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gemfyre7/3/2011
Driving in the Hamersley Ranges is very distracting. You spend so much time gawking at the scenery when you really should be paying attention to the road. The ranges started just out of Newman and only ended when I finally reached my destination at Auski. I can only describe it as arresting, breathtaking, awe inspiring.
Unfortunately for me, most of Karijini was still closed due to flood damage. The only area close by that was accessible was Dales Gorge. Seeing as I had only half a tank of fuel, I figured I'd check that out, then drive to Tom Price (checking out Mount Bruce on the way), get fuel there, then wind my way around the perimeter of the national park, through Hamersley Gorge then Wittenoom and finally arrive at Auski. Once again it was a day that started clear, then a few white clouds scudded across the sky, and in the early afternoon they became grey and heavy and I could see rain (I even got caught in some briefly). The storm clouds did provide a spectacular backdrop to red and green hills dotted with white snappy gums. The spinefex is currently verdant green and they spot the hills, in such a way as to look like inviting cushions. More like pincushions close up though.
First thing I did was check out Dales Camping Area. I wonder if it improves in the dry season? Didn't look very inviting. I figured it would closer to the gorges or at least be in a scenic area. Heck, even some shade trees could have been nice. Even if the weather was suitable for the swag, I think I would have gone on to Auski anyway.
Then I pulled into the carpark at Fortescue Falls in Dales Gorge and started down the track, I got to the gorge rim and saw the falls below, with a pool at the bottom and people swimming in it. I quickly dashed back along the path back to the car and changed into my bathers. No way was I passing up this opportunity.
The walk down was okay, gravity was on my side, although the uneven steps made me very cautious. I found a rock ledge, stripped to my bathers and waded in. Omigosh, the water was beautiful. It got very deep very quickly and was just lovely. I even sat under the waterfall for a bit. I would have liked to have taken a photo from the base of the falls - but my camera is not waterproof.
I eventually dragged myself out of the water and put my clothes and boots back on to wander a little further down the gorge. The going was very uneven at parts, I made one tiny misstep and my knee has been telling me about ever since. Before heading back up the gorge I took one more dip. It was amazing to see a lot of fish in the shallows. One guy was even feeding them cheese and bacon balls.
It's a pity, that after such a refreshing swim you have to climb back up again. It was exhausting work, but eventually I made it - only to be all hot and sweaty once again.
I took a look down at Circular Pool from the lookout (I was in no mood for more walking at this point), then headed back out of the park towards Auski. On the way the highway cuts through the Munjina East Gorge, which is just spectacular. See the photos, words can't describe.
I booked a donga once again at Auski and was delighted to find that it's almost identical to those at the BBO. The room also smells like op-shop My Little Ponies, which is weird (I guess it's weird that my mind registers a scent as "Op-shop My Little Pony"). I turned the air-con on, changed out of my bathers and soggy clothes and popped back in the car to check out Wittenoom. I really would have liked to have made it all the way out to Hamersley Gorge - but time wasn't on my side. On the way out I almost hit a bird that I first thought could have been a Spinefex Pigeon (I didn't see any today, but I am still in their range, and apparently they are also common at Millstream). On further consideration, I realised that it was a Little Button-quail - another new bird!
Wittenoom is like the Chernobyl, or Centralia of Western Australia. It was once a booming, asbestos mining town. Then the miners starting getting a cancer called mesothelioma, which was caused by inhaling the asbestos fibres. A massive law suit and subsequent payout ensued - unfortunately the money didn't give the miners their lives back. Midnight Oil wrote the song 'Blue Sky Mine' about it. In 1987 we actually stayed here overnight, I don't remember it much, but it was already pretty barren back then. Now it's not even marked on maps anymore. The place has no services, but I noticed at least 3 of the houses were still lived in, by tenacious locals who refuse to leave their homes I guess. There are warning signs and general discouragement not to go to Wittenoom due to potential asbestos fibres still in there. I'm a bit skeptical of the risk, but to be on the safe side I closed the vent in my car and took all my photos through the windows. Oddly, I think the most eerie thing about mostly-abandoned Wittenoom are the unmaintained roads through town, riddled with potholes, covered in dust and overgrown at the sides.
