See the stunning gorges of Karijini National Park in the Pilbara, and swim with Whale Sharks at Ningaloo Reef. It was a subject we had kicked around for a few years, and finally decided 2017 was the year.
We wanted to take the camper trailer, and needed a route which would take us through country we hadn't seen before, so decided on the Great Central Road which runs west from Kata Juta, the Olgas.
Rolling out of our driveway early Wed 26 July, we spent the first night on the banks of the Bogan River at Nyngan, then nights at Broken Hill, Woomera, up the Stuart Hwy to Marla, and finally pulled into Curtin Springs, about 90 kms short of Yulara, thinking to stay the night there rather than crowded Yulara.
So we stayed a couple of nights at Curtin Springs and teaming up with Phil, did a tour out to Mt Conner. I had been eyeing off this big, flat topped sandstone mountain over a number of visits to the Rock, and this time we made it out there. It's situated on the Curtin Springs Cattle Station, so we had to do a tour with the only operator allowed on the property, but it was worth it, and an interesting extra was we got to walk out onto the pure white crust of a dry salt lake. A glass of bubbles while watching the sun set on the mountain finished the evening off nicely!
There was another couple setting up their trayback camper about 50 metres away and Susie said, "That looks like Don" (my old paddling coach). I looked across, and yep, looked like Don's Nissan, looked like Don's self built camper. "Bloody Hell, it is Don!" Don and Jan were heading home from WA and we had driven into the same camping area within 5 minutes of each other, so naturally we had a drink and a catch up. Two totally random meetings with old friends in the space of 3 days. Who'da thunk it?
Continuing west next morning, our first stop was Giles Meteorological Station, established during the atomic testing years after WW2, and now Australia's most remote mainland weather station. The site was chosen by the legendary surveyor and outback road builder, Len Beadell, in 1955.
The road on the WA side was very smooth. There's talk of the WA government sealing it within the next few years. We stopped for the night at the caravan park at Warburton, surrounded by a big, high, barbed wire topped fence. We were locked in at 7pm, and the gate was unlocked at 7:30 am. Light fingered locals, apparently.
On to Laverton, and the start of the bitumen for a while. In town, we checked out The Great Beyond, Explorers' Hall of Fame. This is a great museum of explorers history around the goldfields of WA. Tough people! After that came the Laverton Outback Gallery. Not bad. Driving out of town we were stopped by a cop for a licence and breath check. At first I thought, shit, I wasn't speeding was I? No, I think he was just bored and wanted a chat!
Next stop was the mining ghost town of Gwalia, near Leonora. A fascinating place which shows you just how tough those miners did it back in the 50s. There was also a great mining museum and we got to peer into the massive pit that is the still operational Sons Of Gwalia Mine.
We had intended to have our evening meal at the last remaining pub in another nearby ghost town of Kookynie, having heard the meals were pretty good, but on getting there we were rebuffed by the old lady inside! "Nah, you don't want to stay here", she said. 'Go camp at Niagara Dam - much nicer." So off we went to Niagara, which turned out to be a beautiful spot, free, and uncrowded, right next to the almost permanent water of this 1920s built dam. We found out later that the Kookynie Pub's chef had gone away for a few days and the lady didn't want to have to cook for anyone!
After buying some veggies and herbs and a good coffee at the Black Range Tea Rooms, we set off on a big drive to Mt Augustus via Meekatharra. Mostly gravel, mostly good, and arrived just after sunset. Phew! Set up in the dark.
In the morning we set off to do the circuit of big Mt A, the world's biggest rock as the locals like to call it, doing all the walks except the summit. Yeah, okay, a bit wimpy I know, but it was pretty warm that day! Got to do a little First Aiding when a guy had a bad fall down through rocks and banged himself up rather badly.
Now we set off for one of the main targets of our trip - Karijini National Park - where stunning red rock gorges abound. The road north from Mt A. was probably the worst of our trip. Lots of corrugations and lots of abrupt dips into rough, dry creek crossings. But conditions eventually improved and after stocking up in Tom Price we arrived at the Eco Retreat, Karijini NP, about 6, topped up with water, and set up in the dark, again.
Next day.. Wow, what a day!
We decided to start with the hardest first, and walked down into Hancock Gorge. Having read the blurb on degrees of difficulty, we weren't sure we would get to Kermit's Pool, but we ultimately managed it in fine style. Either the NP people err on the side of caution when they publish degrees of difficulty, or Susie and I are superbly fit specimens endowed with high levels of ability and experience. We'll go with the latter! Anyway, we made it to Kermit's Pool, the furthest the public are allowed to penetrate into the gorge, and you have to have a swim, don't you? Of course. OMG it was cold! But fun.
Next we slipped down into Weano Gorge. This one finishes with the aptly named Handrail Pool - a narrow slot finishes abruptly at a waterfall into a large pool surrounded on all sides by vertical red walls. There's a steel handrail to help you climb down beside the waterfall to the pool below. What a stunning place.
A backtrack of the Upper Weano Gorge and a couple of lookouts finished us off for the day.
Day 2, another ripper, started with a 15 minute walk to the descent into Joffre Gorge and the pool at the base of the falls. A tricky down climb (well, maybe not if you're 20!) got us to the base of the falls for some great pics, then a beautiful wander through the gorge completed the experience.
That afternoon we tooled out of the park to the town of Tom Price and the iron ore mine of the same name for a tour. Wow, what a big hole!
Day 3, yet another great day. First we hit the visitor centre which gave us a depth of info on the geological and pastoral history of the area, then walked down into Dales Gorge at Fortescue Falls.
Now this was where I blotted my copybook somewhat with Susie. Down at the pool, taking a pic of her with the falls in the background, I asked her to take a step back. Wrong. She stepped on a slippery rock and Zip, ended up on her bum in the water. I got the shot, but she wasn't smiling!
This gorge was wider than our previous experience, with grasses and beautiful River Gums. Very pretty.
Then Kalamina Gorge - different again, culminating in the Rock Arch Pool. We were quite weary by the time we finished, so treated ourselves to a beer and bubbles at the bar on our return to camp.
This was the end of our Karajini experience, and next day we hitched up the trailer and headed for the coast... and Ningaloo Reef.
