Marble Bar day 2

Today we packed a lunch and headed off early to explore our surrounds. First stop was the Marble Bar which is about 5kms west of the town and crosses the Coongan River. When we got there we thought it was a great spot but we were a bit disappointed in the Marble Bar. Turned out we were at Chinaman Pool and not right on the Marble Bar. This really is a petty spot with grass and picnic tables, black swans, pelicans, ducks on quite a large but not huge waterhole and lots of other bird life in the surrounding trees. After a look around, too early and too cold for a swim, we headed off to the Marble Bar car park about another hundred metres from where we first turned in. It is sign posted Marble Bar Pool but there is very little water. The colours and size of this Jasper Bar is quite impressive. From there we headed out to Glenn Herring Gorge a drive of about 35 km with the first 20 bitumen up to the turnoff to Sanjiv Ridge one of Gina Rhineharts iron ore mines. The drive into the Gorge wasn't bad but I don't think I would take a van in. You can drive right in and it is only a thirty minute return walk along the river bed. It was pretty spectacular and well worth the trip out. We then headed back towards town and got sandwiched between 2 Road trains headed to Port Hedland. Being curious, I thought this was a good opportunity for a chat. I asked a few questions and found out they carry 151 tonne of iron ore and all up they weigh 206 tonnes with 106 tyres on the road. They travel half way to P.H. and drop their trailers and hook onto empty ones then return back to the mine, fill up and then travel all the way into Port Hedland with the next load.. So they do one and a half trips a day, about 450kms.
We called into the flying fox lookout and the Jasper fossicking area then headed out to Doolena Gorge about 40kms out on the Port Hedland Road. We were going to free camp there on the way into Marble Bar but fortunately I missed the turn off. I say fortunately because it was not easy to get into, big potholes filled with bulldust, and once you started on the track nowhere to turn around with a van on. I don't know if we would have made it. There were three campers in there in an assortment of small off road ,caravans and campers. But it is fantastic spot. A big river running through a small but beautiful gorge. At the moment it is only a big waterhole but lots of waterbirds, pelicans, black ducks, egrets, and others. We had lunch and headed back into town and went up the watertank lookout took some photos then back to camp and had a well earned drink after a long and satisfying day.Read more