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Western Australia

May - June 2017
A 54-day adventure by Duncan Read more
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  • Duncan GrantWestern Australia
    Day 23

    Karajini National Park (Day 1)

    May 30, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We arrived late to our digs at Karajini National Park-staying at the aboriginal owned and run eco-retreat. Set amongst trees,shrubs and yes red dirt-lots of red dirt. The camp had basic facilties -toilet and solar shower and a cooking station. As the camp was unpowered we had a chance to set up our solar panel to run our lights and little fridge-it worked a treat. Since we arrived late we decided to dine at the eco retreat restaurant -open air but thankfully with gas heating towers as the evenings were quite chilly. Our meals were magnificent , up there with any top restaurant and the staff so friendly and full of fun.
    Karajini is an absolutely awesome place. Spectacular gorges , rugged rocky cliffs and ranges with rich red and brown color contrasting with white trunked Snappy Gums , green and yellow of Acacia and colorful wildflowers.
    Our first walk took us to Joffre Gorge , taking our time and being careful we were rewarded by a spectacular sight of striking stark red cliff faces with a waterfall descending to a pool at the bottom. We also went to Oxers Lookout and Hancock Gorge again breathtaking rocky red ranges and deep dark chasms. We were drawn to the stark reminder of just how dangerous these places can be as we read the story about an SES rescuer who lost his life whilst attempting to rescue a stranded tourist and was swept away by flash flooding occurring in the month of April, 2004. There is a Celtic cross at the top of the gorge in his honor.
    Our evening was completed by a star studded clear night sky and the Milky Way - truely beautiful.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantWestern Australia
    Day 26

    Karajini (Day 2)

    June 2, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    We once again were rewarded by narrow breathtaking gorges, hidden pools, waterfalls and red rocky ranges. We saw Dales Gorge, Circular pool , Fern pool and Fortesque falls. Circular pool is at the base of Dales Gorge and for those a lot fitter and younger than ourselves you could make your way down through the gorge to reach the circular pool which as it's name suggests is a round pool of no doubt very cold water. When we looked down from the lookout , we could see a girl swimming in the pool- it would have been very cold water to brave a swim. If you look at our photo of the circular shaped pool at the bottom of the gorge you can see the swimmer in a white bathing suit.
    We also visited the award winning Visitors Center with interactive displays that dealt with the cultural aspects of the aboriginal people, their connection to the land, country, family and their interaction with the pastoralists. All wonderfully presented.
    On entering the unique styled building we were greeted with a sign which initially written in aboriginal language then in English had these beautiful words -
    "Look after the country and the country will look after you "
    There were also geological, flora and fauna displays in relation to the area. In the evening we watched the sunset over our red rocky rangers we had come to love.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantWestern Australia
    Day 26

    The Pilbara

    June 2, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Our penguin meets the The Pilbara ! Home to red dirt, extremely long ships, long long road trains and even longer trains. Many of the road trains pulled four long trailers behind. We saw a train in Port Hedland that had four engines at the front , four engines at the rear and two in the center, we estimated the trains length to be about three kilometers long -now that's a train ! a very long one in fact . You can see bulk ship carriers of massive proportions-some over 230 meters in length and carrying up to 260,000 tonnes glide through a narrow harbour entrance adjacent to the main street.
    We took a drive to the mining town of Tom Price set deep in the Hammersley Ranges, it is the highest town above sea level in WA. It is a modern fully serviced town, clean with green lawned areas, lovely gums and palms. Facilities we noted were a golf course, large swimming pool, basketball and tennis courts, rugby and AFL grounds together with an outdoor cinema, a refreshing change from the surrounding red dirt.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantWestern Australia
    Day 27

    80 Mile Beach

    June 3, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We ventured down the dirt road to our evening stop. Our caravan park was extremely busy as it was a long weekend in WA. We had a great site and even though the park was busy it held a friendly vibe, made you just want to talk to those around you, which of course we did. After setting up camp we made the short walk to the beach and what greeted us was this long stretch of sand and shells together with the all familiar turquoise water of the Indian Ocean . We sat and watched evening fall. The beach was covered in shells, at times made it too difficult to navigate without footwear. The shore line was dotted with people fishing together with some four wheel drives making their way up and down the beach . Such a lovely relaxing spot.Read more

  • Duncan GrantWestern Australia
    Day 29

    Broome

    June 5, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We arrived in Broome, the unofficial capital of the Kimberley, in the PM of Sunday with the plan to set up camp and then call in to see Jan and her husband Dave . Jan did her nursing training with Angela 40 years ago. After meeting up with Jan and Dave we took a short walk across the dunes to meet up with a few of their neighbours to share a drink and watch the beautiful sunset. We were then treated to a magnificent evening meal at Jan and Dave's beautiful home. Jan organised to take us up the coast the next afternoon.
    We made plans of other attractions to see over the next few days. These included the usual first stop at the local visitors center, a stroll through old Chinatown, a visit to the very famous Cable Beach, a wander through the town's centre and a look at the pearl showrooms. We planned a movie night at the outdoor Sun Pictures - this outdoor cinema opened in 1916, and is the oldest operating outdoor picture garden in the world. We planned a visit to Matso's brewery where we could sample some of their award winning beers including an alcoholic ginger beer. We took a drive to Bedford park which overlooks spectacular Roebuck bay and saw a replica of a chest that belonged to William Dampier.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantWestern Australia
    Day 30

