After making our way down the coast a bit, we went east to get to Karijini National Park. It was a hot ride into the desert but with promises of fresh water flowing in the gorges, we ventured on. What a site it was to see! We pried ourselves off sweaty seats to scale down this stunning gorge where we could see the waterfall below.
Dales Gorge was our campground and the location of our first hike back on the trip. We set out the next morning from the same waterfall and then down the gorge
to see the beautiful paperbarks and waterfalls cut by the wet season.
Circular Falls is the destination walking up tiered platforms to swim in a rounded arena of a pool that trickles water from the walls. From here, the trek goes back up the gorge to hike directly up the side and back along the ridge instead of the base. With the sun heating up and the shelter of the trees in the gorge, we opted to return the way we came - which also promised a lovely swim/shower at the end.
We had two nights at the camp before heading along to the other side of the park and the majority of the gorges. In a day, we packed in a hike through Weano
Gorge where you end at Handrail Pool which literally requires scaling down a handrail to descend into a pool in an amphitheatre room. The water seemed slightly less appealing than some we had passed on the way in so we returned back for swims in the moving water but enjoyed the ambience of this spectacular 'room'.
After lunch back at the trailhead and parking lot, we started for round two of the day and a more difficult level trek at Hancock Gorge. The increased level is due to the hike's requirement of getting wet and acting like a spider. This gorge narrows to a degree that water traverses the angled floors and you either walk with it or don't go. We were more than happy to get wet and even leave the camera behind for the last bit through Spider Walk to Kermit's Pool. Some places the water dipped just overhead but it was beautifully refreshing.
Trying to make headway before sunset, we hit the road to see which of the free camps we could get to by sunset. And what a beautiful time to be driving as the ranges
were perfectly lit and desert colours at their best. We quickly made it past Tom Price, a mining town, but not before stopping at a vista point that I thought could be our camp for the night. 'RIP Lookout' was just that - a stunning outlook that had become a memorial site where people had left stacks of rocks each signed off to a loved one lost. Campfires had been lit there but we decided to leave a rock each to our respective losses and move on.
We made it to Beasley River Camp where although the river was well and truly dry for the season, the camp had firepits, wood, a toilet, and even a picnic table. It seemed we had the place to ourselves for the night until a lone push bike strolled in from the opposite direction. Jett is a Dutch girl travelling from Perth to Darwin. Much respect goes to her as I thought I was tired from a long day on a hot road but she brings it to a whole other level. So a good night was had by all around the fire before a well earned sleep.
Next up - Exmouth and the Cape Range National Park, where the range meets the reef (Ningaloo).
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