No matter where one looks around the globe, there’s a “highest”, “lowest”, “furthest south”, “furthest north” ( and so on and so on ) place that folks want desperately to visit. Australia is no exception and of all points on the compass the big one is indisputably the road ( in many parts barely a track ) to the very tip of Cape York – the furthest northerly point on the Australian continent. Having completed a north to south crossing of the Americas it seemed logical enough that, in addition to a “full lap” around the Australian continent we’d at least attempt Cape York while we were this far north giving us a shot at adding the southern extremity later when we revisit southern Australia. In for a penny in for a pound as the Brits say, the decision was made: bring on Cape York!
The route to the top.Cairns skyline from across the bay.Cairns campground – many were preparing to challenge Cape York.Leaving Cairns.Scenic road just outside Cairns, near Kuranda.
Having arrived in Cairns the week before, and with our sightseeing and resupply done, we felt ready to begin the trip. Critical in the planning process was to beat the Queensland school holidays ( and we had, just ) at which point the track becomes very busy, badly torn up, and vehicle access to the point ( the very tip, or “Pajinka” as it’s known locally ) can actually be a real challenge. With a 1,000 km + drive ahead of us we did not want to be following any more vehicle dust clouds than absolutely necessary and we obviously wanted to be able to drive absolutely as far as possible – ideally, all the way to Pajinka. Like most, our preference was to push hard early, go direct to the top, then meander back down making time for at least a few of the many side tracks that branch off the main north-south route ( officially known as the Peninsular Development Road, or PDR ).
Heading out of Cairns one first passes the coffee producing town of Mareeba ( heaven for Lois ! ), before reaching Lakeland and then on to Laura. This first part is uneventful, a decent road, and the surface is all bitumen. From Laura on, the gravel begins although there are short stretches of bitumen here and there all the way up ( “teasers”, we started calling them ).
It’s fair to say that many parts of the gravel sections are actually in very good condition – better, in fact, than we had expected. What’s also true is that there are significant parts that are in atrocious condition. If the Oodnadatta Track and Gibb River Road had introduced us to some of the country’s most brutal corrugations ( both wide and deep ), the Cape York PDR was right up there with them in terms of severity ( if not, perhaps, in terms of continuity ). You’d come upon them suddenly, without warning, often hidden by tree shadows crossing the track. We’d slow down anticipating bad ones only to realize there were none, then get caught unawares feeling them when you could not see them. The drive was quite stressful as a result.
Pit stop in Coen – everyone heading north !Coen – a mid way pit stop on the run to the top.
There is no town of any meaningful size after Mareeba but there are several roadhouses where travellers can get fuel and basic supplies en route. These were always interesting pit stops and part of the Cape York experience was stopping in to stock up and chat with those coming south as to the quality of the road ahead and depth of creek crossings ( the topics on every north-bound traveller’s mind ! ). Coen ( mid way up ) and Bamaga ( almost at the Cape ) are really only small villages – one comes with any spares and specific tools one might need ( we would learn this the hard way on the way back down ! ). There is of course the mining town of Weipa but it is well off the main track – one of the detours some choose to make.
A section of road near the Hann River roadhouse. Not bad right here.A bunch of rigs stopped at Archer River roadhouse.…..and the gravel road begins .A particularly bumpy stretch.Meeting oncoming traffic was always nerve wracking on the gravel sections – smothered in dust one minute, getting a windshield chip the next. We picked up two more on the way ( the Tom Price repair kit came in very handy again ).Here, parked up for the night on a roadside pullout near Bramwell Junction roadhouse.Close up look at a typical corrugated road.
