Heavenly Hancock Gorge

As keen travellers, RVers see many different places across this ‘wide brown land’. But luckily, we all enjoy our travels in different ways – otherwise some locations would be very crowded.

My friends are all different. There are those who never leave the bitumen but enjoy the attractions of our many small and historic regional towns, often with amazing annual festivals. Other mates do not care where they are, so long as they are on the road in the company of friends, and perhaps discover a unique local market. Still, others love the comfort and ambience of fine caravan parks and nearby great cafés for their coffee fix. Some cannot bear to be away from our magnificent coastlines for more than a few days. Then there are those who think nothing is finer than a night camped alone under the stars on a remote desert track. And, the undeniable attractions of our fine cities are the drivers of travel for other people.

Sporting and cultural events to rival anything internationally are the incentive for some – the Melbourne Cup, a Boxing Day Test match, a State of Origin clash, the Bathurst 1000, an AFL Grand Final, a mind-blowing visit to MONA, exploring the National War Memorial, or seeing a performance at the Sydney Opera House. The list is almost endless.

Glenda enjoying a shower in Fern Pool, Dales Gorge

I have travelled nearly 120,000km during eight years exploring this lucky country and still have barely scratched the surface of the many places to see and things to do. One of the fabulous things about travel in Australia is the incredible variety of experiences on offer. It is this variety of experience which still acts as a powerful incentive for us to regularly fuel up the rig and hit the road again.

Like everyone else, we have our favourite places and most of these are in the magnificent National Parks which Australians are so lucky to have wherever they travel. The natural wonders of these parks are as varied as their locations – from snow-capped mountains to scorching (or freezing!) deserts, lush wet tropics to colourful coral reefs, towering forests to open range-lands, and each with its own amazing flora and fauna. We are fortunate to  have visited many terrific National Parks all over Australia but as born and bred Sandgropers, it is no surprise that we have an abiding love and pride for those features spread across Western Australia.

A gentle cascade at the top of Joffre Falls

There is however one location which we hold most dear to our hearts – the superlative Karijini National Park in the Hamersley Ranges of Western Australia’s Pilbara region. It is a place of simply jaw-dropping natural beauty – dramatic gorges and WA’s tallest peaks in a semi-arid landscape.

Much more than that, it exudes a sense of mystery bound up in its 2500 million-year-old rocks and a powerful spirituality born of its place in the natural history of our land and in the importance of it to its original inhabitants.

Karijini NP lies almost due east of Exmouth. At over 627,000ha it is Western Australia’s second largest National Park. The nearest town is Gorge and the adjacent 140 Parks and Wildlife Service campgrounds. Dales offers relatively easy access in to the gorge via steel stairs which deliver walkers to Fortescue Falls and a large attractive swimming hole. A short additional walk puts explorers at Fern Pool with its gentle waterfall cascading into the most beautiful natural swimming pool we have seen anywhere in Australia. It is possible to walk the whole length of the gorge on a trail which winds through endless greenery, skirting a stream, waterholes and spectacular giant rock walls and ending at Circular Pool – another great swimming hole (if you don’t mind cold water!).

Dales Gorge is the big drawcard in the east of the park. Going west the architecturally striking visitor centre with its distinctive rusty iron appearance is a “must-see” attraction. Beyond that point, the road west across the park is unsealed and because of high traffic levels, can be heavily corrugated at times. However  it is a scenic drive which takes visitors towards the parks many other features, the first of which is gentle and serene Kalamina  Gorge. This is a relatively shallow gorge providing an opportunity for less strenuous hiking. Along its base is a series of huge, flat rocky outcrops with a small stream winding past and plants sprouting from every available crack. A terrific stop for a short walk, picnic and swim on the way west across the park.

Hamersley Falls is a place of great significance to the Indigenous peoples

In the west of the park lie a whole series of interconnected gorges which make Disneyland look positively mundane and boring. The first of these you arrive at is the enormous and deep, Knox Gorge – a huge thrill for serious hikers. Nearby is the steep-sided Joffre Gorge with a long drop waterfall providing a wonderful spectacle, especially after rain. Joffre’s entry requires negotiation of some steep steps and is not for the faint hearted. Luckily there are easily accessed lookouts at both these locations providing dramatic views for those people who are not so adventurous.

Behind Joffre Gorge is the park’s second campground – the Eco Retreat – which although in the park, is owned by the local indigenous peoples and privately  the iron ore mining centre of Tom Price, 75km to the west.

