On our way from Marble Bar to Karijini National Park we spent a night at Indee Station (a working cattle property). This was an interesting stopover where we walked to the top of a hill on the property to get telephone reception. Happy hour was enjoyed with other camping guests in the homestead dining room ...... you took your drinks and the property owners supplied the nibbles. We had a very pleasant hour chatting with so many other travellers.
Next day travelled to Karijini National Park.............. This enormous and remote National Park is the second largest National Park in WA. The dramatic gorges formed over millions of years where creeks, dry for most of the year, rage after winter rains, carving out deep, sheer-sided chasms.
We booked into the Dales Gorge campground............. We again meet up with our travelling friends Glenda and John and thanks to them, in their 4WD, we spent a fantastic day from 8.30am to 4.30pm exploring the Weano Gorge and its surrounds and enjoying a picnic lunch. We walked the absolutely magnificent Weano Gorge and its surrounds, exploring the gorges and streams of Weano, Hancock, Kalamina and the vistas from Joffre and Oxer lookouts. Oxer lookout is perched on a sliver of land at the junctions of the four gorges – Weano, Red, Hancock and Joffre – with iron-stained cliffs falling away steeply on both sides.
We arrived back to our campsite around 5pm to find our dear friends, from Newcastle, Marg and Wayne. They had just arrived at Dales Campground, found our motorhome and were making themselves a cuppa while they waited for us to return...........they knew we couldn't be too far and because it was getting onto dusk knew we should be home soon! It was great to see them and with Glenda and John we sat and enjoyed sundowners and chatted well into the evening.
Marg and Wayne have travelled, with other friends, across the rough dirt road of the centre of Australia and before leaving Newcastle we hoped we might catch up somewhere here in WA on our trip.............we have been in contact periodically by SMS (when in telephone coverage) and seven to ten days ago we suspected we would be in Karijini around the same period! This large country and bingo we managed to catch up even though we have each taken a very different path to reach the same spot!
Chris and I enjoyed a rest day after our Weano Gorge adventure and the next day Marg and Wayne travelled with us in our motorhome to the iron-ore mining town of Tom Price. We had a wonderful day with them and it was great to be with such great friends. In Tom Price we had telephone coverage so Marg and I phoned our great friend Kathy............ Back in the early 70's, Marg and Kathy travelled in a small Galant around Australia visiting the many places we have just been travelling. Amazing to think........ all the rough gravel road and in a small Galant and only had a few minor issues................ a broken windscreen and a flat tyre! Two very young girls camping out in tents under the stars!
Another exciting day was spent with Marg and Wayne exploring the magnificent Dales Gorge and its surrounds. The startling landscape here in the Karijini National Park is a must to see.................spectacular gorges, waterfalls and rock pools provide a striking contrast to the stark red of the Pilbara landscape.
I have truly been blown away with the absolute beauty of this amazing place in our wonderful Australia................. I only pray that with all the iron-ore mining in the Pilbara that the beauty of this place is unaffected.............God knows what money can destroy!
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