Approaching the very top of Cape York, the Jardine River must be crossed on a ferry – unlike the ( many ) other water crossings It’s simply too wide and too deep to drive through. It’s a simple cable ferry that runs back and forth on demand carrying a few vehicles at a time. You know you are almost there when you get this far, somewhat of a seminal moment – the problem is that the local town council who operate it also knows that you are almost there and, having come this far, NOTHING is going to stop you getting to the top. They are well aware that this little ferry, then, is rather critical to your plans to conquer the Cape and it is priced accordingly – we were on it less than 1 minute and paid $121 ( $108 Cdn / $80 USD ) for the privilege. Towing a caravan ( and most are ) ? You can double that. Talk about a captive market. The stock reply to those who complain ( and everyone does ) – “It’s free on the way back” 😊. Hey, at least the staff were very friendly !
Iconic Jardine River Ferry terminal.The Jardine River crossing.The Jardine River ferry.Loading…..with a little coaching from my trusty navigator 🙂 !…..and we’re across. Onwards to the top !
While only a short run into Bamaga, it was probably the toughest section of gravel on the track to that point – perhaps, like horses close to home, it’s where drivers speed up. Consensus among experts is that it’s speed and vehicle size that do most of the road damage – we were constantly shocked at how fast some drove, even on horrendous corrugations ( making them even worse ). Plenty of speed warnings en route and lots of crashed vehicles left where they came to rest – some never learn.
Typical road ( track ) approaching Bamaga.Main Street, Bamaga. The paved streets exist ONLY in the town.
From Bamaga, a rather poorly signposted route leads you out of town for the final 40 or so kms of windy, wet, narrow, corrugated, potholed jungle track to the Cape – no caravans ( trailers ) allowed. At 7 metres ( 23 feet ) long, we were the biggest vehicle on the track and it was, at times, very tight navigating the sharp corners as well as dodging the low overhanging tropical growth. Just one nasty creek crossing presented itself but fortunately it was not as deep as it looked.
The track narrows considerably for the final 40kms to the top.Just what we needed on a rough track – rain !….and a few nasty potholes.….as well as some rather big trees to avoid.This was the deepest crossing – just 10 kms from the top. Not sure how the rock was going to help us !We took the detour to the right as the water appeared shallower on that side. While the water was shallower the bumps were much deeper, giving us a very nasty jolt.
Arriving at the Cape car park ( which was totally full! ) palm fringed Torres Strait opens up in front of you, a very welcome sight after an hour winding though thick tropical jungle to get there. The mood was vibrant, everyone seemed very happy to be here and the sun had just broken though where it had been raining much of the last hour. Just a short walk across the beach ( no swimming – crocs everywhere up here ) and on to climb a rocky headland to Pajinka, the very northernmost tip of continental Australia………we’d made it !
The car park, Cape York.Arriving at the car park- the end of the road and just a few minutes walk to the “northern-most point” sign.The view from the top..!The moment everyone waits for- a picture at THE sign marking the furthest northern point in Australia.
From historic Daly Waters we’d switch directions again – this time to the Carpentaria Highway and on east towards the Queensland border, but not before stopping in for a night ( as most travellers do ) at one of the most famous outback pubs in Australia ( which also operates the town’s only campground ): The Daly Waters Pub.
The one and only – Daly Waters pub !As the story goes, years back a tour bus pulled in and announced that any lady who took off her bra would get a free drink. They have hundreds of bras now at this pub !There was a car rally at Daly Waters, including this old MGB. It actually completed the Gibb River Road !The locals at Daly Waters poke fun at all the 4 wheel drive “city cowboys” with fancy LandRovers and Landcruisers, fully decked out. Hence, “All the gear, but no idea !”“Jeff, I want a washing machine like this !” Saw this on a Sprinter we crossed paths with in Daly Waters.
Steeped in history ( and overlaid with a dash of local legend ) this pub’s story is inextricably linked with the original overland telegraph line and then with the earliest exploits in Australia’s aviation history. Prior to long haul direct flights, passengers on multi-stop flights to Asia and the UK would actually touch down in the town and be catered to by the pub. The original old QANTAS hangar still survives with some interesting displays telling the fabled history of the airline and its links with Daly Waters. Fascinating to simply wander around and soak it all up.
