Wow, last one! Not really sure how I feel about that. I started out being a bit nervous about this whole blog thing, and now it come to this final episode, and I find that I've become strangely addicted to my little online soapbox! We're back home now, everything is out of the car, but I can't say that I've completely "unpacked" as such - its just such a depressing job to do. Let me finish the tale, and then get back to it.....
DAY 81 (15th July): Today the group went and had a look around the Burrup Peninsula. What a strange place! We did a bit of a 4WD trek to start, and then we left the others to go catch up with a friend in Dampier (the original KB :D). Unfortunately, this meant that we didn't see the proper petroglyphs, which, in hindsight, was probably a bit silly of us! But I DID get to have a hot choc with my hot choc buddy, an event that hasn't happened for the last three months, so all was not lost.
Weird landscape.
The mighty Triton (a.k.a "Lollypop") battling the tracks.
On the way back, we stopped at Miaree Pool on the Maitland River. Lovely spot. Lots of people braving fines camped along the edge of it.
I was too chicken to actually use the rope swing!
Then it was back to camp for a bit of an explore along the mud flats.
M makes an early discovery of a coral treasure.
Sunset was pretty impressive over the flats.
J found a chiton
Time for a silhouette or two!
The colours just after the sun had disappeared were amazing.
I wasn't really cooking. Mostly I was just poking the fire with a stick. The spoon was just for the photo.
DAY 82 (16th July): We split from the big group today, and went with the hot choc buddy and some friends to Python Pool in the Millstream-Chichester National Park. During the morning pack up though, we found this little friend hiding in our wood pile:
He was quite happy to sun himself on my arm!
This was the view on the road in.
The mountains were a purply colour!
The landscape itself was similar to that of the Burrup Peninsula. It looked like some guy a million years ago, got into a giant bulldozer, pushed up big piles of broken rocks everywhere, and then left before he finished the job.
A postcard to you if you guess what Pete named this hill/mountain..... :-/
And then we got to the pool. Another one of those magic places, that you'd never guess was even there. You find these places, and feel that you HAVE to swim, just so you can say you did. Beautiful. Oh, but FREEZING!!!
There were quite a few people there! We had it to ourselves for the first five minutes or so, then the crowds began to arrive...
The kids deciding whether to brave the water.
Beats South Perth Dome any day!
Miss J doing some rock-hopping.
and then feeding the tiny fish pieces of her lunch.
I forgot my bathers. And too many people to do the undies swim here!
Pete braves the cold.
KB1, KB2 and Miss J being a princess.
We had arranged to meet the others at a free camp site about 2km down the road, called Snake Creek. We didn't see any snakes...
But there was enough water around to make it an interesting walk.
We had set up, and tried to "reserve" an area for every one else to go - I had to put the picnic table out so it looked like someone was there! These places get pretty full at the evening, I don't think we were too popular. I refused to meet anyone's eye that drove in!
DAY 83 (17th July): Got up really early this morning, for no real good reason, so went for a little walk with the camera.
It's not often I see sunrise, I can tell you! :-D
We then did the Python Pool thing again with the big group. Getting there early means that the sun is on the rocks, so its pretty amazing. And I rushed off to get there first so I could try to get some reflection shots! :)
Noone around this time when we were here!
Braving the swim again.
This is not my photo, but I include it for my husband's wonderful photo-bombing technique! :)
I think ANY wildflower shot is enhanced by a karate kid move in the background.
Once we were packed up, we headed off towards Karijini. On the way, we turned off towards Millstream, and found another waterhole,
I can't remember the name of it though!
Then there was the flat tire....
with Pete H pausing to pull off a pretty good "Blue Steel". It's a little known outback tire-changing strategy.
Landscape of Chichester....
We arrived at Karijini quite late, and it was our turn to cook. It was a late dinner. Lucky it was curry, and not anything too complicated!
The chef, and ring-ins.
Satisfied customers...
It was a full house at Cafe du Baylis.
And this is why!
Hands around the camp heater.
Day 84 (18th July): Karijini. What magic created this place, I'll never know. However, I do have to say that the Eco-retreat is not so magic. $50 a night for an
unpowered sight, with VERY average amenities is not cool.
Anyway, to the pics:
This was our first view of Joffre Gorge. Everyone was snapping lots of photos, and we hadn't even got to the good bit yet.
The climb down. The first bit was level 2 to level 4, so we could get the kids down,then it hit level five. You kind of need all your hands and feet for yourself then. M was quite devastated - he could SEE this water below him and we wouldn't let him down. He kept insisting that everyone was going the hard way and he could see a super easy way. Such mean parents.
