Where ever I may roam

So lots of things have happened over the past several days, I have now been on this trip for a week and covered 2629km, well in excess of the planned 1546km. The car rolled over to 400000 on the odo and is otherwise running well and I’m even getting used to sleeping on the bed in the car that is only 490mm wide. Everything is slowly getting organised in the car although I am still have to move stuff around alot.

I spent several days in Newman, checking out the 4wd tracks including Three Pools, The Dam, Silent Gorge and Kulgan’s Rest. Three Pools was an effort to find, I missed the turnoff to it 3 times going up and down the track as there were no signage of any sort. Once I was there it was well worth the effort, it would be a great place to camp for the night.

Three Pools, Newman

Kulgan’s Rest is located within BHP land and requires a permit to visit, which was available from the visitors centre. Before I left Newman I headed out to Kulgan’s rest and once I arrived there I wished that I had gone sooner. It was a stunning location and the ideal places to camp for a night or two, as some people had already done. The perennial pool provided a nice contrast to the red rocks and the valley grounds.

Kulgan's Rest, Newman

Silent Gorge provided for some scenic bush walking, along the old highway 1. I missed visiting the petroglyphs at Wanna Munna as I couldn’t find the turn off for it. I later found out that the turnoff was marked by a witches hat on the side of the road, something to look out for next time I’m in the area.
On Wednesday (16 June) I headed into Karijini (finally) and spent several days exploring the gorges, staying out at Dales Campground (only $7 a night :D ). I set up the tent and enjoyed having a bit of room for a change. It was also a chance to get some of the red dust out of the car. Dale’s Gorge was the easiest of the trails and swimming in Circle Pool brought back memories. While it wasn’t as cold as I remember, there was a lot of movement until I got used to the water.

Circle Pool, Karijini National Park

Fern Pool, above Fortscue Falls was warmer and relaxing in the morning sun. I visited Weano Gorge, Handrail Pool and Kermit’s Pool today and they were well worth the visit, the swim was an excellent chance to get some of the dust off. It would be worth doing a tour of Weano Gorge as the further sections need to be abseiled into and look like they would be well worth experiencing.

Joffre's Gorge, Karijini

Unfortuantely I don’t have any photos of today as yesterday I forgot to take my camera out of my pocket before going wading and consequently drowned the G11. It’s now in a stack of bits drying out and I need to clean and polish the lenses before reassembly. Karijini was well worth the visit and I may even swing back in from Port Headland for another go in a few weeks.

I am currently camped in Tom Price for the night, hoping to be able to get a stack of things from the hardware store in the morning, including isopropyl alcohol and a timing belt. I will climb up Mt Nameless tomorrow morning and may go for a trip to Hammersley Gorge and Mt Bruce as well. From here I will head to Paraburdoo and then south to Mt Augustus and Shark Bay.