Day 62
Monday
3 September
Joffre Gorge – Weano Gorge – Dales Gorge
We didn’t spend much time lazing about this morning, as we were keen to get out and explore more of the park. After breakfast, we packed up our lunch and other essentials and then it was into the Getz, travelling on the 4wd only roads once again. We passed the turn off for Kalamina and continued on the dirt for a further 11km, before reaching the first gorge for the day, Joffre.
After parking, we read the board highlighting the walks, decided we weren’t up for a class 5 and then proceeded to the lookout. From here, we could see Joffre Falls cascading over the stepped rocks and falling to the pool below. We watched others who had chosen to complete the walk, struggling to descend down to the floor. Once there they began the stretch towards the waterfall, crossing the water, as they followed the path.
Satisfied with the viewing, we then continued the drive on to Weano Gorge. This gorge, Paul has been talking up for years and he was keen to return to it. The run on the gravel was pretty tame and the car handled it with ease, before long we were parked up once again, gathering our gear and making our way to the entrance point.
We took in the view from the top of the descending track and then began the climb down. Once at the bottom we turned right ready to explore. First obstacle was a pool of water. We watched a couple wade through, waist deep and then began our preparations. Camera double zip lock bagged and inside the camera backpack. Off with the shorts, roll up the shirt, keep the shoes on and tighten the camera bag so it would sit higher and then begin.
The water was quite cool, being in the shade, so I had to brace myself a little as the level rose beyond the knee, then thighs. All was going well until I took a step forward and there were no rocks to greet me. Before I knew it, I was chest deep in water, lungs gasping at the cold now enveloping my torso and me flaying around trying to find purchase.
I eventually clung to the side of the cliff, grateful the cliff face wasn’t flat and there were plenty of hand holds. I was able to pull myself up onto a shelf and begin wringing out the bottom of the camera bag, thankful everything was plastic wrapped.
Paul continued to wade through the pool, carrying our towels, while I looked for ways to continue being Spiderman. It was then that he too found a hole and all that was left was his hat bobbing above the surface. It was rather funny and we both had to laugh, as he too struggled to find higher ground, all the while attempting to keep the bag above water.
Once through the pool, we made the decision to leave all of our gear and continue on. We found a crevice, dumped our bags and covered them with a towel and then continued to follow the path. There was another water crossing, but not as deep and from there we entered into the darker section, where the walls of rock shot up around us, squeezing us through the crevice.
We followed the water course staying in the waterways, our feet squelching in our shoes. The colours and patterns of the rock just beautiful. We reached another small pool, before squeezing through a narrow shaft where water could be heard rushing beyond us. We had reached the entrance to handrail pool. From the ledge, a large, metal handrail was bolted to the wall and you used this to clamber down the face of the waterfall about 3m. It wasn’t particularly difficult, but you needed to have your wits about you and take your time.
Once at the bottom, we marvelled at the cavernous space and the large pool of water. Paul was busily telling me that 30 years ago there was no handrail and you had to make your own way down. At the far end of the pool was another opening and people were emerging from it, this was our next task.
We were able to walk around most of the circumference, but then needed to rock hop and enter the water, it was colder than the first unexpected dip and when it became obvious I would have swim, I just took the plunge, air escaping from my burning lungs in short sharp bursts. It was F F F Freezing.
The next part, meant sliding down a sloping rock on my bum and back into the water. While I straddled the two sides of the cliff face at knee deep for as long as I could, there was no stopping the inevitable plunge into the coldest pool of the lot. I kicked my enclosed and heavy feet as well as I could, propelling me along, until I could touch the bottom again and we reached our end point. There was no going any further, as there was a rope and sign making it clear you weren’t to pass.
Paul said he used to continue through the gorge from the point. Plunging off the edge and into the pool below before exiting the gorge. To get a feel for where the water lead, I jumped the rope and followed the waterway to the edge, where a dark, turquoise pool beckoned below. I took a few photos and then carefully made my way back over the rope.
With the end met, we then had the return journey, back through the cold pool, clambering back over the rocks and eventually returning to Handrail Pool. There was a rush on people entering, so we stood by taking in the scenery, all the while my teeth chattering from the ice bath. When there was a break in the traffic, we took hold of the railing hauled ourselves up the rock face and then began the trek back through the crack in the earth to our bags. I was glad to see it was still there, as I had been apprehensive just leaving my expensive camera gear.
Finally, we had the pool that got us into trouble in the first place. Not keen for another plunge, I was able to wade into the pool, before sticking myself to the rock face and sliding my way across until I was able to touch the ground again. Paul decided to wade, but with foresight and picking his spots, he avoided disappearing.
We made our way back up the side of the gorge, reaching the top and being stopped by a couple keen to show us a bungarra eating a good-sized lizard. When we arrived, the lizard was clenched in the jaws of the monitor. He had him around the throat and the lizard was squirming in a fight for life, but it was clear the monitor wanted its lunch.
We stood mesmerised by the sight, watching as the head of the lizard was soon inside the bungarra’s throat, but it’s tail was still swishing about. Bit by bit the lizard entered the bungarra’s body, forelegs, body and soon its tail. We stayed for the whole performance and by the end, when the bungarra opened its mouth, it looked like it had two tongues. The things you see.
We wandered from here to the lookouts. One provided a view over Handrail Pool, while the other Oxer Lookout, showed the junction of Weano, Hancock, Wittenoom and Knox Gorges. At the base was Junction Pool. We stood marvelling at the landscape, before returning to the car, keen to remove the soggy shoes and to put on some pants.
We ate our lunch at some picnic tables. Paul got busy talking to some bikers and all the while I relished just being in the sun and giving some warmth back to my bones. When we were all done, we drove on, stopping at the Karijini Eco Resort. We sat on their deck overlooking the bush scrub and had a drink, enjoying the peace. A bus load of pensioners were having lunch and we watched, as they found it hard to move around and navigated the small number of stairs. If they were here to see the magic of the gorges they would be disappointed, as they wouldn’t get down to the best bits and the views from lookouts don’t provide a good picture.
After finishing our drink, we returned to the van happy to have a rest for an hour. I sat going through the photos but by 3pm, was ready to head to Fern Pool for a swim. We drove down to the parking area and then took in the stairs. There were plenty of people sitting on the natural stairs of Fortescue Falls, basking in the sunlight.
We continued past and through the paperbark forest on to Fern Pool. I took a few extra photos, before we stripped down to the bathers, grabbed our noodles and plunged into the water. Hundreds of little fish were hanging around the base of the stairs, happy to eat the dead skin from your feet.
It was so much more relaxed, bobbing around the pool on our noodle. We were able to just float about, not exerting too much energy. We were also lucky that we had the pool to ourselves for a long stretch.
We made the trek back up the stairs, finally reaching the car and returning home. Paul set about packing things away, ready for out move tomorrow. I continued to go through the photos, before prepping dinner.
When I had finished going through the haul of photos, we cooked our meal and then ate. I was keen to wait for dark and take some photos of the stars, figuring the light would be good. I had spotted a termite mound and tree earlier on, so we wandered over to it and I set up my gear. Paul helped with lighting up the mound and tree and I snapped away until I was satisfied.
We then moved towards the van and I decided to take some more shots with the van in the foreground. Once I had finished playing, we returned to the van, keen to get to bed, after an exhausting day.
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