M faking happiness. J not hiding anything. She was not happy either.
Down the bottom of Joffre Gorge, where it then goes through to the falls.
The falls!
The top level of the falls, with three wise monkeys under the water! :)
In the afternoon we drove to Weano Gorge, where at least the kids could get to. It was a lot of steps!
M contemplating life....
The pool.
While the others went downstream to the trickier parts, M and I went exploring.
Because the rock is so layered, it makes climbing pretty easy! Still not enough so for me to let him go down crazy high cliffs though.
DAY 85 (19th July): The next morning we returned to Weano and took the more difficult road, down to Handrail Gorge. It had some pretty tricky bits! Especially since I had decided to take the camera with me as well.
The falls.
The precarious climb down. Really, I needed more control over the camera, or to carry a tripod with me as well!
The continuation past Handrail. The water is deep. And cold. I walked through it on the way back.
This was as far as I was going! It was about a 4m drop to the next pool.
Having got pretty wet already, I thought I'd swim over the pool for a shot in the falls. The water was SO cold in the pool that it burned. I don't think the sun gets into this bit for very long each day.
Miss J in her brother's new Eagles jersey!
In the afternoon, we went and checked out some caves that we'd seen from the road on the way to Weano. Turned out that a couple of them were quite big, one having lots of bats and giant spiders in it!
The first biggish cave - went about 85m back.
The series of caves we'd seen across the ridge.
DAY 86 (20th July): Now really, truly-wuly, I have tried to cull some photos. But Karijini is so spectacularly beautiful, that it would just be a crime for me not to include them. :)
Lets start with a flower shot for the day hey? I think its a native senna.
This is Fortescue Falls, at the Eastern end of the park. Very popular.
Layered rock, typical of the area!
The native fig trees grew in really interesting shapes.
This is Fern Pool, a few hundred metres upstream from Fortescue Falls. Possibly the warmest pool to swim in. There's no nice place for the kids to swim though - it just drops away.
Pete under the Falls.
Back at Fortescue, M puts his beach chest on.
Me swimming in Fortescue.
And sitting in the falls.
Group shot!
From there we walked through the gorge to Circular Pool.
He sat nice and still for the photo!
M with a Praying Mantis.
This kind of picture kind of summed up the scenery for me - the white, white trees, on red cliffs, with a bright blue sky. So striking.
Pool on the way.
Miss Independence.
Circular Pool.
And again.
The water was cold. The kids put their toes in, then just threw leaf boats in for entertainment!
M was pretty chuffed with himself, as he'd done a level 4 walk. He spoke of it like a video game. "I've done level four by myself"!!
The climb up was pretty steep.
Circular Pool from the top.
From Karijini, we then headed east out of the National Park to a place called Mundinna Lookout to camp. Back to the campfires - yay!
Group shot round the fire!
Campfire ring with a "shelf" for putting the pots on. Or your empty glass of wine! :)
DAY 87 (21st July): The start of the long drive home.
This was the view from the actual lookout.
Mummy cuddles in the morning.
We drove to a camp spot about 85 km north of Meekatharra called Bilyuin Pool, that's on the very start of the Murchison River. We didn't make it as far down the track as the pools, but it was really pretty. Set up, did the dinner thing, then more night time fire entertainment!
The steel wool thing again.
And flaming soccer. Which was actually fun. I take back my previous mockery.
DAY 88 (22nd July): Woke up and went for a walk down the river and found that actual pools. There was a fair bit of water in them. Not enough to make me trust using the rope swing in the second one though. They didn't look THAT deep.
First pool
Second pool.
Our camp spot. Pretty cool tree!
Final group shot before two of the cars hit the road.
The final pack up. The zip gave out on the camper trailer (it had been on the out for a long time - I'd been taking up to an hour to get it done up every time we packed up!) so you'll see its nicely roped down with clothesline rope. Luckily there were no more red dirt roads to be travelled!
Lollypop not looking so sparkly....
We then had a bit of a play around on the motorbikes after the other two cars had left - it was pretty fun!
Pete got the big bike....
I was happy on the little one :)
And that's pretty much it! We drove for a very long time and arrived back in Perth at 11pm, to the biggest blanket of fog that I've ever seen in Perth. And it was cold. And thus it ends. Hope you've enjoyed the tales, it's been fun sharing the ride.
For the last time - well at least until we travel again(!) - hope you're all well,
K, P, M & J xx
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