Eighty Mile Beach to Broome

2nd May 2013

Well we again had another early start today and watched the sunrise over the long stretch of Eighty Mile Beach, a very nice way to start the day. After breakfast the girls wanted to have one last fossick on the beach for shells while we packed up and prepared for the 370km drive to Broome.

Sunrise at Eighty Mile

Well the girls were down there for quite a while and Rach went to get them, only to come back without being able to find them, to say she was concerned was an understatement. So she asked me to take a drive up the beach to see if I could find them. I drove for about 10 minutes without any site and then I saw a little head bob up from the sand dunes, they were hiding from us as they didn't want to leave, cheeky little buggers!!!

Anyway after getting back to camp, finishing packing up and saying our goodbyes to Richard & Chris, where the girls were given 1 more present from Chris, a fish cushion each, we set off for Broome.

We made a quick fuel stop at the Sandfire Roadhouse before making the final trek into Broome. 

As we made our way into town, I could feel pain rising in my liver and kidneys as they remembered a boys fishing trip from a few years ago where we spent a week in Broome, I thought I had recovered but maybe not? At least I know this time will be a little different, at least I hope so!

We arrived at 12.30pm and met up with our friend Tanya at Town Beach for lunch. We grabbed some keys for her new house as we are staying with her for a few days to catch up, which we are really looking forward  to.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning, doing clothes washing and just relaxing, it is nice to be in Broome!

Eighty Mile Beach

31st April 2013

The morning started with me making up some fishing rigs as we prepared for the day ahead. The tide was due to be at its highest around 1.30pm and according to all information I had read the fishing starts about 3 hours before high tide and then at most an hour afterwards.

So we made our way down to the beach at 9.30, because the other thing Eighty Mile Beach is famous for is the amazing shells that wash up on the tides, so the girls spent a good hour or so fossicking for shells while we waited for the tide to turn.

When the tide started coming in, it came in fast and we were constantly moving back up the beach as the water quickly pushed up past our feet. The fishing was a little slow, but we still managed several good bites throughout the day.

Maggie Fishing at Eighty Mile

I unfortunately lost 2 good sized salmon right on the shoreline - not happy Jan that's for sure and just to rub a little bit of salt into the wound, Chloe hooked and landed her 1st Threadfin Salmon which was just a magic moment. We were both very excited.

Chloe,s Threadfin Salmon

At about 2.30pm, the tide started rushing out and that was the end of the days fishing!

We went back to camp, cleaned up and cooked the fish fresh on the BBQ as an entree to dinner. We also caught up with an older couple, Richard & Christine who we had befriended the evening before and chatted about the day and the travels we had all experienced. They were on there 4th year of travelling Oz, so it was great to hear some of the stories they had to tell.

We also had a lady from across the way come over and give the girls a beautiful Owl & Turtles she had crafted from the shells that she had collected during her stay. A little later another guy came over and offered some more fish fillets as he had his fill and did or want to waste the days catch and I can assure you they did not go to waste.

Another great day, we started to prepare for our trip to Broome tomorrow. It was a shame to be leaving Eighty Mile so soon, but we will return and spend more time on our next trip, that is for sure!

Another beautiful sunset at Eighty Mile

Karijini to Eighty Mile Beach

30th April 2013

This morning we were up very early, as we all wanted to see the sunrise in Karijini before we left. It was a fantastic way to start the morning and we were lucky enough to be treated to a violin solo by Chloe (she is making a short DVD for her violin teacher and is playing songs in idyllic spots from our  travels).

                Sunrise at Dales Gorge                    Maggie at Sunrise - Circular Pool Lookout

Sunrise at Karijini

We then headed back, had breakfast and packed down ready for the long day ahead as we made our way to Eighty Mile Beach, about 620kms away.

Again the day was a driving day, not much to report apart from passing through Auski Roadhouse where we bumped into a mate of ours, Fraser, who was up doing some tiling work for the owner, of all the places!

We also passed through Port Hedland, where we stopped for supplies and a refuel before making our way into Eighty Mile Beach.

Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park

When we arrived at Eighty Mile, we felt instantly relaxed and the caravan park was one of the friendliest we have stayed in, we were looking forward to fishing for the Threadfin & Bluenose Salmon that the beach is famous for!

Karijini National Park - Day 3

29th April 2013

Just when we thought the park or hiking could not get any better, along came Day 3 with 2 Class 5 hikes in the Weano and Hancock Gorges.

We had an early start today as the gorges we wanted to tackle were n the other side of the park which was about an hours drive on the corrugated gravel roads. We first went to Oxer and Junction lookouts which again were stunning and the gorge walls falling some 100m away below us. A one of the lookouts was a memorial to one of the rangers who had lost his life whilst rescuing someone out of Hancocks Gorge. This made us a little nervous about taking the kids into the gorge but they were very keen and so we set off.

We hiked into Weano Gorge first on route to the end of the trail to Handrail Pool. During the course of the next couple of hours we had to traverse rocks, swim through water holes and navigate tight narrow stretches of the gorge with flowing water at our feet. Again the girls were amazing and the feeling of adventure was with us all, it was truly a magical experience.

One of the many sections that had to be negotiated by swimming

The last section was to be done 'holding onto a handrail (hence the name) whilst climbing down a steep slippery rock face with flowing water into the pool and although the girls had been fantastic, it was a risk we were not prepared to take. We turned back and hiked back out of the gorge where we stopped, refuelled with lunch and prepared ourselves to tackle the next Class 5 hike down to Kermits Pool in Hancock Gorge.

