Into the Pilbara and five nights at Karijini

Departing Osprey Bay we had a pretty big drive ahead of us, plus we needed to stop in Exmouth. For everything - fuel, water, and a food shop. This all takes an hour or so as we are so tightly packed that to fill water jerries requires an almost entire unpack and repack. Similarly, food needs to be put away properly into our drawers and fridge - one of my least favourite things to have to do in a busy carpark.

 Very quick stop at Nanutarra Roadhouse

 The country changed dramatically as we headed away from the coast. Red dirt at a roadside rest stop - the beginning of the Pilbara

Cheela Plains was our destination, a cattle station 460km from Exmouth. Station stays are a relatively new thing for us, and it seems that lots more stations have diversified into hospitality. Cheela Plains was such an awesome stay. There was green grass! Not for the caravans - for us tent campers. Tents and swags were allowed on the grass but no wheels. I'm really not sure we would have got any tent pegs into the rocky ground anyway.

 Jemma making good use of all that green grass with the communal fire in the background.

They have great facilities, as well as a cafe in the daytime and a restaurant by night. A lookout for sunset, communal campfire where you can cook your dinner if you like, and a couple of scenic self-drive options on the property.

 Sunset lookout spot - can you spot the kids?

 Cheela Plains Station 

We had one full day at Cheela Plains so after a few chores and breakfast we paid a key deposit and set off on a self-drive tour of the property. A friendly camper told us it'd take us about 4 hours to do the 60km ( or so) round trip - we really thought he was kidding. He wasn't. The road was great - there was just lots to see. We took our time and sure enough it took us just over 4 hours. We lunched on the bank of a waterhole. A great way to spend an afternoon.

 Scrambling over rocks at The Wall - Cheela Plains

 Cheela Plains

 While this lot busied themselves making  boats and rafts at the waterhole I walked a little way along to do some quiet birdwatching. I was delighted to see a sacred kingfisher!

Cheela Plains was a delightful stay, and a nice lead in to our next stop - Karijini National Park.

We were lucky enough, or just organised, to score 5 nights in the same site at Dales Campground in Karijini NP. We stayed here all those years ago on our first spin through WA but only stayed 3 nights - geez we were in a hurry back then!

 Dales campground set up - Euro loop site 95

 

After visits to the campground dunnies, and a few words from the camp hosts, it was clear that there are still plenty of dingoes in the park. They play an important part in the ecosystem here, but of course are wild animals and must be treated as such. We chatted with the kids about the dingoes, sending Jemma into a tizzy right before bed time.

After setting up in the red, red dirt (that is now in EVERYTHING we own - bedding, tent mesh, pots and pans, drinks bottles and clothes) we took an afternoon stroll to check out Dales Gorge from the lookouts. The colours are stunning and difficult to justify with words. We made a plan for the next day to walk down into Dales Gorge. I think I will just put lots of photos in :)

Karijini have a great Junior Ranger program fro kids 6-12 years old. Jemma received a booklet that she needed to fill in during our stay and could then bring to the visitors centre and obtain a Karijini Junior Ranger badge.

 Working on her booklet....

 ...a proud little ranger!

Night one was exciting. We had been in bed for a few hours - it’s dark early and cold at night due the elevation (~750m), and the fact that it’s the middle of winter. The first howls started about midnight and they were close. Super close. There was at least one dingo right by our tents and the howling continued for a good while. Keeping Jemma calm was impossible, so I just hugged her until she went back to sleep. She was similarly distressed when I announced that I needed to head out for a wee a few hours later - she begged me not to go. But I had to. The dingoes were still howling, but further away now, and I didn’t see any.

 Early morning shadows

Each day we explored the different gorges of the park, sometimes walking down into the gorges themselves to explore the very different environment at the bottom. 

 Walking track - Dales Gorge rim

 Most of the gorge walks entail lots of scrambling, and crossing the creeks

 Scrambling with a bit of help

 Playing near the Fortescue Falls in Dales Gorge late in the afternoon

 It is a very different world down in the gorge - generally cooler and shady

 Fortescue Falls from above

 Fortescue Falls

 The pool at the top of Fortescue Falls

 Steps make it easy access down into Dales Gorge at the Fortescue Falls end....

 ....coming back up at the other end was a goat track

 We got our feet wet, but it was worth it...

 ...look at that.

 Paperbark tree hanging over the waterhole provides a great photo opp

 

 Drip, drip, drip - a vertical wall of ferns

 Rock wallaby in Dales Gorge

 A lizard we found 

 Honey ants

 On our way to Handrail pool - handrail behind us through the narrow gap...

 down we go

...and safely down at handrail pool...now thinking about how we're going to get back up. It was a sheer couple of metres up shiny, hard rock (mostly metal) with a handrail.

 It's hard to get your head around the scale and beauty of this country

 Razor sharp grass to hold while you cross on wobbly rocks

 Some of the oldest exposed rock on earth

 A quiet moment

 Gorge walking happiness

 Mornings were CHILLY but the days were GLORIOUS and perfect for walking

 Playing at the top of the falls

 Thinking about a swim at Fern Pool above Fortescue Fall. this is an exquisite spot. And the water is COLD. There are warnings about hypothermia at all the pools.

 Jemma still trying to get in, that's me swimming off. Once I was in, and I had my breath back, it was really beautiful...

...not cold, honest.

Each night we had dinner earlier and earlier and were in bed earlier. I think our earliest night was just before 8pm. All the walking and fresh air was making us tired, and we were having great big sleeps each night.

After 4 days of exploring we were all in need (some more than others) of a wash - and we were headed to Tom Price caravan park for a few nights to do just that.

The colours of Karijini

Leaving the coast is always hard, and especially difficult after the phenomenal time we had on the Ningaloo coast. 

Karijini is its own kind of beauty - ancient and rugged and tough, and we loved every second of it. 

We learned some new card games, played the silliest games of charades and did lots of lots of walking. The campground was fully booked while we were there but is really well laid out with lots of space between sites. The nights were clear and cold making for superb night sky viewing.