    Cable Beach , Broome

    June 6, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Cable Beach is named after the communications cable which linked Broome to Indonesia and is situated 6 km from the town's centre. The sand is pristine and the Indian Ocean a clear turquoise. You can enjoy a swim , participate in a variety of water sports, take a stroll, ride a camel at sunset or simply choose to sit back, in our case enjoy a cocktail at the Sunset bar, and take in a glowing sunset.Read more

  • Duncan GrantWestern Australia
    Day 30

    James Price Point

    June 6, 2017 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    We were lucky enough to have our personal tour guide, our friend Jan , to drive us up the dirt road to James Price Point. Along the way we stopped to enjoy the stark scenic changes from the beautiful turquoise water to contrasting red, craggy cliffs - stunning. We stopped along the way to examine many fossilized rock pieces - one of which is speculated to be an extremely large bird that had succumbed to its death and become fossilized into the rocks. Other areas appeared to be of large footprints belonging to some creature. Near Broome there is the site of the well known dinosaur footprints, however they are only visible at very low tide which did not line up with our Broome stay. We enjoyed a cool drink and a dip in the ocean, drying off with a stroll along the beach and a climb along the rocks. Thanks to Jan's running commentary we had the best tour possible.Read more

  • Duncan GrantWestern Australia
    Day 32

    Derby

    June 8, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Derby, sitting on King Sound, is the departure point for tours to the Horizontal Falls and Buccaneer Archipelego and is the western terminus to the Gibb River Road. It specializes in the spectacular Boab tree, no other plant is more symbolic of the Kimberley than it. The boab greets you with their immense swollen trunks of various shapes and it cuts a striking silhouette against the sky. Derby is also famous for the colossal tides of King's Sound, sometimes changing 10 meters every six hours. We took a tour through the Kimberley School of the Air. Went to The Norval Gallery , set up by the artist Mark Norval, an exciting gallery in an old tin shed and features striking art work. Mark is an enthusiastic supporter of local Aboriginal artists and fights hard to generate funding for the many health initiatives in the Kimberley. In his book is a verse -
    " Every race of people has a culture to follow. If you lose culture you are floating you are lost ".
    Visited Mowanjum Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre - 100% Aboriginal owned, not for profit organisation which provides employment and income to many community members through the sale of art. Donny Woolagoodja was a driving force behind the resurgence of art at Mowanjum and was responsible for the design of the 35 meter high Wandjina man in the opening ceremony at the Sydney Olympic games. Donny was allowed to take someone there and he chose to take Mark Norval. We looked at the Old Derby Gaol and the 1500 year old Boab Prison Tree which are sad reminders of man's inhumanity to man -namely white man against the Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal prisoners were chained up here whilst on their way to the Derby goal. We went to the cemetery where in times gone by the Aboriginal people were buried over the back in unmarked graves , so different from the tomb stones above the grave sites of the white people. Whilst in Derby we decided to take a trip to the Horizontal Falls and to the three national parks with stunning gorges , once part of a western 'great barrier reef' in the Devonian era, 350 million years ago. These three parks are Windjana George, Tunnel Creek and Geikie Gorge.    Read more

  • Duncan GrantWestern Australia
    Day 32

    HorIzontal Falls , Derby

    June 8, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    After some thought we decided to take a trip to what is often described as an experience of a lifetime on the seaplane adventure to the Horizontal Falls. We flew from Derby on board the seaplane and flew over the coast and tidal mud flats to Talbot Bay. After a cuppa we boarded the fast boat equipped with FOUR 300:hp outboards , to experience an exhilarating thrill of many passes back and forth through the Horizontal Falls. The falls form due to the tidal passages of water into and out of the bay via two narrow openings in the cliffs. Due to the immense tidal surges which occur approximately every 6 hours, the level in one area will be higher than the other ,they will gradually equalise in depth and for a brief moment both side will be equal and then the reverse tidal surge will gradually commence-such an amazing concept. After our ride we cruised around the untouched bays and creeks . We were then shown our individual accommodation complete with a window overlooking the bay , perfect to view the moon from during the night. Dinner was a barramundi BBQ with salad eaten whilst we watched the sunset over Talbot Bay. Breakfast was followed by another few rides through the falls. We boarded our seaplane for a low level flight over the breath taking sight of the Buccaneer Archipelago-the coastline which is dotted with numerous islands and landforms in so many shapes and sizes. Wow factor unbelievable +++Read more

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