Day 94 Port Headland – De Grey River Rest Area 4th July - 5th July

After our car service it was off further north up the coast to head towards Broome. We stopped at a lovely rest stop an hour outside Port Headland next to the river, surrounded by shady trees. Some caravans had parked next to the road, but the trick to get to the site was to explore a bit further and to travel down the track and soon you would come to large shady gum trees and fellow travellers parked in large spaces next to the river.

The kids collected firewood. Jasmine volunteered to move a cow pat from our camp spot! Jordan inadvertently had a mud bath as he collected wood too close to the river, The kids played a new Ninjago board-game. Robyn and I shared a fire in the evening with a couple from Perth (Larry and Diane) and laughed about our experiences (comparing bogging stories).

Jasmine enjoying getting close to nature

A muddy Jordan

I also had to say farewell to trusty friends today. They had served me well over the last couple of years and we had travelled together abroad and around Australia. I knew the end was in sight when the family started complaining about the smell, then they were no longer allowed in the tent, kicked out on a cold night. Fare thee well my sneakers, I'll see you in another life.

Good-bye old sneakers- I knew you well

Day 92-93 Karajini National Park – Port Headland 29th 2nd July - 4th July

After Jasmine had received her presents and cards, we quickly packed our trailer and headed off on the long 320Km drive to Port Headland. The reason for this stop was to get our car serviced... a very expensive service that we should have got in Perth. 

Birthday Macc's

Birthday cake!

Port Headland is very much a dry, dusty, industrial town where work is king. Heavy equipment, road trains and workmen 4WD's are everywhere to be seen. There doesn't seem to be much joy in this largely soulless extension of Rio Tinto and BHP-Biliton. 

Rio Tinto Minerals - Salt Mine

 

We had hoped to visit the cinema but it appeared a little more elusive than we hoped. The Eagle Boys Pizza had closed down. At least Jassie got Macca's for her birthday – along with a huge birthday cake so all wasn't lost!

We stayed at the expensive Cooke Point Caravan Park and used their pool while Robyn did a great job getting all our clothes clean again. (I spent $20 in $1 coins to clean 5 loads of washing, including the monthly wash of sheets and pillowcases - “Yes Vin – they DO need to be washed occasionally!”) 

Meat-fest at Port Headland

Yummy.  Steak. Big.

We got our car serviced at Headland Diesel & Exhaust with a quote for $600 for a minor service!!!! As we brought our own supplies – synthetic oil, oil and fuel filters – we ended up thankfully only paying $280. What a relief! Thanks to Alex – our mechanic back home, for the car supplies and advice.

Whilst the car was being services, Robyn and the kids had a very slow breakfast at McDonalds at South Hedland, where I met them after I walked for an hour from the car service place. We then killed more time at the shopping centre – the kids enjoyed looking at the toys in Kmart.

I spoke to some locals in the caravan park, a father and son had been staying there for several years to get affordable accommodation. At the mechanics, they said families shared houses to afford the rent.In summer it could get up to 50 degrees and was an inhospitable place – so they pay a premium to tradies to keep them in town. A taxi driver blamed it on BHP which he believed had kept land and houses for its own staff and future expansion which led to huge costs. Maybe a bit tough, but frankly, we were happy to leave Port Headland and its hardened people as soon as possible. 

BIG Wheelbarrow - and Biggle!

 

Day 89-91 Beasley River Rest Area – Tom Price – Karajini National Park 29th June - 2nd July

We rushed from the camp area to Tom Price Tourist Info only to find that the tour to the Tom Price mine had left for the day. On most days it starts at the inconvenient time of 10am....don't they realise people are on holidays? To commiserate we went shopping for food and beer! 

Big Tonka Toy at Tom Price

Then it was off to Karajini National Park to see if we could have more success there. The Karijini Visitors Centre was worth a visit with a poignant display of the areas aboriginal history as well as a history of how the area's rocks formed. 

 

We stayed at the Dales camp ground in a spacious, shady area. It was close to many of the popular and less arduous walks and gorges (levels 1-4 for those in the know). Karajini NP certainly lived up to its reputation of being one of the most spectacular parks in WA. It offered a multitude of riches, with spectacular rust-red vertical gorges, flanked by spinifex, red-gums and wild-flowers leading down to waterfalls and swimmable pools.

Over the next couple of days, the kids did their best impersonations of rock-wallabies, clambering up and down terraced gorges during half day walks. From Dayles, we took a walk encompassing Fortesuce Falls, Circular Pool and ending in a refreshing swim at the tranquil and beautiful Fern Pool. Simply a magical place. All the kids gave it a go, with most making it to the water-fall which supplied sun-warmed water to Fern Pool.

Circular Pool from above

Circular Pool

 

Having a go Geo-caching

Jordan took a real interest in the wild-flowers, and with a couple of newly acquainted books is becoming a bit of botanist. Flowers such as purple mulla-mulla are starting to enter our vocabulary. We're starting up a flora page on the blog. Help us name the flowers!

Jordan the Botanist

Hey dude, now you're taking it way too seriously

We took some heavily corrugated roads and travelled approx 30km to reach another set of impressive gorges and walks in the Weano area. This offered more challenging walks and the lookouts provided amazing views of ridiculously sheer drops.

Rock art

Lots of scrabbling up rocks

Time for a break

The 2nd July was also Jasmine's birthday so in the morning we she received all her many presents. I know know what was taking all the space in the camper-trailer!!!!  

 

Happy Birthday Jasmine!

 

We also said goodbye to Nick, Brigid, Conor and Daniel as we started to go in different paths. Our paths may intersect as we head further north.

See you soon!