Karijini National Park

Circular Pool at Dales Gorge

The Great Northern Highway travels south from Port Hedland to Karijini National Park. There's not much along the way, only a fuel stop at Auski Roadhouse. Booked into the campground at Dales Gorge which is set up really well for a National Park. The park is in the Hamersley Range and its beauty results from a unique combination of geology, climate and natural vegetation.

Circular Pool

The main attractions in the park are at opposite ends and some 50Km apart. The road into the park is sealed but all other roads are unsealed. 
Circular Pool is located at the park's eastern end and in Dales Gorge. There's a short but steep walk down into the gorge but it's worth it to see the beautiful pool up close

Fortescue Falls

After an hours walk along the gorge floor you come across the Fortescue Falls which flow all year round. The water was cool and the falls spectacular.These falls are a popular attraction as they can also be reached from the carpark at the gorge top via another short but steep descent.

Peter Diving into Fern Pool

About 300m further along from the falls is a beautiful spot called the Fern Pool. The picture really doesn't do this spot justice as it was just beautiful. The water a deep aqua colour and again, not too cold. I didn't have my swimmers with me but that didn't stop me from having a dip (in my underwear!) It was so inviting that several other people (including some older ladies) went in as well.

Diane with Fortescue Falls in Background

Although some of the tracks were a bit steep, all were graded on the class 2 to 6 scale so people could determine what they could undertake.Diane could manage a class 3 track which requires a moderate level fitness. Some of the others were class 5 (rough terrain and some climbing involved) and a couple class 6 - (rock climbing and abseiling involved!)

Flock of Corellas in Knox Gorge

At the western end of the park is the Weano Gorge area. There are about 4 gorges in the one area and have a unique appearance and attraction. We were fortunate to see a flock of white corellas make several swoops along and into the gorges, as if to put on a display for us. .

Natural Amphitheatre at Joffre Gorge

I took the track down into the Joffre Gorge to see the natural amphitheatre and pool at the bottom. Rocks exposed in and around the gorges originated as fine-grained sediment which accumulated on the sea floor 2500 million years ago. Over the millions of years the iron rich deposits have been transformed by the pressure of more sediments laid down. Trapped water was driven out and the sediments gradually turned into the tough well-bedded rock.

Joffre Gorge Waterfall

Horizontal compressions later on caused the rocks to buckle and develop vertical cracks, before being lifted to the surface to form the land. Erosion over millions of years has finally sculptured the rocks into the present day landscape.

Junction of 4 Gorges at Karijini National Park

This picture from the 4 gorge lookout, shows the junction of the Hancock, Red, Weano and Joffre Gorges. Four gorges meeting at the one point - pretty spectacular!

Waterfall at Kalamina Gorge

Diane Negotiating a Difficult Walk at Kalamina

The last stop for us was the Kalamina Gorge which was a smaller one, more suitable for families and older people as it was smaller and easier to access.




 Even so, some of the tracks were a bit tricky, requiring some dexterity to negotiate the rocks and ledges. Reminded me of when I was a kid and rock hopping along the beaches at Thirroul and Austinmer.

Kalamina Gorge

There are three types of rock especially common in this gorge area. They are Banded Iron Formation, Dolomite and Shale. The deposits are stacked on top of one another to give the colours of red brown, pale brown and soft purple or pink.
This completes the geology lecture for today, but if anyone is in WA and the Pilbara in particular, they should not miss Karijini.

Our Camp at Dales Campground

As mentioned at the start of this blog, we stayed three nights at the Dales Gorge Campground. This is a well laid out area consisting of several loops of camps, each comprising about 20 sites. The campground, like most other WA National Park camps, has it's own camp host. This person looks after the campers, tends the toilets and keeps things in order. They also manage bookings and assist with tourist info. A great initiative by the WA DEC.
From Karijini we set off for Tom Price just 80Km away and then back to the coast.