Oh my Gorge!!

On the 9th August we reluctantly departed Kurrajong Campsite in the Cape Range National Park and drove East for a change. It was a very hot day and there was a lot of driving to do so the DVD player got a good workout. We stopped for very expensive diesel ($1.79 p/l) and ice creams at the Nanutarra Roadhouse where you could also buy a hot dog for $9 or a hamburger for $18! Our evening stop was at a free bush camp called House Creek Bridge that, like all the creeks round here, didn't have any water but there were lots of Snappy Gums for shade. The following day we did about 300km via Paraburdoo to the Rio Tinto town of Tom Price where we checked into the Tom Price Tourist Park for 2 nights, swam in their pool and did about 6 loads of red Pilbara-dirt washing. Finally, on August 24 we arrived at the spectacular Karijini National Park. Our first impressions were not so great as the wind blew red dirt everywhere, including over our sandwiches and through the van, but that afternoon we experienced our first gorge and it was amazing. Over the next 4 days we hiked through breathtaking gorges, admired picture-perfect waterfalls like Fortescue Falls, and swam in crystal clear swimming holes called Fern Pool and Circular Pool. On our last day we drove for ages along a very bumpy dirt road to Weano Gorge where we walked and climbed over rocks and through pools to the stunning Handrail Pool (a very boring name for an amazing place). The reward of a cool swim at the end managed to keep Ashleigh and Hannah happily walking for hours, which kept everyone happy!

Cape Range National Park

Our 7 day stay at Cape Range National Park has definitely been one of the highlights of this trip. From 6.30am we waited in line at the ranger's office until 8.00am when they started allocating sites. We were number 13 in the queue (Sean, Steph and Jonah were number 12) so we weren't very hopeful, but thankfully we made it in. Both campervans were offered a campsite at the Kurrajong camp which was a brilliant spot on a lovely beach for swimming, fishing and snorkeling and no generators allowed. Our camp hosts Tony and Marie were a lovely couple from Perth and made us feel very welcome. We spent our days exploring the snorkeling spots within the park, hiking up Yardie Creek and Mandu Gorges, windsurfing, fishing and swimming. At our campsite we met some really great people including Christiana from Germany who joined us each night either for dinner or after dinner for some singing (we introduced her to the coconut boat). Simon caught a Spangled Emperor and a Long Tom for tea one night, and Anthony caught a Cuttlefish with his bare hands! It was a great week by the Ningaloo Marine Park that we enjoyed very much.

Warroora and Coral Bay

After another washing and shopping stopover in Carnarvon we did the 4 hour drive north to Warroora Station. We had a lovely camp spot right overlooking beautiful turquoise water and a spectacular reef, but it was extremely windy which is only good for one thing........windsurfing!! Sean didn't waste much time getting out there! In the evening we cooked a turkey leg stew in the camp oven (2 legs for $4 from woolies...bargain!!) and Sean taught us a song in french that he had written called "Ou est la dinde?" (Where is the turkey?)

The next day we did a short drive to Coral Bay. This tiny holiday town consists of one main street, 2 caravan parks and hundreds of people. We had tried to book camp sites in advance but the first available sites were weeks away. Luckily we were able to pick up 2 unpowered sites (at 2 different parks) when we arrived on July 29th (Happy birthday Aunty Melanie!) There was still a bit of wind up so Sean went windsurfing while the rest of us swam and snorkeled at the main beach which was enclosed by a reef and full of huge Spangled Emperors. Coral Bay is at the southern tip of Ningaloo Marine Park and the white sand and blue waters were amazingly beautiful.

Carnarvon and The Blowholes

I apologise for the delay in updating this blog but it has been such a long time since we've had internet access and power (2 things I used to take for granted.....)

Carnarvon seemed like an oasis of colour and life after the very long drive through a dry reddish brown landscape from Shark Bay. Banana plantations and loads of other fruit and vege farms lined the roads as this area is very fertile due to its location at the mouth of the Gascoyne River (which is lucky to flow once a year - so I don't know how that works??) We gave the washing machines at the Capricorn Tourist Park a workout and bought up big at the local Woolies (much better prices than Denham IGA - $16 a kilo for tomatoes!) We spent ages in the showers and topped up our water tanks with lovely treated fresh water that was not the salty horrible bore water that we had in Shark Bay (another thing I have taken for granted.)

Our next stop was only about 65km north west at Point Quobba and The Blowholes. Here we camped for 3 nights by the beach for $5.50 per night. It was a basic camp but the beach was beautiful with warm water, a surf break and coral reefs to snorkel on. While snorkelling with Anthony, Ashleigh attempted to drown him when they spotted a Shovel-nose Ray gliding alongside them. There was a huge variety of colourful fish and many turtles. In the evenings we warmed ourselves around the campfire and cooked some delicious meals including roast pork with apples and a loaf of bread. Sean and Stephany taught us a song called "The Coconut Boat" that they invented on their 2006 Oz Odyssey Tour. Basically everyone took turns to sing a verse about what they did that day then we all joined in the chorus "la la la la, la-la la la la, the coconut boat".