BURRUP PENINSULA

Mike of Dampier had contacted us through our website and invited us to the Burrup Peninsula with its great scenery and countless Aboriginal rock carvings. We gladly accepted the invitation as well as his offer to fix some problems with sheet metal cracks in the body.
After working on our Jeep for the better part of the day, Mike took us on a quick run to show us some rock art and we rode in his heavily modified CJ6 which started its life as a CJ5. Mike had stretched the frame and body, and dropped in a Holden V8, a very common engine in Australia. We enjoyed a run in the open-top Jeep and marvelled upon tons of engravings in the brilliantly red rocks. Our host also showed us a little gorge which had quite some water run through and create pools to swim in. Usually this area is bone dry and water is nowhere to be found but the recent cyclons had dropped plenty of rain to make for a fascinating lush green scenery.

The next day Mike and Abby took us and Calvin, another local, out to the peninsula. We aired down and disconnected at an area popular with locals for dropping their boats in the water. Then we pushed on to the 'gatekeeper' of the area called the Jump Up, a rocky incline feared by drivers of stock vehicles. It keeps out a fairly big number of less-experienced or equipped four-wheelers. Mike eased up his rig and we followed without any issues. The terrain here consisted of sand, pressed dirt, rocks and a rarity for now: mud! The convoy snaked through a level area, mastered small water crossings and took a small detour through high grass along a soft muddy track to a canyon. We parked our vehicles and walked into a gorge with a creek running through. Soon our group reached a pool big enough to swim and deep enough to dive into (pic01). We enjoyed the water on this hot day and hung out for a while.
From this point we continued north, climbed over rocky sections, crossed yellow-green grassland and passed a dry lake bed. Finally, we drove over a small hill to reach a secluded beach which we had all to ourselves for hours. Mike rolled out his big tarp to protect us from the sun, and after a swim in the clear ocean we relaxed in the shade. We could not have asked for a more scenic and comfortable lunch spot.

On our return trip we took a different route and had to tackle a long muddy stretch. We hauled through so we wouldn't get stuck and all three trucks managed the challenge without any additional help (pic02). Mud was flying and our rigs were covered with a thick layer of black goo. We headed back to the canyon with the pool to wash off the salt water from our ocean dip. Since the sun was getting low we enjoyed the bath in the shade for a long time.

Eventually we started our trip home and followed the trail through the different terrains. At the Jump Up we shot a few more photos as the sun was setting (pic03) and continued to Mike's house to air up. We decided to leave the clean-up for the next day and let the fun day come to an end over a great dinner and some drinks.
It's amazing that from Mike and Abby's house you can go just a few miles and reach an area of incredible beauty and adventure. Without their input, we would never have discovered this jewel and certainly missed out on a treat!

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for more pics click here