SEGMENT 7
The Australian government is
very concerned about visitor safety and we have encountered a fair number
of interesting signs warning of all kinds of hazards: coast risk area;
cliff risk area; gorge risk area; rock risk area; tidepool risk area.
What all these signs boil down to is that you need to watch your step.
This couldn't be more true anywhere but the Pilbara, a beautiful and remote
part of Western Australia with spectacular deep gorges. Dazzled by all
the beauty, one or the other tourist has stepped into the void and fallen
to their death.
Having left the coastal areas behind us, we steadily approached this magic
area. After getting over the shock of paying A$1.73/litre at the Nanutarra
Roadhouse, we finally reached Tom Price, a mining town at the gates of
Karijini National Park. The longest privately owned railway in the world
runs through here to transport iron ore from the inland to the coast at
Dampier where it's loaded onto huge ships. Trains sometimes measure 1.5
miles (2.4km) in length and comprise up to 230 wagons weighed down with
203 tons of iron ore each.
However, we weren't here to become iron ore experts. Our goal was Karijini
National Park and we spent two days exploring its gorges and waterfalls.
About half of the park is only accessible by 4WD and we ventured into
this area first. We barely met any other visitors and had most of the
pools all to ourselves. Part of the reason is that these gorges can only
be reached through fairly strenuous climbs down the rock walls of the
gorge (pic01). The effort was well worth it and the swim in the refreshing
pools a real treat. We had reached this area in a prime time - after a
particularly heavy cyclone season, all waterfalls carried an unusual amount
of water and the entire area was covered in vibrant greenery (pic02).
Usually, the water in the deep gorges is very cold and yet more warning
signs pointed out the dangers of hypothermia - we experienced the pools
in very comfortable temperatures. One of the hikes led us from Fortescue
Falls down the gorge along the creek to famous Circular Pool. Due to severe
floods only a month earlier, the creek bed was full of debris and the
markers were increasingly difficult to find, making the hike quite an
adventure. When we reached Circular Pool, we were quite surprised to find
the water feeding into the rock basin luke-warm.
The area closer to the Visitor Center, accessible on paved roads, got way more traffic. We also had to share the park with a gazillion trillion billion mosquitos (and we thought Alaska was bad!) who also enjoyed a particularly fertile season. There was no escaping the nasty bugs in Australia: flies in the Outback; mozzies wherever there was water; and gnats everywhere else. We even found what we call no-seeums in California, tiny biting flies almost invisible to the eye but certainly noticeable for their itchy legacy. We hadn't missed them!
Our next stop was a detour, taking us 250 miles (400km) return out of our way. Mike from Dampier had contacted us via email and invited us to visit the Burrup Peninsula, a treasure trove of Aboriginal rock carvings (pic03). Grateful for his recommendation, we had initially planned to travel along an unpaved track through Millstream Chichester National Park. However, the gravel road was still closed due to flood damages - a common fate in this area. Hence we had to follow the Great Northern Highway and backtrack 200km on the Coastal Highway to reach Dampier. Mike and his family welcomed us warmly and we enjoyed a wonderful meal. Mike had taken off the next day and helped us weld our Jeep back together (pic04). We had found several more cracks in addition to the roof leak and his tools and experience came in very handy. Sven had also discovered a deep water puddle under the carpet in front of the passenger seat, presumably from the AC. While the soaring temperatures helped dry it out, Mike and Sven realized that the condensation water was leaking into the cabin; a quick search on www.ausjeepoffroad.com.au brought a few solutions and they fixed the issue.
Tuesday, April 26 was Anzac Day, a public holiday to commemorate all Australians and New Zealanders who served in World War I and other conflicts. Mike and Calvin, another local, took us out on a scenic run up the stunning peninsula (see Burrup Trail) and we enjoyed a relaxing day with some four-wheeling and beautiful beaches and gorges. We cooled off in a remote rock pool and had a secluded beach all to ourselves.
The next morning, we left Dampier
to head north along the coast. We had been keeping a close eye on Cyclone
Monica which had been swirling along the northern coast and thankfully
had been down-graded to a tropical storm by now. Cyclones are the southern
hemisphere's Hurricanes and usually not quite as destructive but do bring
with them incredible amounts of water which lead to flooding and road
closures. As the majority of roads in this area are unpaved, they cannot
be driven until they've dried out. We were hoping that this weather would
not interfere with our itinerary as we were headed for some remote and
dramatic country!
As we pulled into Broome, we spotted a familiar Landcruiser: Dirk and
Marieken, our Dutch friends (see Segment 4,
Flinders) who were traveling in the company of another Dutch couple, Bas
and Ellie. We quickly changed our plans for the next few days and joined
them on a run up to Cape Leveque (pic05). The dirt road was in pitiful
state and the corrugation and dust got to our Jeep; the snorkel mount
broke off the windshield frame! We enjoyed a peaceful evening in the campground
of Middle Lagoon and had an enlightening chat the next morning with our
host Half-Way-Up-Peter (pic06), who enjoys this nickname because his hut
is about halfway up the peninsula. Peter was a fascinating person and
in good Aboriginal tradition he shared with us his latest catch of three
big fish (Blue Bone) which we were to BBQ that night. We continued to
Cape Leveque with its beautiful beaches and enjoyed one of our last swims
in the warm Indian ocean. From here on north, saltwater crocodiles are
a big issue.
Back in Broome, we settled into a campground and spent the evening cooking
our dinner - what an unusual treat!
Saturday morning,
our group visited the Broome Market and then we parted - Bas and Ellie
were headed south for Perth; Dirk and Marieken continued east and we would
probably run into them again at some point. We ended up spending the weekend
in Broome because of an electrical problem that we wanted to have looked
at. We had heard that batteries older than 1 year sometimes fail due to
the heavy corrugation on Australian roads and decided to have ours tested.
The battery store owner was impressed with the condition of our 3-year-old
battery but recommended a service so we had all the ports cleaned and
water added. That night, our headlights and all front spotlights wouldn't
work and we had to wait till Monday to see an auto electrician. In the
meantime, we enjoyed a relaxed day in lovely Broome. Gantheaume Point
(pic07) provided a paradise for photographers with its brightly colored
rocks, and the beach impressed with its 30 feet (9 metres) tide difference.
Come Monday, the electrician had good news for us: after a thorough investigation,
it turned out that the battery connector supplying power to the lights
was too oxidized to allow the flow of electricity. After replacing the
connectors, we were good to go.
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for more pics click here