Original QANTAS hangar from the days when the airstrip was a stopover on the Sydney – London route.Old pictures showing the storied history of aviation at Daly Waters.Ditto.
The route east is pretty remote and the drives were long – you know it’s tedious when conversations get reduced to speculating on how many cars we might pass today. It was often very few on this particular road as it’s the secondary route across the area beneath the Gulf of Carpentaria. Most folks go further south and then turn east at Tennant Creek, but ( for reasons that now escape me ) I wanted to stop in at the small town of Borroloola. It’s a lonely drive up there, little traffic on the road and the town itself offered little if you were not a fisherman ( we aren’t ) other than an interesting museum chronicling the town’s colourful history and some of the eccentric characters that once called it home.
Supposedly the original tree trunk where outback explorer Ludwig Leichardt carved the famous “L”.Narrow outback “highway” en route to Barkly Homestead.Sunset, wild camping, Barkly Tablelands.Queensland- back on the eastern side of the country !
Dropping down from Borroloola to the Barkly Highway brought us back onto a more trafficked route. The Queensland border is crossed at tiny Camooweal and then suddenly one is in Mount Isa, a major mining centre. It’s major draw is a mine tour but it was booked out for the next two days. Mt. Isa is not a particularly attractive place and we had no intentions of waiting two days for a tour that would take us deep underground – years back a visit to the insides of a pyramid in Cairo revealed that we were both somewhat claustrophobic, an experience we were not anxious to repeat. We quickly moved on to Cloncurry and nearby Mary Kathleen.
The road in to Mary Kathleen’s old uranium mine was rough !The stunning blue lake formed at the bottom of the now closed Mary Kathleen uranium mine.Mary Kathleen mine.Gulf scene near Normanton – a long haul directly north of Cloncurry.Classic “Purple Pub”, Normanton.
Karumba, a quaint little spot very popular with campers and right on the Gulf of Carpentaria was somewhere we were anxious to visit, and looked forward to the much talked about happy hour at the Sunset Tavern right on the water. A long drive up via Cloncurry and Normanton but well worthwhile and, fortunately, en route east to Cairns from Mt. Isa. We enjoyed the shared experiences with fellow travellers that tend to congregate in “end of the road” places like Karumba and found the local Barramundi Discovery Centre to be well worth visiting. While it wasn’t the reason we came it’s the lure of a big “barra” catch that brings many folks to this historic frontier town. Locally known as “Barradise” 😊.
Sunset Tavern on Karumba Point – great place for Happy Hour sunsets. Every visitor in town would soon arrive there.Karumba, sunsetKarumba sunset- dancing brolgas sculpture.
Still a long way to Cairns ( we took the southern route via Georgetown and Mt Garnet ) – more on that in the next edition!
Enjoyed the amazing gemstone and precious metals collection at the Ted Elliott Mineral Collection, Georgetown.Millstream Falls.Approaching Cairns – starting to look very tropical.
Completion of the Gibb River Road moved us ever further north east in WA – almost to the Northern Territory border in fact. Leaving WA this far up brings you pretty close to what locals simply refer to as “The Top End” and it included several places we were keen to visit. But first, a final look at WA.
Starting in Broome, the roads recently travelled from part of a cross-country route in northern Australia known as the “Savannah Way”. We’ve followed most of it so far and plan to do as much of it as we can all the way to Cairns.
Prior to heading east towards Kununurra we made a slight detour west to Wyndham – not a major draw for most but it did offer a little history ( another of Australia’s northern outposts that was bombed in WW2 ), and an exceptional viewpoint ( The Fiver Rivers ) for taking in the expansive surrounding area.
Five rivers lookout, Wyndham.
