Karijini

Karijini National Park is an amazing place. You drive for ages through some weird landscapes, drive through some gates announcing the park, drive a bit more to the visitor centre and you’re still at a loss to understand what it is you’re expecting to see. For example, you drive to Uluru and you see a great big rock in the middle of the desert, you drive to the Bungle Bungles and you see alien rock formations, you drive to Karijini and you see nothing. Not a smidge.

Hmmm.

So you park, perhaps camp and start wandering around and you’re still not any clearer until you reach the first lookout!

   

Karijini National Park is all about gorges and the exploration of them. If you’re also lucky you might see wildflowers. The two main gorges are Dale and Weano with camping permitted at the first. It wasn’t the best of arrivals as rain started to fall that afternoon. Typical. The following day was spent tucked in the van reading a couple of books and hoping the leaky windscreen would hold out.

The second day was a bit better so after bumping into a couple I’d met at Port Hedland set off to explore properly. The gorges are stunning and in my opinion some of the best of Australia. Both are deep below ground level requiring ‘a good level of fitness” that at first made me question my own ability but after completing, made me feel jolly good about myself :) Me. Fitness. Never before have these two words been in the same sentence!!!

 

The rock strata here is sensational and provides clear evidence about the deposits of iron ore in the area. Some have been collected and polished in the visitor centre as gifts and look amazing.

Huge colour and texture contrasts can be found walking around the gorges with the almost dry walling effect looking rigid against the tall grasses. Clear water runs through the gorge that is tempting to drink but in the presence of humans, never too sure. Turning left into the gorge leads to Circular Pool, a beautiful deep green pool within the rocks that creates a nice relaxing area. Several other walkers were there and couldn’t help but just stare and gaze at the spectacular colours.

 

Turning right round and heading back along the full length of the gorge leads you to an eerie opening in the track. Little cairns have been built by passersby constructed as good luck charms creating a “Blair Witch” moment and a bit creepy. We had fun building our own just in case..

Dales Gorge walk leads to Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool, spectacular waterfalls and spots for swimming in the right parts of the year. They dominate the face of the gorge and mark the end of the walk only requiring a steep climb up some built in steps.

Typically, as I returned back to Stan, the weather brightened but didn’t help the poor mats and Merrells from being painted red.

 

I’d recommend looking at Ben Knapinski’s photos of the place to get the real essence of the place!