Day 6 Karijini to 80 Mile Beach

This morning we woke at dawn and saw the sun rise over the beautiful Karijini landscape. Off to an early start, we stopped at Munjina Gorge lookout to watch the highway arch through the high, rocky walls. Just Beautiful. The drive to Port Hedland became ever flatter and more dull with a lot of cattle carcasses along the roadside.

Port Hedland was unpleasant and industrial, but we stopped for lunch at MacDonalds - ostensibly for their free wifi but it was so slow it wasn't worth it. We picked up a few electrical supplies and then drove past Dampier Salt and the port to show the kids the iron ore trains.

Three hours of excruciatingly boring, flat featureless terrain came next, except for a series of termite mounds with white tips which turned out to be hard hats! Very funny. We stopped just after the turnoff to Wallal Downs 80 Mile Beach caravan park to Glad-Wrap our screen door. It worked very well to stop the dust coming in and consequently has helped keep the temperature up in the van. I wish we had thought of this over the past two freezing nights.

The park is huge! Very full, neat and tidy. After a quick set up we went out to the beach which goes on (for miles...at least 80) to each horizon. The tide was far out and we walked all the way out to inspect tiny snails, hermit crabs and sea-dollars in the exposed sand. The kids had a ball and Emma was in hermit crab heaven.

The sunset was gorgeous too. I managed to get two very smelly loads of washing done and hung at dusk. I guess we will see how clean it is in the morning. Showers were heavenly...it is fantastic to feel clean again.

Day 5 Karijini

This morning we went to the visitors centre and got our junior ranger badges for the kids completing the worksheets. They were all very proud of their achievement, as they should be. They have learnt a lot about conservation, and the flora and fauna of Karijini.

From the Visitors centre, we went across to Oxer's lookout where the four gorges meet. Lisa found this exhilarating as her last trip up to this point there was no lookout, and no safety railing. We then entered Dales Gorge via the West trail and walked all the way back to the stairs through flowing water and tall grass. I have never seen the bottom of the gorge this way. Once I have seen it under water, and the other 2 times, the floor has been a rocky waste land. We were forced to turn back before handrail pool as there was a section of water that was impassable for the 5 of us. We climbed the stairs out, and had some lunch at the car park.

After lunch we drove out of the park via the East road to Mount Bruce, and went out to Hamersley Gorge. This place has it's own magic, and apart from the extensive building works at the top with new stairs, toilets and what looks to be an information centre, there is little that has changed with this gorge on all of my trips here. We were able to bathe under the waterfall (Trust me, this was needed after 3 days without showers) and the kids waded in the pool at the bottom. The water was again absolutely freezing, and I just couldn't bring myself to get in fully this time.

We departed Hamersley Gorge with some reluctance and headed back to Tom Price for a bite of dinner and the chance to get our hands on some Rekordials. On the drive back, we stopped to offer our assistance to the ranger who was attending a car rollover on the Karijini Road, but we were assured that the Ambulance was coming and the injuries weren't life threatening, so we went back to camp right on sunset. We were all very tired after climbing in and out of two gorges today, and went to bed early...

Day 4 Karijini

After a very windy and cold night, we set off this morning to the visitors centre to have a look at the display.  Whilst Lisa and I found some really interesting factual information, the kids were hell bent on destroying the place, so we stayed for approx 1 hour and decided it was time to brave the gorge.

We drove around to the day use area, and walked the short distance to the gorge entry point. Lisa was freaking out about the kids descending, but we all made it to the bottom safe and sound. There was a challenging walk over the rocks to Circular Pool. When we arrived, we sat and had some lunch, but there was a brisk breeze blowing and the water felt antarctic to say the least, so we abstained from having a swim. In January there was flooding from the cyclones, and a lot of the vegetation has been knocked over.

We than made our way back through the bottom of the gorge to Fortescue Falls. The kids were very excited to see a real waterfall, and to be at a place that they have on a poster in their bedrooms back home. After climbing out of Fortescue Falls we walked across to Fern Pool and the kids and I had a swim. The water was still very cold, but it was nice to feel clean again.

The climb back out of Fortescue Falls was somewhat challenging, but rewarding at the same time. The kids are raving about how cool it has been to have been down the gorge today. I think we will all be sleeping well tonight. Whilst in the gorge we saw butterflies, dragonflies, flies, fish, a goanna, plenty of birds and parrots.

Day 3 Newman to Karijini

 

Today we felt things were getting back on track, and we started the day with a ham and eggs fry up. Kalgans Rest Caravan Park was absolutely awesome, and we woke up refreshed and ready for the mine tour after packing the van up.

We got to the visitors centre early, and realised that the camp ground at Karijini we were booked into, was 45km up a dirt road (Heavily corrugated according to the campers we were speaking to...DOH!!!) Not an ideal situation for the caravan minus one door, so we went about changing our accommodation plans for the day.

A couple of phone calls later and we were on the tour bus clad in our fluoro orange vests, safety glasses and hard hats. The tour was incredibly interesting, and we got to see the mine operation from the lookout, as well as having a descriptive commentary from a BHP employee. The kids were fascinated with the facts and figures (Except Rowan who decided he was tired and bored) and also with the movements of the diggers, trucks, water trucks and trains.

A quick trip back to the caravan to hook up and have a snack, and we were on our way to Karijini. We arrived after the spectacular drive at around 3pm. We are staying at the Dales campground, and we have a short 15 minute walk from our site to circular pool which we will explore more thoroughly tomorrow. We have been informed that the water temperatures are arctic. When we got back from our trek down to the circular pool lookout, we arrived at our caravan to meet our little friend to the right here. This gave the kids another half hour of squealing delights.

