Photos

Here are a few more photos. Remember that you can click on the photo view it full screen


Brian looking down Joffle Gorge



Liz negotiating stepping stones in Dales Gorge





Brian on rocky climb






Me on Dales Gorge Walk






Swimming in Fern Pool






Climbing out of gorge

Karajini to Exmouth:

Leaving Karaijini with the car and us covered in red dirt, we headed towards Tom Price which is a mining town. As we drove in we saw green lawns which was a pleasant surprise after all the dust. It is a very small town which was owned by the mines and no one could live there unless you were working in the mine. It was sold to the newly formed council for a dollar and now lots of young families live there.

I decided to go on a mine tour to learn
about the open cut mining and see some of their huge equipment. The mine is owned by Rio Tinto. We had to don hard hats and safety glasses and wear covered in shoes. When we boarded the bus, we were warned of the huge fines for not wearing these on site - $25,000 for us and $50,000 for the driver – all to do with work place health and safety.As we approached the mine entrance we had to go through the mine security gates.
We saw some of the huge trucks
that cart the ore from the mine to the crusher. The wheels are huge and to replace a tyre costs about
$100,000 each and they only last about 8 months. There are also huge bulldozers and water trucks. One million dollars worth of fuel is used in one week.
The ore in the area is of such high grade that any thing under 50% is discarded no matter what other minerals it contains even gold so the high grade ore is very valuable.
Once the ore is crushed it is place in a great heap and these are loaded directly into a huge train by a big machine that sends it along a conveyor belt.
The also have s tunnel and the ore is loaded from the top. One car of the train can be loaded in 35 mins by this method. The train then which takes the ore to Dampier to be put directly into the ships to be exported around the world to bre made into steel.
The bus took us to a lookout where we could look out and survey the activity and see the size of some of the equipment. We had to get special clearance to go on the road and make sure no trucks were coming. The bus driver radioes the controller who is on site. In a few weeks this controller will be in Perth. All the trains are controlled from Perth. Of course the whole area is very dusty and they have to be careful to control the dust so a huge water truck waters the road continually. After the lookout we drove all around the loading equipment so there are masses of steel structures.Just as well we haves lot of the iron ore!!

Tom Price was an American out here on a field trip looking for some aggregate for the roads when he came to the Pillbra. He was amazed at the amount and quality of the iron ore he saw here and was intrumential in convincing to the government to lift the embargo on exporting iron ore. The company was hesitant to set up a mining operation because of the expense of setting up the infra structure – roads, railway lines, ports and towns but he assured then there were billions of dollars in those hills which turned our to be true. There is enough ore for at least another 40 years!!
One trainload of ore is worth about 5 million dollars and the mine operates 24 hours a day.
This was a very interesting tour with lots of facts and figures which I have forgotten.

After the tour we did some shopping and then headed towards Exmouth. We passed through some hilly country with lots of red prodruding – plenty more ore around Im sure. We stayed in a free camp by a dry river bed and had some drinks with our neighbours -all queenslanders.
We enjoyed our meal cooked over the fire and we were glad to use the wood we had carted around before Karajini (couldnt have a fire there as it was so dry). The next morning we headed off again and the countryside was very flat with stunted trees and some with trunks twisted into amazing shapes. They look like large bonsai. There is a lot of gibber and not much grass and the country looks very poor.

We saw some extremely thin cattle that were trying to find a green pick on the side of the road. It was very sad. Once again we free camped near a dry river bed that had lots of white river gums scattered around. Although it was quite windy we used up the rest of the wood.

We left very early as we wanted to get to Exmouth by 10am as we hadn’t booked in and we had heard there wasn’t much availability as lots of people from Perth come and say for three months to get away from the cold. We were very lucky to get an “overflow” site in the CP and it was a really good site.
As we passed through some more flat land we excited to see some purple wild flowers along the side of the road and there is lots of wattle starting to come out. As we neared Exmouth the land is very flat and hardly any trees at all.
We settled into our site and had loads of washing to do to get rid of all the red dust and we had to catch up on the shopping.
Exmouth is one side of the peninsular and on the other side is Ningaloo Reef which of the coast in the Cape Range National Park. You can walk off the beach and snorkel and we will be staying here so am looking forward to that.

