Saturday 6th September 2014 – Windjana NP – Clear Skies, hot weather

 

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Nice and Shady all day and next to a tap, happiness is….

We were lucky to get such a shady spot, as most of the trees have very little shade.

Windjana Gorge Walk – we started off around 7am and it was 9am before we reached the quarantine point.  The walk ends 1 km short, as they have a section under quarantine.  We arrived back in camp about 10am and it was heating up.

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The gorge has been created over millions of years by the Lennard River.  The range was 360 million years ago, the Devonian Barrier Reef, so sea creature fossils are embedded in the limestone.  It has a lovely smooth feel.  This is still the Napier Range.

They found fossil remains of an extinct crocodile in a cave, 40 metres up from the present river level.

We counted 50 fresh water crocodiles in one small section of river today.

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Heading off on our walk – Above (R) is a chunk which has broken off and is free standing.

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There is a nice start to the track, with a small walk through.

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The first stop is find the fossil, yep, managed that one.

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 and a Red Brow Pardalote, we have now have all of the Pardalote’s ticked off in our bird book. Yes, I know it looks orange but that is what the bird is called.  We saw the first one on our last evening at Silent Grove, but didn’t manage to get a photo.

 

 

 

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One of the many freshies           a colony of flying foxes

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The panorama looks a bit strange, but the left was in the shade.

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Amazing colours and fossils (above) in the rocks.

 

 

 

 

 

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 There are a lot of fish, I can’t remember if these are Archer or Dart Fish, they shoot insects off over hanging branches with a squirt of water.

 

 

 

 

 

Tunnel Creek  36 km east of Windjana Gorge– we headed off after lunch to visit.

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     At the start of the entrance           Tour Group coming, waiting my turn

 

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We saw heaps of wildlife in the cave, bats, flying foxes, shrimp, eel, fish, fresh water crocodiles.

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Halfway there is a open section where the roof has caved in.

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The other end, and looking back the way we came. Wet just above the knees, it was the deepest that we encountered.

 

 

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Nearly back to the start of the tunnel.

 

 

 

3 comments:

  1. Two things: Windjana Gorge is where I fell asleep on the sand while Rick walked further only to be woken n his return to see a photo of me sleeping with 3 freshies very close by! Shudder! Two - we walked to the right on entering Tunnel Creek (by mistake!!) and straight away I fell into a deep hold right up to my armpits! So, I was wet right through - just as well the weather was so hot! Loved it though. Again, great photos.

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  2. Archer fish with those stripes :)

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    1. Thanks Bob, without any internet - I had only an inkling of what they were.

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