By then the light was fading so I made my way back to my pad and had dinner, accompanied by lots of grasshoppers, beetles, alates (winged ants) and god knows what else, all wanting to be my dinner guests, or worse still, my dinner. From my seat in the camp kitchen I could watch a lightning show going on on the eastern horizon.
I'm now pretty tired. So I'm going to go have a shower then sleep. I've decided to skip Marble Bar for a few reasons - It's hot and humid, the roads may be dodgy, I want to see the ocean dammit! So tomorrow I will be heading to Port Hedland. I hope the weather eases up, I think I'll enjoy swagging it there, near the beach.
7/3/2011 (Newman, Karijini, Dales Gorge, Fortescue Falls, Auski Roadhouse, Wittenoom)
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Black-faced Woodswallow
Brown Falcon
Budgerigar
Crested Pigeon
Diamond Dove
Galah
Little Button-quail
Little Corella
Little Crow
Little Woodswallow
Magpie
Magpie Lark
Mistletoebird (H)
Nankeen Kestrel
Pied Butcherbird (H)
Rufous Songlark (H)
Rufous Whistler (H)
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (H)
Tree Martin
Weebill (H)
Whistling Kite
White-backed Swallow
White-plumed Honeyeater (H)
Willie Wagtail
Yellow-throated Miner
Zebra Finch
See LOTS more photos from today here.
Driving in the Hamersley Ranges is very distracting. You spend so much time gawking at the scenery when you really should be paying attention to the road. The ranges started just out of Newman and only ended when I finally reached my destination at Auski. I can only describe it as arresting, breathtaking, awe inspiring.
 |
Entering the Hamersley Range On the road from Newman to Karijini. |
Unfortunately for me, most of Karijini was still closed due to flood damage. The only area close by that was accessible was Dales Gorge. Seeing as I had only half a tank of fuel, I figured I'd check that out, then drive to Tom Price (checking out Mount Bruce on the way), get fuel there, then wind my way around the perimeter of the national park, through Hamersley Gorge then Wittenoom and finally arrive at Auski. Once again it was a day that started clear, then a few white clouds scudded across the sky, and in the early afternoon they became grey and heavy and I could see rain (I even got caught in some briefly). The storm clouds did provide a spectacular backdrop to red and green hills dotted with white snappy gums. The spinefex is currently verdant green and they spot the hills, in such a way as to look like inviting cushions. More like pincushions close up though.
| Karijini National Park - Fig Tree Crossing Again, threatening clouds loom. The eucalypts looked maginificent against the grey backdrop though. |
 |
First thing I did was check out Dales Camping Area. I wonder if it improves in the dry season? Didn't look very inviting. I figured it would closer to the gorges or at least be in a scenic area. Heck, even some shade trees could have been nice. Even if the weather was suitable for the swag, I think I would have gone on to Auski anyway.
Then I pulled into the carpark at Fortescue Falls in Dales Gorge and started down the track, I got to the gorge rim and saw the falls below, with a pool at the bottom and people swimming in it. I quickly dashed back along the path back to the car and changed into my bathers. No way was I passing up this opportunity.
 |
|
| Karijini National Park - Fortescue Falls One of the few places that was open at the park (a large portion was closed due to road damage). Upon seeing this I got excited and dashed back to my car to put on my bathers. |
The walk down was okay, gravity was on my side, although the uneven steps made me very cautious. I found a rock ledge, stripped to my bathers and waded in. Omigosh, the water was beautiful. It got very deep very quickly and was just lovely. I even sat under the waterfall for a bit. I would have liked to have taken a photo from the base of the falls - but my camera is not waterproof.
 |
Karijini National Park - Fortescue Falls This pool was lovely to swim in. If I'd had a waterproof camera I would have taken a shot from the base of the falls. |
I eventually dragged myself out of the water and put my clothes and boots back on to wander a little further down the gorge. The going was very uneven at parts, I made one tiny misstep and my knee has been telling me about ever since. Before heading back up the gorge I took one more dip. It was amazing to see a lot of fish in the shallows. One guy was even feeding them cheese and bacon balls.
| Karijini National Park - Dale's Gorge This rockfall was as far as I went, my knees and terrain like this generally don't get along well. |
 |
It's a pity, that after such a refreshing swim you have to climb back up again. It was exhausting work, but eventually I made it - only to be all hot and sweaty once again.