Port Hedland to Karajini National Park:

We were so happy that the car was finally back to normal and to be on our way. However as we didn't leave until about 1.30 and Brian was fairly tired we decided to stay in a roadside parking area. Not long after we stopped another caravan stopped so it was good we had some company. We chatted with them and had drinks in their van.
The countryside was flat and uninteresting with very few trees until we came into the iron ore country. Here the rocks are deep irony red and there is lots of gibber (small stones). There were also rocky outcrops, green spinifex and occasionally some stands of snappy gums which are white twisted gums that look magnificent. As we neared Karjini we travelled through a pass of rich red cliffs which was a taste of what was to come.
Karajini is known as one of the most beautiful national parks in Australia full of deep rich red gorges cutting through the surrounding hills We thought we had experienced red dirt before in Broome but that was nothing to what we experienced here.Definitely no shoes inside and as there is little grass except spinifex, the dirt gets everywhere. There has been very little rain here and in Feb there was fire started by a lightning strike so a lot of the countryside still hasn't recovered.
We camped at Dales Gorge and had drinks with our neighbours that evening.
The next day we went on the rim walk which takes you along the top of the gorge and then down to the Fortescue Falls and to the Fern Pool. We marvelled at the deep gorges with their towering cliffs. These are made up of fine layers of rocks with reds black and grey making marvellous patterns. Down in the gorge you see lots of very tall paper barks as they stretch up towards the light. At the end of the rim walk we descended down some very steep steps to the Fortiscue Falls which tumble down the stepped drop into a beautiful green pool.
The water is very clear but appears a deep greeny blue pool which is surrounded by reeds and ferns.
Because the rocks are in layers there are lots of flat areas to sit and absorb the scenery. We then went a short distance through some huge old paper barks to the Fern Pool aptly named because of all the ferns cascading down the dripping rocks. I braved the very cold water for a refreshing swim.

After some drinks with our neighbours again we retreated to the van as it was a very cold night. We finally had to put the doona on.
The next day we went for a drive on a corrugated dusty road to view the other end of the park and some more magnificent gorges. The drive through the park across the undulating hills dotted with twisted white snappy gums, tufts of spinefex and dark red anthill mounds, with blue distant hills, was very inspiring.
We arrived at Weano Gorge Lookout
which looks down and down to a very deep gorge = over 100metres deep. It’s amazing to think that this is carved out by water. It was so deep and so red.
Then we went to Joffe Falls and Gorge. Once again there was a great lookout where you can look back at the falls. As the rocks are all layered the falls cascade down in steps. We saw some people had found their way down the “steps” to take photos down the gorge. The pool at the bottom of the falls had some flat rocks covered in bright green slime and looked incredible from the lookout.

Further along the road we came to Knox Gorge.
This was a very steep climb or should I say clamour down and down on a rather rocky and gravelly path. Sometimes I had to sit down negotiate the next step successfully- consequently some very dirty shorts.
We were rewarded by a beautiful tranquil pool and a small relaxing waterfall when we reached the bottom not to mention the feeling for straining your neck to look up at the towering cliffs. I went for a quick dip as it was very cold but refreshing as we were quite hot after our descent. We ate our lunch here and just contemplated the beauty. Then it was time to ascend so up and up we went but unfortunately we took a wrong turn and ran out of path. I thought we were lost but we finally found our way out.
We rattled our way back along the corrugated and we stopped at the visitor’s centre where you could have a shower as we were very dusty and dirty. Even though it was only luke warm it was much appreciated.

The next day we had a leisurely breakfast and then started off for a walk along the bottom of Dales Gorge. We had to descend into the gorge down the steep steps near Fortescue Falls and then ease our way past on a narrow ledge to cross over the creek via stepping stones.

There were some magnificent ferns clinging to the side of the cliffs enjoying the moisture from the dripping rocks.
As you walk along the bottom the paper barks love the moisture here and stretch up very tall to try and reach the sunlight.
We came to a beautiful pool with small waterfalls bubbling over the rocks. The water appears to be a deep greeny blue which is contrasted against the rich deep red of the towering gorge walls and the white trucked river gums that reflect in the water. The creek runs all along the gorge and there are many pools like this one with reflections of the gorge in the water. As the rocks are in many many layers the track is often flat rock which is easy to walk on but you do cross the creek many times often having to balance on stepping stones. Is not very deep so if you do misjudge you get wet feet. As we neared the end of the gorge we had to go up and down the layers to find a way to the Circular Pool which is at the end of the gorge. The waterfalls here are coming out of the rocks but in the wet season the waterfall would pour down from the top. I braved the very cold water to enjoy a refreshing swim but I didn't stay in very long. We had our lunch here while watching others plunge into the pool and stand under the waterfall which are apparently quite warm. Time to head back so we went up and down the layers which didn’t seem as strenuous as going in. We were able to climb back out of the gorge at this end by ascending up and up and up many many stone steps until we were on the top. It was a very long way up. From here it was a short walk along flat ground to our campsite. This was a beautiful and enjoyable walk to finish our stay in Karijini.

