Thursday 4th May we left Exmouth and the coast for a bit and made our way to Tom Price for the night on our way to karrijini.
Friday we stocked up on supplies and water in Tom Price and drove the 110km to Dale’s campground in karrijini NP. It’s a good setup with 5 separate loops of campsites with clean drop loo’s and only a short walk from Dales gorge. In the afternoon we just relaxed at camp as we were still a bit tired from a busy week in Exmouth.
Saturday we took off reasonably early to explore kalamina gorge. The walk through the gorge is rated level 4 out of 5 but overall we found it relatively easy just taking our time over the rougher sections. It’s a lovely gorge and more open than some of the others in the park with a small waterfall at one end of the walk and a water hole at the other end. The kids enjoyed climbing over the rocks and splashing in the water.
After the walk, we went back to camp for lunch and a rest before going down to Fortescue falls in Dales gorge late in the afternoon for a swim before dinner and bed.
Sunday we had even more adventure doing Hancock gorge to Kermit’s pool and Weano gorge to handrail pool. Both these trail’s are classed as the hardest level of 5. 1st off was Hancock gorge and after a short distance from the carpark the track drops rapidly into the gorge with steep rocky steps and ladders to get down. Once down there are two pools to get past by either swimming or edging along the rock wall on the side. The 1st of these was straight forward but the 2nd was quite challenging with much smaller ledges. The kids did really well here and with a bit of encouragement they slowly got through it.
The next tricky but was the spider walk which is a very narrow section leading into Kermit’s pool. It’s called the spider walk because that’s how to go through it, with one hand on each wall and a foot either side of the water running through it.
To get through I took the backpack through and then came back to piggyback our youngest through as he was a bit small to do it.
Kermit’s pool is just perfect. A small deep pool in the narrow gorge. It gets its name from the green tinge to the water in the pool. The contrast of water rust red rocks and blue skies is simply amazing and definitely worth the hard work to get in there.
We stayed there for a little while, swimming and taking pictures before making our way back to the car for lunch. Heading out was easier as we were all more confident having already done it coming in so it was much quicker.
After lunch we decided to tackle the lower Weano gorge down to handrail pool. Although another class 5 track for the most part we found it not quite as tricky as Kermit’s pool. The 1st part is relatively straightforward down the stairs and following the bottom of the gorge over the rocks and either through a water hole or climbing along the rocks beside it which we did and was definitely easier than the one in Hancock gorge.
From there the gorge turns left and we moved through a narrow slot that opens into a small pool that has been carved out by rock being washed around when it floods. From there we go back into a narrow and slippery section to the start of the handrail and a small platform at the top of a 10m drop into handrail pool. To get down we straddled the handrail and slowly wend down finding the bits of rock that had been bolted in place as steps. I went 1st helping to lower the boys down after me.
Another amazing spot this larger pool deep in the gorge with sheer walls all around. We swam across the pool which was quite cold and into the section that flows out of the pool. From here it drops down a Couple of metres and into another narrow long pool that is almost like a tunnel as the top of the gorge here is so close together. At the end of this section there is a chain to stop people going any further which is a good thing as the water then tumbles over a waterfall to a much lower section of the gorge.
After some more swimming we headed back out of the gorge and back to the car and then back to camp for dinner and a well earned rest. Everyone especially the kids did an awesome job getting through the difficult sections of track and being very brave when they got a bit worried about how to do it. I’m so proud of them.
Monday we had a quiet day and just did a few things around the van and went to Fortescue falls for a swim in the afternoon.
Tuesday we had a bit of a slow start but we eventually got going and did the 3.4km circuit walk of Dales gorge. From the lookout to Fortescue falls we headed along the top of the gorge for a bit over a kilometre before dropping down into the bottom of the gorge and starting winding our way back along the river. As we walked along, we found some lovely cascades and a nice deep water hole tucked in amongst the gum trees. For parts of the path we had to skirt the bottom of the cliffs and hop from one stepping stone to another which the boys thought was great fun.
The track eventually leads out to Fortescue falls and you then have a choice of either going back up the stairs to the lookout and carpark or continuing on about 600m to fern pool. We continued on and had a lovely swim there.
Fern pool is another beautiful spot, well shaded by trees and the cliffs above. There is a small waterfall at the top end of the pool that we could swim under and you can get out onto the rocks behind the falls. It’s also a great spot for the kids as there is a large platform out over the edge of the pool with a ladder to climb in and out.
After our refreshing swim, we headed back to camp and made a delicious roast pork for dinner.
Wednesday we took off early and drove all the way to the western end of the park to Hamersley gorge. The track into the gorge is fairly short and at the bottom of the steps there is a large pool that heads downstream between the cliff walls however the main attraction here is spa pool which is upstream a few hundred metres. From the base of the steps up to spa pool is not so much a walk but more a scramble over the smooth rocks jutting up at about a 45deg angle. We skirted the water, slowly making our way over the trickier sections until we reached the opening into spa pool itself.
Spa pool is a small oval shaped hole in the rock with the waterfall at one end creating a bit of a spa effect and is so nice to swim under. The other end make a bit of a waterslide into the next section just after it. We had a swim and took some pictures before moving back down to the main section as the entrance to spa pool is quite small and there were other people heading up towards it.
Back down at the larger pool we had another splash in the water before climbing back up the stairs to the car for lunch.
From there, we drove back into Tom Price to stock up on groceries and water before heading back to camp.
