Cape Range National Park

After getting Sander some snorkeling gear we left for Cape Range NP. 

Our first stop was at the Vlamingh Head lighthouse. Named after Willem de Vlamingh, a Dutch see captain.

From there we drove to the National Park entry and payed for one night camping. The ranger recommended 3 camp spots to us and as one was nearby we checked it out. As it was small and already fairly busy we drove on to the park’s Visitors Centre. 

We gathered some information and then drove to the ‘Oyster Stacks’ beach. Here we snorkeled from the beach at the famous Ningaloo Reef that is situated right along the coast for 260 Km down south. It’s a fringe reef which means it’s close to the mainland and therefor has an entirely shallow backreef (also called lagoon). 

The snorkelling was really nice. The corals are not too colorful due to the low(er) temperature of the water (not tropical) but the variety in fish was still amazing. We saw heaps of fish and a squid. A great first impression!

After drying up a bit we drove to Kurajong North camp site and decided to stay here as it was nice and quiet and very spacious. It was just behind the dunes.

We met a lovely Swiss couple that night with whom we had a lovely evening exchanging travel stories.

The next morning Monique got up early to go for a walk along the beach and take some pictures. It was low tide and there was heaps happening in the shallow water. Stingrays, fishes, crabs and a reef shark were enjoying breakfast at the beach.

After breakfast we decided to stay another day. We drove to the most southern part first, Yardie Creek. From there on we went back up again to Sandy Beach. Monique fell in love with this beach straight away. The bluest water you can think of and a nice long beach with white sand. We spend an hour swimming, throwing a ball, watching a turtle and just enjoying the view.  Loved it.

Turquoise Beach was up next. A beautiful lagoon which also is good for snorkeling. While the lagoon looked great, the snorkeling couldn’t match what we saw the previous day at ‘Oyster Stacks’.

Back at the Visitors Center we booked ourselves in for another night of camping in the park. 

We drove around the park a bit to see if there were some other nice camp spots but in the end we found ourselves back at Kurajong North camp spot as we liked it most.

And again we had a lovely night with Ursula and Roland from Switzerland!

Emu Creek Station to Exmouth

After saying goodbye to Daryl and Joyce we left for Exmouth. It was about 2,5 hours drive. 

The Peninsula where Exmouth is located still has a remote feeling. There is not much there but it’s close to Ningaloo Reef National Park therefor this area gets lots of tourists.

We got some information at the Tourist Information Centre and then checked out the shops in the town centre. There weren’t more then 10 shops, so it didn’t take long. But at least we could stock up on food and drinks.

We needed to get some washing done so we booked ourselves into one of the two caravan parks. It was nice to sleep in a dust free, and freshly washed bed that night!

Pascoes Possie to Emu Creek Station

We only had a quick stop at Paraburdoo this morning, a tiny mining town again.

The rest of the day was spent driving, driving, driving. There was nothing else to see.

There weren’t too many camping options along the way so we had to plan ahead. Around 3 pm we had the option to stay at a big dusty camping area next to the road which was a free camp site or drive to Emu Creek Station which was 20 km on a dirt road from here and wasn’t free, but had a shower. In the end we decided to go for the station just because we find that every now and then a station stay can be a fun experience. You just don’t know what you can expect and that’s the fun part, so we decided to check it out.

The dirt road was extremely good but our first impression of the station was not the best. Just very dusty and open. We were just contemplating if we wanted to stay or not when Joyce the owner came to welcome us. We spent half an hour just chatting with here and after that there was no way back. She was just so nice and made us feel very welcome.

Luckily the campsite was much nicer then we could see from the road. There was a little water hole although the water was running low. But there were trees and heaps and heaps of birds.

We set up camp and around sunset we walked to the old, historic wool shed on the property.

When we walked back Daryl the farmer asked us if we wanted to join him feeding some cows. So in the back of the ute we went (between the hay and the dog). The real outback feeling. We helped Daryl spreading the hay and saw a little calf that was just born a few hours earlier. It was so much fun and Daryl told us a lot about life as an outback farmer. Very interesting!

When we woke up the next morning we decided to stay another night. Just because it was so peaceful. Unfortunately the day became extremely hot and uncomfortable, so not much to write about. Thankfully the nights cooled down, so at least we had a good nights sleep.

Karjini NP to Pascoes Possie camp spot

The night was cooler than it had been for a long time which was very nice for a change.

We got up at 5 am, had a quick breakfast and drove to the nearby Fortescue Falls. Although it’s the end of the dry season these falls hardly ever dry up. From the viewing point we walked down to the pool at the bottom of the falls. As it wasn’t too hot yet we decided to walk to the Fern Pool first which was a bit further down the track. This pool looked like straight from a fairy tale setting with its mysterious dark water surrounded by green bushes and a pitoresque little waterfall. We were the only ones there and it was just so peaceful. We had a little swim in the cold water which was cold and therefor very refreshing in the early morning.

From here we walked back to the Fortesque Falls and swam here for a bit enjoying the waterfall and the views.

It was 8.30 am when we were back at the car. From here we drove to the western side of the park.

If we thought the eastern part was already beautiful, the west just blew our mind. We did 3 more walks that day. I think Knox Gorge was our favorite and close behind was the Hangcock Gorge walk all the way to the Kermit Pool. The Weano Gorge Walk to the Handrail Pool was also impressive but as the water in that swimming pool didn’t look that appealing it had to settle with a third place. 

All in all we were absolutely in love with Karjini National Park. The gorges and the adventurous walks down and through them (wading through water, climbing between narrow crevasses) were spectacular. Simply mind blowing! The fact that you walk between what’s known as one of the oldest exposed rock formations in the world made it feel even more special than it already is. Absolutely a highlight of our trip so far.

We’ll let the foto’s speak for themselves, although, unfortunately, they do not capture what it is like in reality….

Jindee Station to Karjini NP

Today was one of those days where you think you are almost at your destination but the actual distance is much further then you thought. The road down south towards Karjini felt never ending. Finally we reached Auski Roadhouse. We fuelled up, checked our emails and messages and drove the last stretch to Karjini. The landscape changed as we came closer to the park with hills and mountains and rocky outcrops giving it a more interesting feel then the dry flat landscape we had seen for the last few days.

Our first stop was Albert Tognolini Lookout. The view was nice and it would have been a great campsite but it was too early for us to set up camp in this heat. So we drove on and headed to Karjini Visitors Information Center. The building looked very futuristic from the outside but after we entered the ‘spaceship’ it was so nice and cool inside. We looked at the displays that informed us about the traditional aboriginal culture of this area and about the flora and fauna. We picked up some maps of the park and the available walks.

After driving to the Dales area we prepared some lunch and then walked down to the Circular Pool. It wasn’t an easy walk and it involved descending down a steep trail before arriving in the gorge where you had to hop along rocks and little streams. But the pool was lovely and the water was cold and refreshing. A great reward after the little walk in the stinking heat.

After we felt we’d cooled down enough a big group of backpackers arrived so we left the pool and climbed back up the trail. Although there were two more walks nearby we decided to leave them for tomorrow morning when it would be much cooler and we set up camp in the nearby Dales Campground. We found a nice spot in the shade and settled down for the day.