Trouble Again:

We were glad to be on the road again and were about 15 kms out of Port Hedland when suddenly we lost power and the turbo wasn’t working nor was the cruise control. We turned around and crawled back to Nissan as the car is still under warranty. They put their computer onto the car and couldn’t find anything wrong and after much head scratching they looked under the bonnet and saw there was oil everywhere and discovered a small crack in the hose to the turbo. So we waited and waited in the caravan which was parked in the side street, as they tried to locate a hose. There were none available but luckily they found one on a wrecked car out the back. Just after lunch we had a call from Geoff and Heather as they had just arrived in Pt Hedland so we were able to catch up with them only briefly as not long after they turned up the car was finished and we needed to get going.

P.S. for the Port Hedland:

Many years ago, when his kids were only little, Brian and his family went on a trip around Australia and he got a job in Port Hedland for three months. We found the garage that he used to work in and the building was still there as he remembered it. We tried to find the house he used to live in but it was no longer there. It was quite a nostalgic time for him but of course Port Hedland has grown tremendously since then and things were quite different.

Port Hedland:

Port Hedland is the largest and busiest iron ore ports in the world. From here all the iron ore is shipped to many countries especially China.

We arrived early and spent the rest of the day getting 4 new tyres and trying to sort out the car problems. There are two areas – Port Hedland and South Hedland and they are eleven kilometres apart so we did many klms between them going from one place to another without an eventual solution so we have decided to move on.

Port Hedland is a very interesting place and the size of the operation is huge, mainly owned by BHP Billition.
The huge ships come into the port and are loaded up with iron ore and fourteen ships at a time can be loaded. You could stand for hours just watching the ships come in or go out. There is activity everywhere.
Huge trains bring the ore directly from the mine to the docks where it is crushed again and then loaded onto the ship by al large conveyor belt. A ship can be loaded in 35 hours. I counted 17 ships waiting off shore to get into the docks to be loaded.
The trains are extremely long – up to 336 cars with several engines and average 3klms long.These operate 24 hours. Our caravan park is near the railway line and one of the sounds of Port Hedland is the drone of these trains. The longest train on record here had 776 cars, eight engines and carried 100,000 tonnes of ore.

Everything here is covered in red dust so a white brick building appears red. They do a lot for dust control but it is unpreventable. Nearly everyone here works in the mines and as they get such a huge wage the rents are astronomical. A 4 bedroom house is $1700 per week and a small 2 bedroom unit is $850 a week. Of course the real estate is astronomical as well. A lot of workres live in the caravan park and it is one of the dearest we have been in and in the worst condition. The showers have broken walls and the toilets are not much better. There is no maintenance.

Everyone here drives round in company cars which are utes with a big yellow number on the side and a little flag flying. The whole town revolves around the mines.

A lot of effort has been made to beautify the town so there have been some recent tree planting and street landscapes. BHP gives 1% of their pre tax profit to the community.

Another industry here is a salt production and there a large salt flats.

The salt is piled into a huge mound and you see them loading the salt into road train with a front end loader. Rather puts you off eating salt.

It is amazing to thing that this town has been responsible for so much weath in the world and that many countries rely on ther operations here to provide all their steel.

We found it to be interesting but we were glad to leave.

Barn Hill to Port Hedland:

From Barn Hill we headed to Port Smith which turned out to be the only place we didn’t really like. It was not on the beach and had lots of mangroves around which meant sandflies. There was a lagoon where you could swim at high tide and when the tide went out you could drive right out to the water on the wet sand.You have to be very careful to watch for the incoming tide as it comes in very quickly and if you are fishing you could be in trouble. We only stayed one night here and we were glad to leave.
At Barn Hill we discovered that our front tyre was quite bald so we had to change it which is quite a feat when you can’t access the back door.
To get to the spare tyre everything had to come out through the doors. We had to order some new tyres (2) so we can pick them up in Port Hedland and they are very expensive. Then at Port Smith we discovered that the back tyre was wearing badly on the inside and was dangerous so we had to unload everything again put the spare on the back then put the back tyre on the front, take the spare off and put the better tyre to the back!! What a business!! The reason we are having all this trouble with the tyres is that when the tow bar was fitted we were advised not to use stabiliser bars consequently there is too much weight at the front of the van. We can’t fit a new tow bar as you can’t get the back bumper bar off because we can’t open the back door.

