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!