Hiking in a gorgeous gorge

Today we hiked the gorge loop. First we walked east on the cliff ridge. On braver moments we dared to walk to the edge to look down at where the trail would bring us. The ridge trail brought us to the Three Way Lookout. From there we descended into the gorge. There was some welcome shade in there to give us a break. We were walking besides the river and crossed it a few times on narrow parts. The red cliffs, the green trees and the water made it incredibly beautiful. It wasn't too busy, just crossed a few people. We took our time with several long stops along the just 1.5km long gorge path. It was really really nice.

When we reached Fortescue Falls we went for another swim, which was even better than yesterday's given that we were warm and sweaty and the water felt even more refreshing. They should have a pool at every end of a hiking trail!

When it was time for lunch, we went up the stairs back to our van. We needed to buy ice for our coolbox as well, so we drove to the information center to cook lunch there again. There was a shady spot that attracted less flies, which makes the cooking so much more pleasant.

We couldn't visit any other parts of the park because they were still closed thanks to the cycloon from February. That was a bit of a shame. So it was only logical, that we'd go once more to our new favorite swimming pool. On the way back to Fortescue Falls, we did a short side trip to look at Fern Pool. It also looked very nice but couldn't change our minds. We went for another swim at Fortescue Falls. The waterfall was by the way a really nice shower for washing hair. Although of course without soap. Afterwards we enjoyed sitting at the edge of the pool for a while watching others go in. We also met the emigrated Dutch couple again. So we ended up talking for a bit. In the end it got a bit later than we anticipated and instead of driving in the dark to a rest stop somewhere we stayed another night in the park.Les mer