THE AMAZING PILBARA
The Pilbara is located about 1,600 kilometres north of Perth. The region covers roughly 500,000 sq kilometres and is bordered by the Gascoyne Region in the south, the Kimberley region in the north, the Indian Ocean to the west and the Northern Territory border to the east. It covers some amazing contrasting landscapes, from beautiful Ningaloo Reef, to the gorges of Karijini National Park.

It’s the colours of the Pilbara that capture artist’s and photographers imaginations! Winter is the best time to visit these areas.
As you can see from our last update we started at Ningaloo, but then we moved onto Karijini. We camped at Dales Camp Ground. Dales is divided into quite a number of different camping areas, some have generators and some haven’t. We camped at Bungarra which is a generator site. Some areas had been burnt out by a bushfire earlier in the year but our site was lovely.

We began by heading to Dales Gorge the first day packing our lunch in our back pack and going to the viewing area over Circular Pool. What a sight! 100 metres down this amazing turquoise pool and running creek amongst red rock gorge walls. We then made our way down the cliff face and walked up along the creek to reach Circular Pool. Some very brave back packers tried swimming in it! Freezing cold! We then retraced our steps but then went further and trekked along the creek bed for about 3 kilometres down to Fortesque Falls. All along the creek the views blew us away, in some places it looked like a Japanese garden with the little waterfalls, long grasses all flanked by the amazing red gorge walls. We had lunch perched on rocks admiring this incredible vista. Fern Pool was another area further along but we decided to leave it to another day. Then we had to climb, albeit slowly, up the steps out of the gorge, a long way up!

The next day we decided to go back down the cliff, taking lunch again and swimmers, this time to Fern Pool. Easier climbing down to the top of Fortesque Falls, then took the track off to the right covering about 300 metres to the pool. This is another breath taking sight. This turquoise pool complete with two waterfalls, dripping ferns and surrounded by huge fig and paper bark tree and even has a timber deck and steps into it for swimmers. A swim was definitely on the cards as it was a lovely warm day before we had lunch. We also had taken our books with us so we sat and read before having another swim before walking back and climbing up the cliff face again!

Karijini gorges varying in depth but the patterns and colours of the ancient rock – rich ochre’s, reds and blues are spectacular. We then decided to drive about 40kms to another gorge, this one not so well known, called Kalimba. It was not as steep into the gorge but beautiful. We criss-crossed the creek making our way down to as far as we could before retracing our steps back up to the waterfall. Another swim and shower under the waterfall!

We drove further out to Weano & Hancock Gorges to go to the lookout. This lookout actually is where 5 gorges intersect. If you are afraid of heights this lookout is not for you! You look down over 100 metres into the narrow gorges, each with its running creek and waterfalls. It is mind blowing! There are a number of hikes to take here but we decided to undertake these on another day. The Karijini experience is all about adventure but caution is needed as quite a few people have been killed at Karijini. The rocks can be slippery and the water is freezing even in summer.

We were planning on leaving and heading further north to Millstream National Park so we thought we better pop back into Tom Price (98kms away) to stock up on food before we left. There is no phone reception at Karijini so we had not been in contact with anyone. Just as we drove into Tom Price to shop and get the laundry done, my phone rang and it was my brother Ian and his partner Anna. They were in Port Hedland and were going to come down and join us.

So next day as early as 9.30 am they arrived and got the camp site right next to us! So as they wanted to hike Dales Gorge, I went and did it again with them and included Fern Pool. We then planned with them to drive out to Hammersley Gorge. We packed up lunch and lots of water and left early the next day to drive the 90kms out to this gorge. Again we hiked down the mountain, sometimes feeling like a couple of mountain goats, marveling at the rock formations and the emerald coloured rock pools and waterfalls. Our daily shower under the waterfall and swim before having lunch and hiking out again.

Then we decided that the following day was going to be one of adventure! The walks in Karijini are graded, with 1 being the easiest and 6 being the most difficult. In fact a Graded 6 in Karijini means you have to have a guide and be experienced in abseiling and rock climbing! We all decided that we would drive out to Weano Gorge and walk it and include Handrail Pool which is a Grade 5 walk!
The first part of the walk down into the gorge and along the creek is beautiful and only a Grade 3. It is when you get down to a certain point (where you also have the option of climbing out of the gorge) that you have to wade through the water, climb along rock ledges and enter a very narrow gorge with the creek running through the centre of it. The gorge towers above you and in some areas you only have a slight glimpse of sunlight about 75 metres above you! You then get to an area where there is a Handrail! It runs along the rock wall and then disappears down over the waterfall! You climb down this to get down into the cavern and pool. We all achieved this and sat around the pool with our lunch. We all did look at what we achieved and then though, Jeepers! We have to climb out of here now! As it was it wasn’t as hard as it looked and when we got back and reached the top the exhilaration we all felt at achieving this was awesome.

We didn’t get to walk all the gorges in Karijini, there were still Joffre, Know, Hancock and Red Gorges! We decided to leave these for someone else!

We then packed up (Ian and Anna decided to come with us to Millstream) and headed north. We travelled up through Wittenoom (where the asbestos mining was) and then headed up the red dirt Pilbara road. We took our time and decided to stay at Mt Florance Station (which takes campers) about half way up. This is a 330,000 acre property. What a surprise when we got in there! Beautiful grass camping sites, solar showers and a free washing machine! They even had a lovely campfire area with a big pile of timber! So nice we decided to stay another night! Also Anna and I had an invitation to go with the station guys the next day on cattle muster. So we headed out the next day to muster cattle only about 20kms from the homestead. So utes, trail bikes and quad bikes were the order of the day! It had been so dry out here that they had to muster up the cattle with calves and take the calves off the mums as they just didn’t have enough milk to feed them. It involved a lot of “paddock bashing” going over very rough ground and creek beds chasing animals that just did not want to go the way we were mustering them! It was such fun. We arrived back at camp by about 6 p.m. for a shower and then tea that the boys had cooked on the campfire in the camp oven!