I took a look down at Circular Pool from the lookout (I was in no mood for more walking at this point), then headed back out of the park towards Auski. On the way the highway cuts through the Munjina East Gorge, which is just spectacular. See the photos, words can't describe.
| Karijini National Park - Munjina Gorge When the Great Northern Highway was being built about 7 routes were proposed. The route decided on went straight through Munjina Gorge. |
 |
I booked a donga once again at Auski and was delighted to find that it's almost identical to those at the BBO. The room also smells like op-shop My Little Ponies, which is weird (I guess it's weird that my mind registers a scent as "Op-shop My Little Pony"). I turned the air-con on, changed out of my bathers and soggy clothes and popped back in the car to check out Wittenoom. I really would have liked to have made it all the way out to Hamersley Gorge - but time wasn't on my side. On the way out I almost hit a bird that I first thought could have been a Spinefex Pigeon (I didn't see any today, but I am still in their range, and apparently they are also common at Millstream). On further consideration, I realised that it was a Little Button-quail - another new bird!
Wittenoom is like the Chernobyl, or Centralia of Western Australia. It was once a booming, asbestos mining town. Then the miners starting getting a cancer called mesothelioma, which was caused by inhaling the asbestos fibres. A massive law suit and subsequent payout ensued - unfortunately the money didn't give the miners their lives back. Midnight Oil wrote the song 'Blue Sky Mine' about it. In 1987 we actually stayed here overnight, I don't remember it much, but it was already pretty barren back then. Now it's not even marked on maps anymore. The place has no services, but I noticed at least 3 of the houses were still lived in, by tenacious locals who refuse to leave their homes I guess. There are warning signs and general discouragement not to go to Wittenoom due to potential asbestos fibres still in there. I'm a bit skeptical of the risk, but to be on the safe side I closed the vent in my car and took all my photos through the windows. Oddly, I think the most eerie thing about mostly-abandoned Wittenoom are the unmaintained roads through town, riddled with potholes, covered in dust and overgrown at the sides.
 |
Wittenoom Would have been a scenic place to live, with the Hamersley's right there beside the town. A nearby gorge - Yampire, is also not recommended for a visit. |
By then the light was fading so I made my way back to my pad and had dinner, accompanied by lots of grasshoppers, beetles, alates (winged ants) and god knows what else, all wanting to be my dinner guests, or worse still, my dinner. From my seat in the camp kitchen I could watch a lightning show going on on the eastern horizon.
I'm now pretty tired. So I'm going to go have a shower then sleep. I've decided to skip Marble Bar for a few reasons - It's hot and humid, the roads may be dodgy, I want to see the ocean dammit! So tomorrow I will be heading to Port Hedland. I hope the weather eases up, I think I'll enjoy swagging it there, near the beach.
7/3/2011 (Newman, Karijini, Dales Gorge, Fortescue Falls, Auski Roadhouse, Wittenoom)
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Black-faced Woodswallow
Brown Falcon
Budgerigar
Crested Pigeon
Diamond Dove
Galah
Little Button-quail
Little Corella
Little Crow
Little Woodswallow
Magpie
Magpie Lark
Mistletoebird (H)
Nankeen Kestrel
Pied Butcherbird (H)
Rufous Songlark (H)
Rufous Whistler (H)
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (H)
Tree Martin
Weebill (H)
Whistling Kite
White-backed Swallow
White-plumed Honeyeater (H)
Willie Wagtail
Yellow-throated Miner
Zebra Finch
See LOTS more photos from today here.
