Karijini 3

Managing to get up earlier now we are not able to watch a movie at night so are asleep by 9! Were planning to leave today but have decided to stay extra day to see Hammersley Gorge. First stop this morning was Mt Bruce. This is the second highest mountain in WA. You could see the Marandoo Mine from the lookout and all the ore trains. There must have been quite a debate before it was decided to approve a Rio Tinto mine in a National Park. 

Can't believe how red it all is

Hammersley Gorge was spectacular. It was a steep descent into it and we couldn't access the falls due to recent accidents there which was a shame. But the gorge was most interesting due to the folded layers of rock and the varied beautiful colours of the layers. Fascinating details of its formation. 

But the gem of the gorge was the beautiful pools. Water was quite cool but lovely. You could swim a long way up the gorge. I swam for a while but got a bit puffed and it was very deep. 

We then decided it would be fun to paddle up with Ashley's pack raft so Geoff climbed back up the stairs and brought it back down. It was such a good move as we got to go right up as far as you could go.

The rock formations were great and the water clear and cool. The reflections were just beautiful. 

 

It was certainly worth the extra night here. 

Karijini 2

Although the day started in a relaxed fashion a day of gorging on gorges lay ahead. Sad not to be home for Matthew's birthday. Can't believe we have a 35 year old child! 

Kalamina Gorge was our main focus for the day. And what a choice! A very easy walk down and then scrambling over rocks. Bit slippery at times but overall quite easy. Can't believe this a grade 4 compared to the grade 4 at the Stirling Ranges. 

Amazing insect

The gorge was so pretty and there were beautiful clear deep pools for swimming. 

In the afternoon we went to Knox gorge lookout. This gorge was much deeper and narrower. It was quite dark and not as inviting. By this time it was 3pm so we didn't have time to do another 3 hour walk before dark. What a shame!

The weather has been amazing. Everyday it has been sunny and not too hot. Temperature ranging from mid teens in the night to mid thirties in the day. 

Red dust everywhere. I feel like I am painted for a corroboree! 

 

Actually got back to camp about 4. I cooked tea including a steamed golden syrup pudding and custard which was a challenge and I am not sure the result was worth the effort. But then I got to read! Even Geoff managed to sit still for a while.

Karijini at last

Our van at Tom Price

Today started with a Tour of the Tom Price Rio Tinto mine. It was a bus tour with a brief time at the top at the lookout. The bus driver was very knowledgeable about mine operations and gave lots of details about the day to day running of the mine. Everything was so enormously huge. It is strange to be up the top and see the yawning hole in the middle of the mountain. The technical details were bit over by head but Geoff enjoyed hearing it all.   

Afterwards we headed off to Karijini National Park for our 5 day of gorges. It was only an hour and we were soon set up at the Eco Tourist resort. Eco resort we have found is code for very rough, no power, drop toilets and expensive. It did have a shower though and a few ordinary toilets. The sites however were roomy and bushy. 

After lunch we set off to explore. We walked down to the Weano Gorge and walked both up and down the creek. 

       

 

Geoff walked further up Upper Weano and had to swim some of the way. 

 

Then we explored around the rim of the gorge and found a lookout which overlooked the meeting of the Weano, Hancock and Oxer Gorges. From Oxer Lookout you get unsurpassed views out over the junction of Weano, Red, Hancock and Joffre gorges. You can see the tiers of banded iron formation that tower over a pool at the bottom of the gorge.

 It was spectacular and incredibly difficult to get good pictures due to the setting sun, so I 'borrowed' some from the net. Even these don't convey how spectacular this view was! 

 

The drive home had some beautiful soft scenes in the failing light. 

Early night as we had no data or TV!   

Tom Price

Early start today. Soon we were travelling over small ranges called the Lawloit Ranges. The earth has folded multiple times to produce these small hills. 

 

The scenery has really changed now as have the colours. Lots of purples and pinks. 

We stopped for a break at Beasley River. Couldn't actually see a river but it was the first gum tree we had seen in ages.  

 

 

We next stopped at Paraburdoo. It was such an interesting place. It was like being in a suburb of Sydney. Green lawns, lots of new houses. A Rio Tinto town. 

 

 

Then we arrived at Tom Price which is a mining town. The town is located inland, at the edge of the Hammersley Range. Tom Price is the highest town above sea level (747 metres (2,451 ft)) in Western Australia, and is consequently dubbed "Top Town in WA"

It was named for the American who encouraged the government to .

Mt Nameless our view from the caravan park

IThe town of Tom Price (gazetted in 1964) was named after an American raw minerals surveyor and Vice President of Kaiser Steel, who was involved in early feasibility studies.  After viewing some of the ore deposits, Tom Price is reported to have said: ‘God made men out of a bit of dust and if you cannot make some money out of the mountains of ore I have seen so far, then our very God would have wasted his time.’ An enthusiastic supporter of plans to develop the vast iron ore deposits of the Pilbara, he played a key role in the establishment of the industry which has seen enormous benefits to the state and nation including thousands of jobs and the construction of towns like the one that bears his name.  Tom Price died one day after the major ore body was found.  made http://www.wanowandthen.com/Tom-Price.html discovery of the major ore body.) 

Visitors to the van

Talking to the quokkas

By the time we got set up and did some shopping there wasn't much of the day left so Geoff went for a swim while I enjoyed some net surfing

Heading to Karinjini

Left by 9am today. Getting better! 

Sunrise

We got back to Exmouth by early morning and did some shopping. 

Today we are as far from home today as we will get. Only a mere 6000 km from Woy Woy! I felt great excitement to know we are now heading back to my little ones even though it will be another month. Couldn't help breaking out with the John Denver song Country Road.

We stopped at the Krait Memorial which commemorated the successful commando raid in Singapore Harbour in WW II.

This is where the Krait left from near Exmouth

We stopped in the middle of nowhere for lunch. Red, red soil everywhere. So red! Completely flat.

 Around 3pm the landscape started to change and some small ranges appeared on the horizon. They were an interesting purply colour in the afternoon sun. Excited to be entering a new area. 

We stayed the night at Nanutarra Roadhouse. We managed to get in before the grey nomads did and got a good spot. Nice to get in earlier than normal. We thought we might try the restaurant for tea but it was really expensive and it didn't look too good so ended up doing a Satay Chicken with a backdrop of purply hills disappearing as the sun set.