Day 60 - Saturday 1 September - On to Karijini

Day 60

Saturday

1 September

Finished Book 10 The Girl in the Letter 

by Emily Gunnis. This followed a similar vane to the book I read previously, but was about the institution of young, unwed mothers and the terrors they were put through by church and the system that was not there to protect them.

Port Hedland - Karijini

On the move, again. We were awake by 7am and Paul was up and about, while I hung in bed reading my book. When Paul returned from his walk of the park, I got out and began the clean-up. We ate breakfast, packed all the bits away, readied the cab and at 8am, we pulled out of the free camp and made our way out of Hedland. 

The GPS was telling us we had 350km ahead of us and would arrive at the National Park for midday, perfect. We passed through dry country with lots of spinifex grass giving the landscape a golden glow. I found the landscape intriguing and beautiful, despite the vast nature of it. 

At 11am, we had view of the Hammersley Ranges, all rugged and imposing. Wildflowers of purple, yellow and silver grey, lined the road edge and spread along the lowlands. I imagine we will see many more during this month, the first of Spring. 

We stopped at the Auski roadhouse for fuel and then returned to the Great Northern Highway, making way towards Newman. The section of road we had travelled was dirt when Paul was here in the 80’s and the road beyond the servo didn’t exist. Now it is a super highway for massive road trains, often trailing 4 carts behind the cab. I am glad the road is sealed now. 

The highway manoeuvres between the range, splitting a gorge with a lengthy raised road. After passing, there was the Albert Tognolini Lookout to check out. We veered off the road and followed the road, noting the many who were free camping at the rest area. We parked near the lookout and while Paul put oil into the van, I went for a wander. The lookout afforded a great view back over the road cutting between the hills of the gorge and gave a good view of the geology and flora of the landscape. It was very impressive. 

We made our way back to the van and continued our journey down the highway, before making a right onto Karijini Drive, part of the Warlu Way. From there we waited for the sign to tell us to turn into the park and then followed that all the way to the visitors’ centre. We picked up a map and gathered some info on the roads in the park, before doing a quick look through the interpretive centre and heading back to the van.

We followed the signs once more to Dales Campground, paid the fees to stay 2 nights and then proceeded to our bay, 123 in Warlu. We took the car from the trailer, a struggle, but we managed and then we parked up and set about making ourselves at home. 

After lunch, we jumped in the car and drove to the Fortescue Falls lookout. We could see the falls from the top of the gorge, but they were far more spectacular as we ventured down the stairs and out on to the rocks. There were people enjoying the water and making the most of the pristine area. 

We continued to follow the track out to Fern Pool, a beautiful watering hole, fed by a small waterfall and as the name suggest, plenty of ferns. After taking in the beauty with my camera, I joined Paul in the water. It was a little cool, but I had no choice but to get straight in. 

We swam to the waterfall on the opposite side of the pool and proceeded to hang off the rocks. Paul was complaining of being bitten by something in the water, which made me nervous and keen to move away. I tried to take photos while we were in the water, but couldn’t clear the lens of water droplets. 

We returned to the entry platform and hauled ourselves out, before towelling off and grabbing our things, so we could return to Fortescue Falls. The rocks that make up the falls are large and flat, making it easy to travel across them. I set forth, clambering up and down, taking in the vista from various angles. It was a beautiful place to spend the afternoon.

Once we were done, we made the climb up the steep staircase, finishing at the top of the gorge once again. We sat on a bench to rest and have a drink, before returning to the car and back to the van. 

I set about going through the photos, while Paul had a rest and surfed the net. I can’t believe we have cover out here.