Karijini

On Saturday there is a longish drive to Karijini. We will be staying inside the park at the Eco Resort to explore the magnificence of this natural treasure.

Before we left, on Friday there was an opportunity to see a little bit of Port Hedland. The first impression is that for its 14,000 population, the town occupies a vast footprint. The focal point is the harbour, the rallying point for the huge trains that plod from the iron ore mines of the Pilbara to match up with the giant ore carrying ships that ply between Western Australia and the industrial cities of China, Korea and Japan. For the locals it is, as they like to say, “all about the numbers” and they reel off impressively large numbers from the length of the trains, the number of ships, the tonnage shipped each year, the investment from the miners, and the export earnings. It is truly an operation of staggering proportions, and they idolise the heroes – Gina Rhinehart and Twiggy Forrest, as well as the corporations such as BHP. I could not help but think of Forrest and Rhinehart donning high-vis vests and whingeing about having to pay tax.

However the town honours the men and women who man the ships that enable all this activity. It just happens that Friday is the International Day of the Seafarer, and as noon approached, the port’s tugboats assembled in the harbour and despite their size and weight, utilised their massive engines to waltz playfully in the water in a joyous celebration of the seafarers. The water cannon created pulsating sprays of water that filled the sky with swirls and spirals. At noon precisely, all the ships and harbour craft let loose with horns and sirens. It truly was amazing, and the small crowd that had gathered to witness this honouring of the men and women of the sea was treated to something very special.

Jen and Anne found a K-Mart, even though they had to drive 20 kilometres to find it. With glint in their eyes and a spring in their steps they bustled off in the quest for a bargain. I had another Zoom meeting so was spared the pleasure, and fled to the safety and peace of our motorhome.

The evening provided another spectacle, this time with nature proving that whatever humans can create, it can create some spectacular scenes. The event was the alignment of low tide and a full moon, and as the bright orange orb edges over the horizon, its light reflects off alternate water and sand to create what is called the “staircase to the moon.” The effect lasts a few minutes and wanes as the moon lifts itself higher in the sky. Another crowd had gathered to witness the spectacle, and again, it was amusing to see people use camera flash in a hopeful expectation that their puny flashes would somehow light up the beach, ocean and moon.

It is a fairly long drive to Karijini – about 400 kilometres, with the last ten on some rough roads. The road was very busy with all the traffic that supports the many mines of this region. The road trains dominate the roads, mainly carrying ore (or returning for another load,) the trucks also carry mining equipment, fuel and supplies. We give these gargantuan vehicles a great deal of respect, and they return the favour with advice for the bold who are keen to overtake. About 260 kilometres along the highway is the Auski roadhouse, a dusty and chaotic place for refuelling vehicles and persons. A haze of red dust, beaten by the constant pounding of tyres, cars, trucks and RVs jockeying for a place to park, billows over this crossroads gathering place.

Out of Auski, there is a steady rise to a higher plateau, and the countryside changes to scarred hills of a deep rusty red colour. We took a quick detour to the Albert Tognolini lookout, a few kilometres south of Auski Dustbowl. I had assumed that Albert may have been a significant local Indigenous leader, but it turns out he was a Commissioner for Main Roads, so not so important. As we pulled back on to the highway, John reported that his Jeep was overheating. We pulled over, though still dangerously exposed to the traffic. The jeep’s coolant level was very low so we used the coolant that I travel with to top it up, but it made marginal difference to the level, and no difference to the overheating when we travelled on a little further. Eventually we pulled into a layby for a further examination. I took John back to Auski where we bought 2 large containers of coolant. After adding a further 6 litres there was still no change as the liquid seemed to be absorbed spongelike into the black hole of the motor. Rob had a thin phone connection so John was busy on the phone, first to the Jeep support people who did not seem to be able to offer much support. The NRMA on the other hand were remarkably helpful and efficient and organised for the Jeep and John’s caravan to be towed back to Port Hedland on the Sunday morning. So we camped in the layby, sharing the area with a couple of road trains who stopped for a few hours rest.

With John and Anne safely on their way, the rest of us resumed the journey, hoping that our booking at the camp would still be in place as we had been unable to contact them to advise of our delay. It was about 100 kilometres further on and the hills display deep horizontal scars formed by the weathering of millennia. As we neared the turn in to the national park, Mount Bruce, or Punurrunha to the locals, soars over the surrounds like a lonely sentry. It is certainly a magnificent hill.

As we settled in to our camp, we absorbed the news that the whole camp had no water, so no showers or toilets. This did not impact us too much, as we are self-contained to a certain extent, though we only carry 100 litres of fresh water. But for the rest of the camp it could be a bit awkward as there were only two drop-toilets for the population of people in tents and campers with no way to look after themselves.

Still, the purpose of the visit was not to worry about the ablutions of fellow travellers, but to see the sights of Karijini. We took ourselves off to the Joffre Falls, as easy walk to see the gorge, the falls and the pool. It was quite stunning with the cliffs like walls of massive rusted iron blocks stacked but crumbling in places. As we got back to the café area (with no coffee as there was no water), old friends from Canberra turned up – Norm and Lynette Gumbleton – who had been early members of the Uniting Church in Tuggeranong. We had not seen them in years but they had maintained contact with the Priests. They had been staying at one of the other camps but it was arranged for them to take up the vacant spot not used by the Manns.

On Monday we all went off to the Dales Camp, which gave us access to the Dales Gorge and the Circular Pool and other Karijini highlights. The descent to Dales Gorge was by way of a steel stairway. I declined this as my knees would probably be okay coming up, but certainly not for the descent. I was actually quite glad to have the opportunity for a couple of hours of solitude, walking along the cliff edge and surveying the grandeur from the top. It really was very beautiful, but in some ways a bit disappointing as, being a bit later in the day, it was a bit dark looking down. The light on the cliffs would have been truly magnificent.

We shared a barbecue  and some yarns about our families and the good old days, and settled down for an early night, for Tuesday was a long drive back to Port Hedland.

I did have one moment of worry. After dressing and attempting to put keys in my pocket, I observed that the makers of my trousers had somehow put the pockets in a rather unhelpful place. I had to awkwardly slide the keys backwards over the rear side of my hips. Jenny’s sensible solution was for me to put the trousers on back to front, and the pockets were then in the correct position. I shall be writing to my Gentleman’s Outfitter of Choice, Lowes, to complain about their product.

We are now back at Port Hedland for a couple of days recovery. The Suzy looks like it has been painted with rust, so needs a good clean. The van, having been shaken up over the deeply corrugated roads into and out of the Karijini park needs a good clean and tightening up of loose screws. Some parts are being held together with duct tape.

The most alarming news we have that with states closing up like clams, our projected itinerary looks very vulnerable. South Australia has closed its border to Western Australia, so at some point we have to make a decision whether to stick it out in WA or retreat via Northern Territory and Queensland, which is still possible. However this would be a much longer journey.

We will decide what to do further down the road.

Oh, I had promised to introduce another travelling companion’s special and descriptive name. We have known Rob and Pauline Priest since about 1978 when they arrived in Canberra and settled in to the booming Nappy Valley of Tuggeranong. We have travelled with the Priests on a few occasions in recent years, and have been introduced to the daily habit of a “Priesty.” The Priesty, also known as a “Two a Clocker” is where Rob takes a fifteen-minute nap for about two hours every afternoon. Or morning. Apart from being a gifted musician and organist, Rob is the go-to person for fixing things. I have not had a Priesty yet, but it beckons.