This hike again was more of the same, the first major water obstacle saw us leave our bags behind, stripping off to our bathers and only carrying an IPhone across (held well above my head I might add) to take the must see photos. 

Another swim required

We made our way through the natural Amphitheatre before taking on the Spider Walk, another narrow section with water flowing under foot where the best way to get through is to walk with your hands & feet on the walls on either side (hence the name). This led to our finish point at Kermits Pool and we were all very excited to reach the finish line enjoying another well earned swim.

              

                          Just completed Spider Walk                                 Kermits Pool

The gorge continued on, but this was a Class 6, which is where a hard hat and climbing ropes are required, we were able to swim to the back of Kermits Pool and walk a little of the rock ledge to view this section, which looked awesome.

We hiked back out of the gorge and made our way back to camp, very satisfied with our days efforts. Again the photos will not do today justice and it really needs to be experienced to be believed, Rach & I commented several times that in all our travels it was definitely the best hiking we have ever done and we are extremely lucky to have the opportunity to experience such an amazing piece of Australia.

Karijini National Park - Day 2

28th April 2013

We had a reasonably early start today and after breakfast planned to hike to Fern Pool. To reach Fern Pool we had to complete the Dales Gorge Rim and Fortescue Falls again before taking an unmarked track further to reach the pool. The track opened up to a small area overlooking a pristine pool with a waterfall coming in at the rear and we were very lucky to have it all to ourselves, such a picturesque setting. We all had a refreshing swim before continuing on our hike for the day.

Fern Pool

From Fern Pool we hiked back to Fortescue  Falls and had to cross the pool at the base of the falls where we hiked the floor of Dales Gorge heading for Circular Pool - a Class 4 hike which the girls handled extremely well and gave us more confidence to consider tackling Class 5 hikes the next day. Again the hike was beautiful with many rock clamberings and river crossing taking place along the way.

           

                    Having a rest in Dales Gorge                                    Dales Gorge

We reached Circular Pool after about an hour and a half and again enjoyed a well earned swim in the pool which was at the base of a large circular cliff face (for those that have seen it - it reminded us a little of Emma Gorge in the Kimberley's). There was a rock ledge at the rear of the pool which had warm waterfalls coming from out of the rocks. The girls climbed up and warmed up before jumping off the rock ledge back in to the cool Circular Pool. After some snacks we tackled the climb out of the gorge, which was a winding almost vertical rock course which again the girls handled extremely well (our nerves were well and truly settled - although Maggie was a little gung-ho for our liking) before heading back to camp for dinner and a well earned rest.

Circular Pool

An absolutely fantastic day!

Karijini National Park - Day 1

27th April 2013

Well after a stormy night in Tom Price, we awoke to bright blue skies and made the decision to pack up and make our way to Karijini National Park. We arrived around 11.30am and were greeted by Mike & Tarn (National Park volunteers manning the gate - a job I can see us doing later in life). They were fantastic and after a good chat about the park and best areas to see we set off to our camp spot at Kangaroo Loop, inside Dales Camping area. We set up, had lunch and were off for an afternoon hike by 1.30pm.

Camp Site - Karijini National Park

We started on the Gorge Rim walk (a class 2 - relatively easy and well marked track) which as the name suggests follows the rim of Dales Gorge and that was beautiful. We took in the views from Circular Pool lookout and 3 Gorge lookout before making our way to Fortescue Falls. The walk down to the falls was a Class 3, which was quite steep but had a handrail to help you down, not that it helped mine and Rachel's nerves with the kids wanting to just hurry up and get to the bottom by jumping off every step.

Circular Pool from the lookout

Fortescue falls was just beautiful and was a welcome swimming spot on a pretty hot afternoon, as the light was fading we walked back to our camp for a well earned drink and dinner.

Fortescue Falls

The depth of the gorges in the parks are amazing and I can guarantee that no words I will type or photos I will post of the Karijini, will do it justice - this is a must see destination for all!!!

Coral Bay to Tom Price

26th April 2013

Well a lot has happened since we last updated the blog, we have just arrived into Broome and we have finally got Internet connection so here's what's been happening over the past jam packed week!

We left Coral Bay on Friday 26th April and after planning to hit the road at 8.30am we hit our first hurdle of the day - fuelling up in Coral Bay, it took an hour before we could get into the bowser as there were a heap of boats fuelling up for their days fishing.

Anyway once we had fuelled up we headed off, planning to make Karijini National Park some  630kms away. During the day we had agreed to make 2 stops along the way and drop some water containers for Peter & Sal ( these were the 2 cyclist we met at the Tropic of Capricorn) to act as drink stations for them on there long ride to Tom Price. That job done and after a non eventful drive for most of the way, we hit a big thunder storm about 60kms out of Paraburdoo which lasted the rest of the night.

Driving into the storm - Paraburdoo

As we had to go into Tom Price to restock on food, we made the decision to stay at the caravan park, a good call we must say. There was an added plus by doing this as well, because Tom Price is the highest town in WA and the caravan park is at the base of the highest peak in WA, Mt Nameless, so we thought was a pretty cool way to end the day.

 Tom Price

Mt Nameless - taken from Tom Price Caravan Park