We left our camp around 9am and headed down the hill. You can see the caravans (white specs) in the distance.
The drive to Karijini was just under an hour. We had a shortcut planned – it was shown on our memory map, but it no longer existed, so we had to take the tar all the way.
The visitor centre is very modern made out of steel and in the shape of a goanna. We were given a warm welcome, this park is run by the traditional owners and you can see lots of improvements happening. Channel Nine (Perth) were filming a documentary about the park during our visit. The mission statement for the park is about the past and the future. They were finishing the new toilet facilities around the camp ground and new trail infrastructure. The camp grounds have hosts who manage the camping fees during the busy periods. The toilets were exceptionally clean which was nice. Water is provided at a tank area as well as rubbish disposal.
Karijini was known as the Hamersley Range National Park, but I like the traditional name more. It is nothing short of spectacular.
On our first afternoon, we did the ridge top walk. When you reach the look out over to Circular Pools, it takes your breath away to see this gorgeous pool with maidenhair fern a couple of hundred feet below you with people the size of ants. It has a wet season waterfall, but is fed by a spring. The water dripping onto the shelves above the pool is very warm. The pool water is very cold. No matter what they pretend, they all scream like little girls, or swim very very fast in tiny strokes trying to get their breath back. You can pretend that you’re tough but body language gives you away.
The walk is along the top of the gorge from the Circular Pool above to the three ways lookout to the Fortescue Falls. It is a very long way to the bottom.
This is a view of the three way where the Circular Pool gorge joins with the gorge from Fortescue Falls.
The colours and rock formations are exceptional. Another view down the Gorge from Fortescue Falls end.
These falls would be about 15-20 metres high. The rocks are like giant lego blocks.
Day 2 … We then did the walk down to Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool. To access the bottom of the gorge it is straight down and up. The rock which splits naturally into slate looking steps.
From Fortescue Falls there is a 300m walk to the Fern Pool which is a deep swimming hole further up. It has a timber deck and pool ladder for easy access.
The water is crystal clear and of course very very cold.
There are plenty of deep pools but not all are disturbed for swimming.
Yes, these are the outback colours, totally amazing.
Today Day 3 - 25th, we got up early and headed back to Fortescue Falls to do the Dales Gorge walk. We walked from Fortescue to Circular Pool and then back to the three way where the steps head back up to the top.
We picked our way across the natural weir to the swimming hole and headed down the Dales Gorge for our walk.
I don’t know how some of the big people have got through this gap in the track.
What a walk way, all I could think of, was how could I get this rock back to our place :) The colours and textures were amazing. Above (right) a massive amount of rock was being held up by this little column. The rock above has cracked from the side, so it was a scurry around place.
There are some massive and I mean massive paperbark trees in the gorge. Which is a surprise which means that they are exceptionally old and given the right conditions grow far bigger than you would ever realize. Another tree that we have seen like this are Bottle Brush Trees growing like gum trees just inland and south of Gladstone. There is something weird about seeing a paperbark growing the same size as a large gum tree.
It was easy walking, it would only be the up and down from the top that would deter most.
No wonder this is a popular park and everyone we spoke to said how spectacular it was.
A little flowering plant growing amongst the maiden hair.
Circular pool from the bottom. Just after leaving Circular Pool, I rolled my ankle on a step with a little drop off hidden by leaves) (The old hidden leaf trick) I was hanging on, as I stepped and managed to stop the worst of it. It was okay to walk on. Unfortunately I still had to walk a fair way along the gorge bottom, back to the three way, then do the climb up, then from the top the walk back to camp. Probably one km on a sore ankle. My ankle didn’t sign up for that, so has protested and refuses to co-operate any further. Resting it this afternoon and hoping that I will be able to walk on it tomorrow. As they say, it could have been worse.
Definitely lots to photograph. Around at Circular Pool there is ochre and another bright blue stone which obviously everyone has been grinding and putting their hand prints on the gorge wall. The Circular pool was a men’s site.
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