Port Hedland to Karijini

Road trains are the dominant species on Pilbara roads. It seems that they can’t get the dirt out quick enough when the price of ore is at record highs. Our first taste of the region known as the Pilbara came with a scenic drive south from Hedland. It is beauty; raw and rugged. 

A stark landscape distinct from the sandy desert which presses up to the beaches south of Broome like one continuous sand dune. Vast plains of spinifex, scattered gums and layers of exposed red rock. Picking up the dark tiles of red rock which form the hills and cliffs is like holding the bottom of a thick based saucepan. There’s plenty of iron here. Naomi named a messy collection of big red rock spheres “The Devil’s Dog Biscuits”.

Reaching a lookout showcasing the rocky pass just travelled, our progress was halted by the sight of worrying oil leak. It was poor timing having farewelled Tim the Mechanic but 24 hours previously. It forced a premature stop at Auski Roadhouse for a closer inspection. The Aussie roadhouse tends to be a bit of an each way bet, offering fuel, food, booze and questionable accommodation. This one was particularly noisy and full of roads department contractors. With no clear cause of our leak we slept to a soundtrack of road trains, resigned to backtrack to Hedland.

Driving a car that may be about to breakdown is not my favourite pastime. It certainly takes the gloss off the scenery and we have plenty of scenery ahead. Tim was happy to check the car over, and with his “all clear” we were back on the road.

Karijini is a well placed detour from the industrial heart of the Pilbara coastline. It is famous for a series of gorges set in the typically arid Pilbara savannah. These gorges come out of nowhere. They are deep cuttings that give the impression that the ground has just opened up.

Each gorge has a modest flow of spring water with falls and pools. Camping at Dales Gorge, we made day trips deeper into the park for walks in Weano, Joffre and Kalamina Gorges.

Waeno Gorge proved to be quite an adventure with water crossings and increasingly difficult passes. One section involves negotiating a rock ledge and climbing down the rock face. Lissa can’t get enough of this kind of stuff. She lives life on the edge.

Naomi, Eva and I fed a few spinifex seeds to the Spinifex Pidgeons while Kael walked Dales Gorge with his Mum.

We had the jade pools of Joffre Gorge to ourselves. Kael practiced the sweet science of rock skimming. Unlimited smooth, flat stones and still water allowed him to shatter the family record.

Karijini has proved to be a real highlight with its mix of amazing lookouts and gorge walks.

Tonight Eva decided she needed to return to the toilet just when she had stripped down ready for PJs. She had just made the trip with Lissa and now it was my turn to accompany her to the longdrop. Nothing on but the torch, she marched up and back staring at the stars. That’s my girl.

Speaking of proud moments, Naomi caught her first real lizard. After a few failed lunges coming up empty handed, she stood up with the little dragon in her little hand. That’s my girl.

Exiting Karijini the rocks glow on the road side reminding us of the main industry in the Pilbara: Rock Farming. Tom Price is one of the biggest Iron Ore mines with a town built to service the workers. It boasts “the perfect climate”, but we were more interested in the Supermarket. 

A free camp at a roadside stop bridged the gap back to the coast. Karijini was easily the dirtiest 5 days we have had. Swimming helps and improvised camp showers make a difference but there is no escape from the fine dust of the Pilbara.