Week 6 · 2nd May to 8th May
Karijini, Broome
Day 36 – 2nd May
Had an early morning cycle-walk-cycle up Mandu Mandu gorge which was a great start to the day. Spotted a few more Rock Wallabies on our way too. Then a quick scoot up the road to Turquoise bay before breakfast with 2 inquisitive kangaroos back at the camp.
Went for a last snorkel at Turquoise Bay where we saw our biggest Manta Ray yet, Trumpet fish, lots of jellies, parrot fish etc etc. Ningaloo reef is amazing – unspoilt nature at its best.
Left Cape Range NP – one of my favourite spots so far – and into Exmouth for lunch and the obligatory caffine fix before having a nose around the town (nothing amazing) and then back to the Ningaloo Caravan Park where we met Sarah for our last supper together. She is staying in Exmouth and then heads south back to Perth. A new found friend who we’ll definitely stay in touch with! Off on our travels again tomorrow – East instead of North!
Day 37 – 3rd May
Woke up at 7am ish to brilliant sunshine in a cloudless blue sky – Doh! What a day to drive to Tom Price 600+kms away! Breakfasted then said goodbye to Sarah – shame we won’t be seeing her again. We’d sort of got used to some different company every 4 or 5 days or so.
Tom Price finally came into view at about 6pm – pretty good non-stop driving except to help some Japanese tourists who’d broken down. Or so they thought.
Checked in at the campsite and immediately enquired about ‘Dave’s Gorge Tours’. Turns out, 1 English lad is signed up and Dave needs at least 2 to run the trip. $242 each - Orla and Dean not to the rescue! However, we had an idea – why not take Max along and take our own food / tent etc. Ran it by Dave and he bought it and brought the price down to $100 each! Off we went to Liquorland to get some grogg.
Day 38 – 4th May
So up at 6ish to be away for 7:30am. First stop Hammersley Gorge in the NP. Aaaa-maaa-zing – super old (>2 billion years) rock cut by a raging torrent to a 50m steep gorge and some cool rock pools. Jumping in (with the aid of Dave’s cunningly fashioned rope-swing) and messed about for a while.
Cuppa tea n a biscuit later and we were off to Hancock Gorge to start the “Miracle Mile” – a trek thru’ the gorge(s) including swimming, rock-climbing, scrambling and of course cliff jumping! Words struggle to describe the scenery but suffice it to say it was 2 hours of pure adrenalin rush. And to cap it all, at the end Dave spotted (and then picked up) a 50cm long Death Adder (an Adder looking snake that causes death quite quickly).
After the blood-rushing Miracle Mile I thought we might find a quiet camp-spot, have dinner and hit the hay. Not so – Dave had the same idea however his camp-spot happened to be on the top of a great big hill accessible (and I use that word lightly) by a degraded 4WD only track.
Day 39 – 5th May
Picture this: rocks oxidising to produce an ‘Outback’-style surface (not soft sand but more slatelike red rocks). Add some Spinefex by the side of the road and the odd Mulga bush. Now place this in ‘Lake District-sized’ hills and turn the heat up to 30C (it is winter after all). Next, batter this landscape with 2 cyclones in quick succession and allow to dry. What you are left with are seriously damaged 4WD tracks which in some places are impassable. Now climb up one of these tracks for 8kms at night (!) to the top of a hill complete with a RF transmitter. Savour the moonlit view, have dinner and retire.
After a few wines, spag bol and chats and laughs last night around the campfire with Mad Dave, Avi from Israel and Martin the Londoner we all hit the hay. That is until a cockerel (a.k.a. a Mad Dave impersonation) woke us at 6am. We scampered the 40m up the RF transmitter to watch the sunrise… which was well worth it. Then breakfast, pack up and down the mad 4WD track we went to more adrenalin filled adventures! Joffre Gorge – cliff jumping – Knox Gorge etc etc. Too much to write – another amazing day. The best ‘hit’ of the trip so far. Do Dave’s Gorge Tours before you die – please!
Day 40 – 6th May
We are now 20km east off the Great Northern Hwy, approx 130km sth west of Marble Bar, sitting at our little home made home drinking cask wine (shock, horror from all you employed people!) from a pasta sauce jar!! Yes, we left our glasses at Tom Price but the jar is doing just the job!
Spent a great morning with Dave – he of the gorge tours where he:
1. cooked us bacon, eggs and real coffee
2. advised us to come this route to Broome instead of the boring hwy
3. wrote down lists of cools things to see and do along our journey
4. taught Dean how to change the oil in Max
5. sold us a new oil filter at cost
6. fixed Max’s dented bonnet and
7. generally made such a huge impression on us that we have been reeling from his good, kind vibes all day.
What a great guy, we will definitely be staying in touch and if you ever go to Tom Price you should do his tour!
Oh, yeah he also gave us a tour of his bus – Willaway Tours – in which he takes people us and down the west coast to many weird and wonderful places.
Day 41 – 7th May
Spent the day driving. On the road for 5.40am, started in darkeness and watch the sun rising as we drove on dirt tracks to Marble Bar, which by all accounts is a very hot place – for 160 days in a row the max temp was over 200 degress F, back in 1922/3 – that is hot! So record that fact we had an icecream, even though it was only 8am! Our only other stop was Marble Bar Pool where there is lots of jasper. Other than that we drove, drove, drove, slept, listened to Coldplay….again! Eventually arrived to Broome to a nice park, showers and civilization!
Day 42 – 8th May
I’m writing this on May 14th so the details are a little sketchy but..spent the morning washing all our clothes, Max (of course) and ourselves – we were all filthy after the adventures of the last few days.
Afternoon was spent relaxing on Cable Beach and spot of body surfing. I liked the beach, Dean was not sure. Cycled into town for some supplies and we cooked up a great BBQ. Broome is hot and muggy.