Thursday 11th May we went off to do the last 2 accessible gorges of Knox and Joffre gorges. We started with Knox gorge which is a class 5 hike into the gorge. The path down is incredibly steep and rocky but once reaching the bottom it was much easier going. The walk leads down to a long narrow pool and we were able to walk above the pool on the sides to where it ends before a narrow slot and a waterfall beyond the end of the accessible area. This one is not as picturesque as some of the others but definitely worth the visit.
After some lunch we drove over to Joffre gorge. From the carpark we walked around the top of the waterfall before descending into the gorge on the other side. This one is a lot easier than Knox gorge with ladders down the steepest parts . although there was no water running over the falls it is still a pretty special place. From the bottom of the steps we waded through the water and through a narrow section that opens out into an amphitheatre with the falls at one end. The kids had a play here with some friends we had met before we climbed back out and headed back to camp for dinner.
Friday we had a quiet day as we were all a bit buggered from all the exploring but we did go down to Fortescue falls and fern pool again for a swim which was nice and refreshing.
Saturday we sadly left karrijini and had a big days drive about 700km to 80 mile beach for the night before continuing to Broome on Sunday morning. While at 80 mile beach we of course did take the opportunity to wander along the beach and collect a few shells.
We had a late start sunday with mother’s Day presents and breakfast followed by a walk on the beach before we drove the remaining 400km to Broome getting in at about 3.30. for dinner we went to Mateo’s brewery and had a very yummy mother’s Day dinner.
Our time in Broome was a fairly quiet time with some rest and recovery from our recent adventures and I had to fly back to Melbourne for a job interview. We got some life admin stuff done, spent time swimming in the pool at the caravan park and the kids did lots of riding around the park making friends.
We did do a few activities during our stay in Broome. On the 2nd afternoon we headed off to the beach for the long awaited camel rides along Cable beach. we all had a good time and the boys especially loved it and even got a camel fluffy toy at the end of the ride. From there we wandered back up to the Cable beach club for a drink and to watch one of those glorious Broome sunsets, what a great way to end the day.
after dropping me at the airport Belinda and the kids went to the deck chair cinema to watch Super Mario Brothers. While I was in Melbourne they also did a day trip to the Malcolm Douglas wildlife park and had a wonderful time feeding all the animals and even got to hold a baby Crocodile, they were thrilled about that and I heard all about it on the phone that night.
I got back to Broome on Saturday 20th May and that afternoon we caught up with some friends at the town beach for an evening puppet show on the beach. The puppets were huge and controlled by multiple people holding the puppets and moving them with poles. The show told a story of the local birdlife through the seasons and their interaction with other wildlife and with people. It was a great night and thoroughly enjoyed by all.
With our remaining time in Broome we had a massage each and Troy and I did a tour to Willy creek pearl farm. Unfortunately Belinda and Jack were feeling sick and couldn’t come.
The pearl farm tour was really good with a great lunch before a boat tour to see some of the oyster farm areas with a talk from the guide about the pearl farming process. After the boat tour we were then shown the factory area where the oysters are taken and the pearls are carefully removed and a new seed is put back in its place before the oyster is returned to its net and taken back to the ocean.
The staff who do this process only have about 1 minute from getting the pearl out to get a new seed of similar size back into the oyster otherwise the oyster may reject it and not produce anymore pearls.
From there, we were taken to another area where one person was chosen to open an oyster and remove the pearl. Troy was picked and he was so excited to get the pearl out. The one he got out was valued at $3000 but no we didn’t get to keep it. He was so proud of himself.
The tour finished after the valuation and we looked around the showroom for a bit before heading back to the caravan for dinner.
Tuesday 23rd May we set off from Broome and made our way to Cape Leveque, 200km north where we had booked to stay at Cygnet bay pearl farm for 2 nights. After setting up we wandered down to reception to check out things to do while we were there and for a swim in the infinity pool. After our swim we went back to camp then walked down to the beach and the kids had a great time exploring the rocks and looking for crabs (and keeping a lookout for crocs). That night we had a lovely dinner at the restaurant of lamb shanks for me and steak for Belinda.
In the morning Belinda and Jack did a pearl farm tour since they missed out on the one at Willie creek and really enjoyed it. their tour was similar to the one at willie creak and saw the oyster nets, the factory where they seed and retrieve the pearls and also go to see some of the different types of pearl oysters.
After the tour Belinda of course wanted to buy one but in the end settles for two lovely pearl oyster shells in a netting display holder. The afternoon involved more playing on the beach and swimming in the pool.
Thursday morning Belinda was up very early to do the waterfall reef tour. It was awesome, really beautiful, and unbelievable just how much water comes in with the tides in the area. Only 10 of us on the amphibian boat, including the Captain Janie. On the way back in we stopped to watch the whirl pools in the ocean, lots of birds around fishing, it was amazing. Also stopped to see the pearler boat checking the shell racks.
By the time Belinda got back from the tour I had the van packed up and ready to hit the road again for a longer days drive to Birdwood station which is just east of Derby on the start of the Gibb river rd. On the way through, we stopped and checked out the Boab prison tree which was once used as a rest point for police on the way to Derby and they would put the prisoners in the tree while they were there. While in Derby we also stocked up on food and water for our trip across the Gibb river rd.
Birdwood station is a great spot to stay at with plenty of space to camp and good facilities. They usually have a nightly camp fire where everyone is welcome to come and sit around and enjoy the place. They also sell their own beef from the station so I couldn’t resist and got an Eye fillet and a few other bits of meat while we were there.
This seems like a good place to finish this part of the story and in the next park we will be going across the Gibb and exploring the waterfalls and hikes of the Gibb and Elquestro.
A Love of Adventures 