of pace, but nothing like a goanna. We even got to experience their trademark ' jerky gait' which they often do to trick overhead predators. After a short time, we had our shots and enjoyed the up close experience with this amazing reptile, we found the most appropriate ( and safe) location to say goodbye and watch him wander into the spinifex and red sands. They would have to be the coolest creature around.

We then made it to Papunya. We stopped to stock up on fuel and the feel here was a bit different. Again they had a red dirt footy ground and although we didn't do kick to kick, we took a few pics because the backdrop was phenomenal! Chris said its lucky he isn't playing footy here- he would be watching the birds and wildlife instead of the ball. From here we kept driving til really late and then found a quiet little bush camp, set up, had tea and went straight to bed as we were exhausted. In the morning we packed up, did some birdwatching at a nearby waterhole and then headed into Alice. We were going to be here for a few days before starting the journey south.

This was such an amazing trek, traversing such a vast expanse of remote Australian desert wilderness and seeing first hand its wonderful people and creatures. Added to that was the privilege of meeting some locals and experiencing a glimpse of remote community life. We are just so lucky and glad we could support the communities in some small way. Hope everyone at home is well and stay tuned for the next, and final, instalment! Xx

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