Anyway we continued to Port Hedland with a stop at Cape Keraudron which is an interesting place. It is a large council owned reserve with a large bay and also a very rocky coastline.
There isn’t much beach because of all the rock.
The rock formation is very honeycombed and is very rough to walk on and is quite awkward to fish off because line get snared but this doesn’t deter fishermen as the fishing is quite rewarding. Once again some people come and stay for months. We went for a walk over the rough rocks which was quite a challenge but there were some tough little wild flowers growing under some harsh conditions.
Cattle wander around the whole area and kangaroos can be seen grazing.
The sea was turquoise and we witnessed a couple of beautiful sunsets (over the sea.) The tides are huge here and when we arrived it was high tide. When we woke the next morning it was so low there was a rocky island exposed and the whole bay was mud flats. It is quite amazing.

From here we went to a lovely free camp by the De Grey River. We were very lucky to get a spot right near the river under the large river gums. It is a very pretty and peaceful place with lots of birds. We met a lovely couple who have been on the road for eleven years and they go everywhere. They had just been working on a large station near Ningaloo Reef.
We had a fire the first night and after tea four couples joined us with all the tales and jokes usually told around a camp fire. It was lots of fun.

Both evenings we witnessed a beautiful sunset with the large bridge silhouetted and reflected in the river.

We headed to Port Hedland after two relaxing days. There were some beautiful white gum trees with twisted trunks as we passed along. Then it became very flat. As we neared Port Hedland which is an area rich in iron ore, some red boulders and rocky outcrops made a contrast against the green flats. It was very pretty.

Broome to Barn Hill:

(Sorry about the delay in the blog- have been out of range for quite a while.)

Opposite our farm campsite in Broome was a pizza place that also sold mango products. After a lazy day on Friday we went over to enjoy a wood fired pizza. My, how delicious it was!
I also booked up for a massage which I enjoyed on Sat morning.
There was a gauzed in gazebo set amongst the mango trees and I relaxed and enjoyed being pampered while listening to the birds twittering away. Then we took Geoff and Heather to the airport for their flight back home.
We had planned on leaving on Sunday but decided on staying one more day – our two days in Broome turned into seven!! Wood fired pizza was on again that night so we gave into temptation and joined the group from the CP that were going to sample the fare. We had a great night sitting under the huge mango trees enjoying pizza , the beautiful mild evening and the company.

Finally it was time to move on so we headed south. This is all new territory. The countryside is flat and uninteresting with small stunted bushes. Suddenly the land is clear, very flat and so green.
Barn Hill Station is a cattle station right on the coast line and they have capitalized on the phenomena of the grey nomads and created a camp site right on the beautiful beach. We had to travel nine kms on a corrugated and sometimes muddy dirt road to get there. After negotiating three gates, some rather large puddles and some cattle, we arrived at this beautiful place. People come here and stay three or four months. There is a bowling green and a grassy common area which has a great view over the ocean.
Caravans everywhere – some powered sites crowded under the shady trees, the generator sites on the red cliffs and the unpowered quiet ones (us) just a short walk to the beach.
We were facing out to the paddocks and could hear the crashing of the waves.
This is such a beautiful relaxing place where people enjoy fishing,
swimming in the Indian Ocean, walking on the beach or watching the sunset over the sea.
The cliffs comprise of red, red dirt,
some very interesting rock formations – some very fine layers as well as some eroded pillars. The sand is white and the sea is a brilliant blue.

Although the facilities are very basic
– no roof on the shower or toilet, people come and stay for months and some grow their own leafy veggies. Oh and the cows wander through the camp site every afternoon. What a life!!
After we arrived we went for a long walk on the beach. The fishermen park their cars on the beach to launch their boats.
The tide was out and there were a lot of exposed rocks which are hidden at high tide so you have to be careful where you swim.
We spent our time talking, swimming, walking, reading and Brian tried his hand at fishing. We met lots friendly people. There was some entertainment on two nights as well as BYO bbq. We planned on staying two nights but ended up having four nights here. This is one of my favourite places.