Karijini - See it to believe it - May 19th...

Well so much for down time!, we are so surprised at how little down time you actually get. There is always something happening or something to do. It is hard to believe we have been on our trip now for 4 weeks.

See photo - Mt Nameless view.
 

See photo - House Creek Bridge.

Finally moving away from the coast we headed for an overnight free camp on the 19th May at House Creek Bridge (63km E of Nanutarra Roadhouse or 162km W of Paraburdoo). A lovely spot, by the time sun set we had gone for a walk, seen a Kangaroo and evidence of a flood running through the nearby creek bed. We found the fire pit and decided to light a campfire (which was re ignited by the boys playing with the old coals..... ) to cook marshmallows and generally keep away the mozzies!. We met some lovely families including one who are currently blasting around OZ for 3 months with no more than a camper trailer and an eski !!!..... we are defiantly doing it 5 *.
An early start found us heading to Tom Price for an overnight stop, it's now only 1 day until we see Nanna and Granddad Smith. After a quick drive around town we headed for the caravan park to set up, then a 4wd up Mt Nameless to checkout the view. It is a 4 km, steep mountain requiring low range for the last 1/4,  the view was very rewarding, on one side was the mine site and the other was beautiful rolling mountains with any space not covered by bush or tree covered with spinifex. We learned that even though the vast amount of spinifex you see while green is very flammable the oil within will explode when burnt.

The next morning we packed up, parked outside the visitors centre along with a dozen other people and went on the Tom Price Mine Tour, the boys got down and dirty with some big toys!...... around lunchtime we did some food shopping and were on the road to meet Nan and Grandad at Dales National Park Camp ground in Karijini National Park.

Soon after our arrival at Karijini we were introduced to what we now call "Kimberly Clean"...... the boys managed to almost cover themselves with the marvellous red dust of this amazing place! We setup and headed off to the Fortescue Falls swimming hole, there was a cliff face where I climbed and jumped off 8mt into the water to the delight of the backpackers! That night we settled down to a Pork Roast cooked on the Webber and a night under the stars. First light we were off down to the circular pool lookout and then back to the waterfall for the afternoon for another swim this time in Fern Pool.

Our final day found us on a 1 hour trip from Dale to Weano ( 1/2 hour of that on gravel ) to the viewing platform Junction Pool. Bell and I left the kids with Nan and Granddad and we hiked down Hancock Gorge for the amazing view's, some spots we climbed along walls stepped with rock, other spots the shoes where of and we where in the water. Nan and Granddad took the boys on a little trek of there own, with no injuries to report.

We were able to convince Nan and Granddad to continue on with us for a bit as the 3 nights we had just flew, and we where only just getting into it. The boys and us just loved having Nan and Granddad around.

Before we left after our 3rd night, in the morning the boys met the local Aboriginal Ranger and after answering all the activity questions they were given on their first day, they were then presented with their Karijini Junior Ranger Badges! We also found out some very interesting information, including just over a year ago the camp was ablaze after a lighting strike, no one was injured, but the evidence remains as you can see by some photos.
click here Tom Price to Karijini movie