I have the kids terrified about drop bears, dingos and giant bugs now...tee hee.

Met some nice Dutchies whilst BBQing the meat for dinner. They were impressed I was able to pick their accent, and my vast knowledge of the 3 Dutch words I know. The stars are breath taking at night. We were able to pick out the Southern Cross almost immediately, but it was difficult to accept that there are so many other stars around it that we never get to see. I know Ashley was impressed. We will have to get Rowan and Emma to look tomorrow.

Day 2 Meekatharra to Newman

This morning began in a positive way. We all had a good night's sleep despite the noise of the road trains passing. Rob spent a good deal of time on the phone to Jayco in Melbourne and Perth as well as a caravan repairer in Broome. To have a new door made and shipped up north would have taken 4 weeks but the repairer in Broome looked at the photos we emailed and said he could replace the hinges and re-hang the existing door. It will only take a day! So we can continue on as planned without having to miss out on Karijini.

The drive from Meekatharra to Newman was shared and uneventful. We did have a minor moment when the police car overtook us with lights flashing, but they had more important business than our lapse in adherence to the speed limit in the road works zone.  There was a rollover approx 50km up the road, and we saw an ambulance heading back to Newman.  Fingers crossed that the occupants are ok.  Plenty of road-kill including cows, complete with feeding Wedge Tailed Eagles - beautiful birds. Termite mounds reappeared much to Rowan's delight and we saw plenty of very large road trains including two parts of a house that we had the pleasure of passing twice and  a four-trailered one at Capricorn Roadhouse - an enormous truck stop development.

The countryside up here is ever changing as usual.  I have now seen it green with foliage, completely red and devoid of foliage, and as it was today with an endless covering of yellowy spinifex and grasses. 

We had our photo-op at the Tropic of Capricorn, then arrived in Newman by the early afternoon. Plenty of time to check in at a nice caravan park with awesome ablutions and go to check out the Newman Visitor Centre. The kids loved getting up close to the big trucks (little haulpaks) and old mining machinery including the bucket from a large digger/loader which the climbed in to. Ashley and Emma made their first birthday-money purchases (polished iron ore and bookmarks) which they loved doing all by themselves and getting change!

We finished off the day with a trip to Radio Hill lookout over the town and having a barbecue at a local park and playground where the kids ran amok until the sun set.

Poor Rowan was so tired he could barely draw a picture in his journal but the other two are writing theirs enthusiastically and with so much detail - I am very proud.

All of us are looking forward to our Mt Whaleback Mine tour tomorrow morning with possibly a sleep in and a cooked breakfast.  Best of all, we should be at Karijini just after lunch which has been a feature of this first week for all of us.  No posts for a couple of days though, can't see the wifi hooking up in Karijini

Day 1 Perth to Meekatharra

Day one saw some interesting trials and tribulations.  Although we managed to drag ourselves out of bed at 5am, and had the kids up and in the car by 6am, we had an unforseen day of mishaps ahead of us.

 One return trip home to get my phone, and we were off.  Smooth sailing through traffic and we got to see the majesty of the sun rise on the way through Bindoon.

The long drive took its toll though.  I think Lisa was asleep, and I wasn't fairing much better, but somehow between us we missed Dalwallinu and Wubin, and found ourselves in Morawa instead of on the Gt Northern Hwy to Paynes Find.  Don't remember either town, so I guess missing the turnoff was a given. 

We got some lunch into us, reassessed and headed towards Mullewa, and decided to take a shortcut to Yalgoo.  Only 40km of unsealed road, but definitely saw some of the outback, and got the Prado's capabilities tested albeit on  a graded dirt road.  From Yalgoo, we followed the main road back to Mt Magnet.  This road saw the kids introduced to Termite mounds (Small ones) and our first sighting of a mine, and some wild goats.  It only ended up putting an extra 100km on the drive for the day, so not so costly a mistake.

Arrived in Meekatharra at 5:15pm, with plenty of cows near the road, and the odd bird of prey.  Seen plenty of roo kill along the highway, so was glad to reach Meeka unscathed.  Or so it would seem.  Whilst parking the van, I have misjudged the turn around a concrete slab in the park, and consequently dented the foot well at the bottom step...not so bad unless you also consider the door was smashed off the hinges.  It took some gentle persuasion with a brick and a screwdriver to pry the screen door open prior to my handy panel beating with a gympie and a thong.  We still have a screen door that locks, but the outer door is cactus, so we are in for some repairs and rescheduling on day 1…Who said it wouldn't be an adventure?  Oh...and I split my thong in half...Sigh**

The park itself is baffling to say the least.  There are large concrete slabs everywhere, which have excavations around them.  I don't think they are supposed to have caravans parked on them.  Lots of red dirt.  The only real bonus of today is that the kids are totally knackered and have taken to their beds without argument.   The shower block is a mine site donga, and there are no bbq's around as far as the eye can see, and the water tastes like a mixture of chlorine and poo.  In fact, we have all taken to drinking the tank water on the van, cos that only tastes like the PVC of the hose that filled them.

The Going Away Party

We braved the fears of our better judgement yesterday and had a triple header birthday party for the kids, followed by an evening with friends and family to say goodbye.

Thanks to all who came and shared a fantastic evening with us, and especially to all my muso mates who entertained throughout the evening.

The countdown is now on.  1 week to go.