Next day saw us head off again to Millstream. We managed to get our vans into the Crossing Pool camp site right on the backs of the beautiful Fortesque River. The only drawback was that it also the home during the day for hundreds of Blue Eyed Corellas! The boys were not impressed to have the corellas defecating all over their cars! The river was also good for a swim but the water was very cold!

We spent three nights here and so on the second day we undertook the walk from Crossing Pool to the Homestead (6.8 kms return). Whilst we were at the Homestead we also walked to the Water lily Ponds (another 1.75 km return). The day was getting pretty warm by the time we made it back to camp! Whilst here we also caught up with Sue & Tina whom we had met at Mt Florance.  The girls were great and took both Anna & I for a kayak up the river.  Amazing to see its beauty from this angle.  Thanks girls!

We all left Millstream and headed to Karratha where we spent 2 days washing and cleaning everything! That Pilbara red dust was in everything, cars, caravans and clothes. We all went out to dinner that evening after a hard days work to the Chinese restaurant.  Next day it was time that Ian and Anna and ourselves parted company! They were heading south to catch up with their friends and we were going further north and out to Marble Bar.
Whilst we were in Port Hedland staying at the Golf Club overflow, we went on the BHP Billiton Iron Ore tour. Now this is really “big boy’s toys”! Amazing to see the scope of BHP’s operation, not just in iron ore but manganese and salt too! We also sat by the harbour watching the huge freighters being loaded and being shunted around what is pretty small space and narrow inlet! Most were from China, and Taiwan.

Then we headed south east to Marble Bar. We stopped firstly for two nights and Dolena Gorge, only 40kms out of Marble Bar. No running water but very pretty. Marble Bar was fascinating. The name Marble Bar was given it by early prospectors who took the Jasper Ridge running through the creek as Marble. It is apparently even more spectacular just after rain as it is a stunning bright blue, red and white. When we saw it, it was more grey red and white but still amazing. Gold is also in “dem thar hills”! The Comet Gold mine is also an old mine but the company that owns it is about to open it up again. We also drove out about 35 kms to the incredible “Invisible Airfield”. In the WW11, it was one of the top secret air bases in Australia, being home to the US 380 Bomber squadron and an Aussie contingent too! The long runways are still drivable and you are able to wander around the old foundations of the hospital and admin buildings. Apparently the Japanese kept trying to find it but never found it. The bomber squadrons used to fly from Marble Bar to Surabaya and return on bombing runs.
Then we being quite adventurous, headed out along the bitumen mining road, 170 kms east to Woodie Woodie Mine. Our target was Carrawine Gorge. This is on private property but open for free camping. To our amazement it had running water and the most incredible bird life we had seen for ages. We had a lovely grassed camp site on the side of the river, overlooking the sheer 100 metre gorge walls on the other side. We had a whole week camped in this oasis. Whilst we were there, Walter & I identified 32 different species of birds that we saw! Goodness how many we didn’t ID! We met some other lovely people camped there, Martin & Val from Glen Forrest near Perth, to name names. We also took a drive further down the road towards Woodie Woodie then turning left towards Nullagine. Our goal was to locate and visit a place called Eel Pool (or Running Water). We had directions on how to find the 4WD track off the road. We found the track in (about 3 kms) to the car park. Then there was a further track of 500m to the pool. The first part was OK but the last 500m was the roughest 4WD we have ever undertaken. However, the pool was delightful. Artesian water about 27º seeping through the walls of the creek! The tree roots of the paper barks looked like something out of Lord of the Rings!

.Then when the water and the food were nearly gone we headed back to Marble Bar & Port Hedland to stock up before going south down the inland highway.

We camped a lot off road on the way down including a lovely spot at Munjina Gorge before stopping at Newman in a caravan park for two nights. One of the goals for Walter was to undertake the Iron Ore mine tour in Newman. This is the biggest iron ore mine in the world. We had to don all the safety gear including goggles and hard hat to undertake this bus tour. Walter has now added a piece of iron ore to his rock collection.

It had been quite hot whilst in Newman so it was more than a shock when we only travelled about 250 kms further south and the temperature plummeted to 15 degrees! We had to go digging for the jumpers! We travelled further south down through Meekatharra, Cue and Mount Magnet before turning west again to head to Pindar. Now this is a tiny place, only an old stone B & B (which used to be the pub). They offered a place for free camping (at the old sports ground) and we set up camp there as we wanted to find the well known and rare Wreath Flowers. We drove around (with the info they offered) and found these incredible plants. So beautiful and unusual. Then it was into Geraldton and back to Kalbarri for a longer time than first expected as Walter could not get into his Cardiologist until 1st October. This enabled me to go back on the Ambo roster for St John Ambulance again. Lovely also catching up with such good friends.

His appointment on the 1st, led to us heading back down to Perth for more tests after staying a couple of days at Dongara with Lorraine & Gary. Great to also catch up with Klaus & Carmen and Mary whilst there. It did look a bit like a caravan park with us all there!
Walter’s Angiogram in Perth did not have good results so is now waiting for a Double heart by-pass in Perth. We have not got a date yet so we are in a “holding pattern”.Whilst there we did explore Perth and Fremantle, including Kings Park. WE left on the Saturday, spending two nights at a little rest stop called Noble Falls before going through to York and Beverley. Beverley is where Noddy & Pete Smith live so now we are camped in their yard until we go back to Perth.