We joined the Great North Hwy and headed for the Pilbara and Karijini National Park. The land was quite green from recent rains and we crossed several creek beds – some with quite an amount of water. Quintessential Aussie outback!

We crossed dozens of stunning little creeks all showing signs of the recent rains.

There are occasional reminders that long distance travel can be risky!

As we drove into the Pilbara we were so impressed by the red hills starting to rise from the plains all around us.

The unique Pilbara landscape started to appear.

We have enjoyed meeting many travellers along the way, from all over the world and travelling with a whole variety of camping styles. We were very impressed by Mark, 66 years old and cycling solo all the way from Darwin to Bunbury (near Perth).

Mark aged 66 cycling alone from Darwin to Perth – our small gift of 2 mandarines and a can of Pepsi made his day.

We were surprised by the amount of vegetation covering the red soil. The sun lit up these porcupine grass bushes as the rays danced on the wheat coloured fronds as they were swaying in the breeze. Thy covered huge sections of the hills and landscape.

Due to the rains there is abundant plant growth. These are called Porcupine Grass.

As we drove closer to Tom Price and the Hamersley Ranges we loved the colours in the strata of the rock faces. The tourist brochures claim this is the “engine room of the nation” with significant mining of iron ore in the region, hence the dramatic colours in the soil and mountains.

The amazing Pilbara backdrop on on our drive to Karijini NP.

We drove past several huge mines and it seemed every other vehicle bore the long flags, reflective stickers and large numbers associated with the mining industry.

These iron ore trains seem to be kilometres long. Like the huge road trains (with 4 trailers), they are everywhere.

As we approached Karijini National Park we fund ourselves surrounded by these wonderful mountains.

There is red everywhere here… the rocks, the dirt, the trucks, the cars… our clothes!

We arrived late in the day and set up camp in Dales Camp in the National Park. We enjoyed sharing some stories with a German couple who pulled into camp at the same time as us. They were intrigued with how so much magically appeared out of our little trailer as we set up our camper!

After enjoying a slow morning with a little rain about, we set off to explore the gorges. The first lookout took Markus (who doesn’t like heights) by surprise. An amazing view right over the spot where 4 gorges converge. We continued travelling through the park enjoying the views of the different gorges.

The gorge and falls from Oxer Lookout

Again from Oxer Lookout… this is where 4 gorges meet.

Looking down into the gorges… vertigo sufferers beware!

Knox Gorge

There are various walks which take you down the steep sides of the gorges and to the pristine water running through the bottom. We walked down Kalamina Gorge and were stunned at its beauty. At each bend a new magic vista opened before us. Ginnie just kept repeating “This is amazing. This is amazing!”

Kalamina Falls

Walking Kalamina Gorge was a treat. Every corner seemed to open to a stunning new scene.

A great end to our day with the sun creeping out of the gorge. That night our neighbours were a young Polish couple who had cycled across Europe and Asia and now were traversing Perth to Darwin. We had seen them on the rough and dusty roads during them day and offered them to use our hot shower when they arrived. They seemed totally unflappable by the hardships and challenges they have faced cycling across strange and third world countries.

The next morning we set off to explore Dales Gorge. Again we descended down the gorge and long the creek bed to swim in the lovely clear waters of Circular Pool. We felt absolutely energised and refreshed by “taking the waters”, a truly magic experience.

The next morning we visited Fortescue Fall Lookout

The walk to Circular Pool held many great treats.

A refreshing dip in Circular Pool at the end of our gorge walk! The water was delightful & the waterfalls were much warmer!

Karijini Park demonstrates a great cooperation between the traditional owners of the land and the more recent settlers. The Visitor Centre celebrates this with a wonderful display showing great respect to the history of the area, the Aboriginal people, the pastoralists and the miners.

Award winning visitor’s centre made of rusty steel & full of Aboriginal culture & pastoral/mining history.

These hawks constantly search the roadside for prey. The sun through their wings is amazing.

The road to Port Headland cuts through the dramatic Munjina East Gorge. We returned to the coast and after a brief stop at Port Headland to refuel and top up with water and food we continued north towards Eighty Mile Beach and Broome.