Our first visit to the area was in 2009, as part of a road trip from Darwin to Perth in a hired motorhome (our first long trip in a motorhome and a strong influence on us eventually adopting this as our preferred form of travel). We fell in love with the place and have been back regularly in the capacity of volunteer campground hosts at Dales Campground – the Parks and Wildlife Service campground in the east of the park.

The main attractions at Karijini are of course the gorges – a whole series of spectacular 100m-deep fissures with streams, swimming holes, waterfalls and lush vegetation. All this is not visible until you are close to the lip of a gorge and suddenly the majesty of it comes in to view. Every gorge has its own unique character.

In the east of the park lies Dales operated in concert with the Parks and Wildlife Service. It provides a camping and caravanning facility as well as safari tent style accommodation and a restaurant.

The Weano Recreation area, about 14km from the Eco Retreat, is often rated by visitors as the most memorable feature of the park. From a small car park, there is quick and easy access to two mind-boggling lookouts – Oxer and Junction Pool. They provide unforgettable views into Weano Gorge, Hancock Gorge and Red Gorge (which is the linking point for four other gorges – Weano, Hancock, Knox and Joffre to create one huge interconnecting complex). Having gone crazy with the camera here, most visitors can’t wait to get down to the amazing gorge system.

Fancy a night of opera in the gorge?

Two gorges are accessible for hikers from the main Weano car park and picnic ground – Weano and Hancock. Weano offers a relatively easy stepping stone access path into the gorge and a walk to a special place – Handrail Pool. This pool is accessed along a rock ledge feeding down into the swimming hole, and as the name says, requires some agility using the handrail to negotiate your way down. Access to the swimming hole is dependent on rainfall in the  area. Walking in the gorge in the opposite direction provides a very attractive walk to gradually climb back up out of the gorge system and then traverse the flat spinifex country back to the carpark.

Hancock Gorge may be the most fun for many self-guided tourists in the park – especially those young at heart or travelling with children. It is accessed using a rocky path and two sets of steep steps. Once in the gorge hikers must wade through (and sometimes swim through) sections of water to reach the beautiful Amphitheatre. This leads to the Spider Walk – a joyful scramble down a 2m wide slot gorge with a stream beneath your feet and towering walls alongside. At the end comes a fabulous reward for your efforts – the famous swimming spot called Kermits Pool – a glorious rock-hole almost wrapped up in the rock gorge. At this point the trail ends but offers another spectacular vista further down in to the gorge. Access beyond this point requires ropes and harness and authority from the rangers.

Two other major gorges complete the Karijini system. Wittenoom Gorge to the north is outside the park and is now off limits  to visitors, along with the old Wittenoom town-site. This area is closed because of the danger from asbestos which was previously mined there.

On the far western edge of the park is another gorge which absolutely demands to be visited – Hamersley. The colour and texture of the rock formations in the walls, together with the way the rock has been shaped eons ago by enormous pressure and heat, into great waves and swirls, is a photographer’s dream. Once again, there is a lovely swimming hole at the base of a cascade of rocks with a gentle stream flowing through it.

For keen walkers, the park also offers the opportunity to climb a well defined but reasonably arduous track up Mount Bruce, for spectacular views in every direction over the ranges and the adjacent Marandoo iron ore mine.

For the fit visitor who cannot get enough of the park on self-guided tracks, access deep into the gorge system is available via guided tours which involve more challenging climbing, rope work and more exposure to streams and waterholes.

Glenda does her best Spider-Man impression at The Spider Walk, Hancock Gorge

When we visit Karijini, it is for a month at a time, as campground hosts in Dales Campground. In that capacity, we manage the campground on behalf of (and with the support and assistance of) the tight-knit group of rangers who are  responsible for the park. Lead by the famous (in WA national park circles) ranger Dan, this team are like a second family to us. The great pleasure of working with this dedicated team combined with the joy we get from helping thousands of visitors enjoy this natural treasure is, priceless.

Here is a final little tale. One day I was at the public water tank in the park and a solo traveller was filling the tank of his motorhome. I said, “Have you been on the road for long?” His response: “Ten years full time, all over Australia”. I said, “Wow, that is incredible. What do rate as your best experience?”

His response: “I have not seen anything to match Karijini”.

I heartily agree!

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Written: Mon 01 Apr 2019
Printed: April, 2019
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