Karijini National Park to Dampier

Karijini National Park is quite a haul from Port Hedland through very rocky harsh iron-rich country.  There are lots of ridges with dark red rubble on top that looks just like rusty iron.  The further into the Pilbara you go the bigger the hills get and the more rocks there are.  What we found amazing is the way the creeks and gullies have eroded through these very hard rocks and formed valleys and gorges just like the soft sandstone gorges in the east.  The National Park is centered around several of the deep valleys and gorges that have been worn so deep as to be below the water table so that they have waterfalls, pools, and running water in the middle of a rocky desert.  We camped beside Dales Gorge which is a t-bone shaped gorge with the quite large Fern Pool and Fortesque Waterfalls  at one end and the Circular Pool at the other. Water seep from the walls of Circular Pool into the pool and creek which flow back toward Fortesque Falls till they join and flow into another gorge to the west becoming Fortesque River.  Fern Pool was a lovely clear cool water pool that was ideal for swimming and had plenty of friendly little fish that eat from your hand and nip your leg when you don’t feed them.  The 2km of gorge is a very pretty walk with fig trees, huge paperbarks and lovely patches of ferns among large shallow pools – so different from the surrounding country.  The walls of the gorges are layered rock giving a great view of the overlaying waste bands and then bands of near pure iron and very pretty coloured bands of blue asbestos and other rock types.

Cooling off in Fern Pool in Dales Gorge

Fern Pool

Fortesque Falls

Pool below Fortesque Falls

Resting on the iron rich layers

Ghost Gum near the junction of Dales Gorge - Circular Pool left, Fortesque Falls/Fern Pool right, Fortesque River exits right beside tree trunk.

A short drive took us to Joffre Falls (similar to circular pool) and Know Gorge.  We both climbed down into Knox Gorge which is again a very green gorge that narrows until it is not accessible between the 100m high cliffs either side.  There is a running stream forming several large cool pools and small waterfalls and the layered rocks in the walls make very pretty viewing.  The climb back up the wall of the gorge over broken rocks in the middle of the day was tough but the view at the bottom was worth it.  

Fortesque Falls

Circular Pool

between FF & CP along Dales Gorge

along Dales Gorge

Circular Pool

Further on we drove to a look out on the side of Mt Bruce which is the 2^nd highest peak in WA.  The lookout was over the Marandoo Iron Ore Mine but it was too far away to see anything much. 

Marandoo Iron Ore Mine - 20,000t ore train being loaded

Knox Gorge - Wittenoom Gorge is the same valley top left 2kms

Even the ants have iron framed houses

Knox Gorge

Blue Asbestos Ore

Knox Gorge clear water

End of walking trail 

the blue asbestos colours tha walls

Gathering strength for the climb back out of Knox Gorge

Joffre Falls

The wattle is in full bloom

Our fridge is still not 100% and the Nat Park has no power but generators are allowed so we headed back to the coast and a powered site.  It is working Ok now but needs to be repaired further down the track and is being done under warranty.  We arranged for the bits to be sent to Exmouth and have arranged for it to be repaired there.  It has all been quite painless thanks to helpful people (Tom & Leanne) at Stay Kool Refrigeration in Port Hedland and a 2 year Warranty from Dometic which expires next month. 

Our next stop has been at Point Samson which is an old seaside village outside Roebourne.  There are several small villages in the area including Wickam, a modern town servicing the iron ore processing plant and port at Cape Lambert; and Cossack, the second oldest settlement in WA.  Cossack was established as a port for the sheep, cattle and fishing industries which were developed in the 1800’s.  Roebourne was the administrative centre town that was set up to service the region and has always had Courts and a Jail.  The old jail is now a tourist attraction and houses the Visitors Centre.  It was interesting to look through and on a 40+ degree day made us aware of how tough the prisoners must have been to live in steel neck chains locked to steel rings 500mm of the floor of the rock and concrete jail house.  There was accommodation provided for 80 aborigine, 4 ‘white’, and 4 Asian prisoners at once.  Apparently the 80 places were often not enough and much construction around town was performed due to the ‘free’ labour available.

Point Samson has several small beaches and also rocky patches of shore line but also several areas of coral reef close to shore.  It was my first snorkel expedition into the ocean for quite a while as there are not many crocs this far south.  The water was a bit silty but there is some pretty soft corals and brightly coloured little fish amongst it.  The stones on the beach were particularly pretty as they get rolled back and forth in the tides and were as good as being tumble polished.  The Samson Point Tavern is right on the beach and has great fresh fish meals on the top floor verandah overlooking the bay and islands and it is right next door to a van park.

Roebourne Jail

Whale Bone Chair made by early pastoralist for his wife

Neck and leg chains used on Aboriginal prisoners

Our view from Point Samson van park

Red Dog memorial at Dampier

Aboriginal carvings in rocks at Hearson Cove

Hard rock carving about 1.5m tall

NW Shelf Gas processing plant. There are 5 plants the same behind each other producing  1 ship load (125,000 cubic metres) of liquid gas every 1.5 days

Dampier Salt Mine

Carol has been sewing and has booked into a market in Karratha on Sunday Morning so we moved over to a van park in Karratha.  We took a drive over to Dampier which is on the waterfront and checked out the statue of Red Dog, some aboriginal art, and the Visitors Centre at the liquid gas processing plant and port for the North West Shelf gas.  Red Dog is a legend of these parts and the locals even think that the movie was ok even if it had a bit of Hollywood added to the truth.  Red Dog sure had some followers.  The Aboriginal Art site is along one of those ridges of broken rubble.  It consists of many carvings of shapes into the rock faces.  The shapes are of faces, stick figures, kangaroos, and goanna and are very unusual because they sit out in the open on many rocks and not in one location undercover.  The NW Shelf Visitors Centre is a good facility provided by Woodside to explain the Gas and Oil drilling operations off and on shore.  We were asked if we were going to look around and watch a movie and as we wandered around we noticed a movie being shown so popped into the room and watched the movie and listened to a very interesting presentation and Q&A session following.  As everyone else dressed for a tour of the plant which I elected to not go on, it dawned on me that I may have been in the wrong room.  Turns out it was a very interesting presentation by Woodside to a bunch of investors from the City.  And there I was sitting there in a T-shirt with a Coal Seam Gas company logo on it.  Karratha and Dampier have construction going on at breakneck speed.  The area is expanding with iron ore, copper,salt and gas all having good times and high rise apartment blocks, roads, industrial areas and houses all nearing completion.

William Dampier, the sailor, on one of his visits in 1699 commented in his diary that the little flies were annoying his crew and his Master wrote that there were plenty of flies ashore which tickled the faces and ears of the sailors.  Nothing has changed in 313 years.  At Point Samson, Karratha, and Dampier the flies are so thick as to make a fly net over our faces essential fashion even if we do look like dorks.