Kununurra is home to the Ord River a river that was dammed ( The Ord River Scheme ) in what was, at the time, an extraordinary engineering feat in bringing much irrigable crop land to what was formerly barren desert. It’s a prosperous place, vibrant, a semi tropical oasis and nearby Lake Argyle, created in the scheme, is now an attraction in itself.
You know you’ve completed something of a milestone when the tourist office ( in Kununurra ) tries to sell you this.The van was filthy after the Gibb. The owners of the campground in Kununurra allowed us to wash it on the grass – using a fire hose !Tea break. Lake Argyle.
The road east had us crossing into the Northern Territory barely an hour outside Kununurra but from there it was a long run into Katherine, straddling the Stuart Highway and famous for its eponymous gorge. A return visit for us but a long time ago – over 40 years for us both! The gorge was nice but, this time around anyway, a little underwhelming- hard not to benchmark it against those we’d seen so recently in Karijini, and on the Gibb. In fairness we opted not to re-do the boat tour we’d done before and it’s a sight that’s definitely more impressive from the water.
Western Australian really “wowed” us – we were very sorry to leave 😞.On the way to Katherine.Katherine Gorge.
Years back the big “buzz” in the travel marketing space was Kakadu ( National Park ), not far north of Katherine. We’d succumbed to the hype and visited but found it also a little less spectacular than the NT tourist folks would have you believe. In fairness we’d travelled there during the wet season (and it was pouring rain most of the day), so hardly did it justice but it seems the feeling was fairly widespread among other travellers – the place is now jokingly referred to as “Kaka-don’t”. Not far from Kakadu is another park, easier to access and whose stunning charms can ( thankfully) be enjoyed without boat tours or helicopters – Litchfield National Park. Several travellers had suggested it was a “do not miss” and better than Kakadu – we’d 100% agree and thoroughly enjoyed the place. Highlight of the park was definitely Wangi Falls – a scene right out of Jurassic Park. Beautiful to just soak it up even though you can no longer swim in the pool at the base ( a saltwater crocodile captured here recently forced its closure ).
Termite mound, Litchfield NP.Florence Falls, Litchfield NP.
Florence FallsRecently a saltwater crocodile was caught here. The pool at the bottom of the falls is now closed to swimmers.
Tolmer FallsWangi Falls, Litchfield National Park.
Wangi Falls
Darwin is only an hour or so north and we’d planned a few days there – a van service, a search for elusive imperial measure plumbing parts, and some general sightseeing filled our time. Both of us marvelled at how this once frontier town had morphed into a thriving, diverse, modern metropolis right on Asia’s doorstep. We really enjoyed the vibe, and got all our tasks done – it is however, incredibly humid. This is the “dry” season – definitely not a place to come in the “wet”.
Time to take our van in for its regular service. Darwin was the first Mercedes dealer in almost 5,000kms ! Sprinters are not nearly as common in Australia as in North America or Europe.Heaven is – finding a great cafe that makes a splendid cappuccino ( for Lois ) and chocolate milkshake ( for me ). And, a classic metal milkshake mug no less !!!!! Nice to be in a city again.Shopping Mall, downtown Darwin.Parts of Darwin have an almost South East Asian look. The territorial government building.Little known fact – more Japanese bombs fell on Darwin than did on Pearl Harbour, a fact suppressed by the government of the day in order not to panic the Australian public.Darwin skyline today – far different from our first visits in ‘82/‘83.A VERY Aussie licence plate !
Darwin would be the furthest north in Australia we’d venture until Queensland. For the first time in a long time we’d now be heading south, back past Katherine, through the hot springs of Mataranka and on to the historic and legendary town of Daly Waters where the Carpentaria Highway would take us on east into Queensland.
Mataranka hot springs.
Mataranka Hot SpringsOne of the more unique places we have camped – the “Gorrie” airstrip, a disused WW2 runway is a favourite with campers. Flat ( as you can imagine !) and with amazing history. Went to sleep imagining Spitfires and Hurricanes once thundering down this runway.
Prior to leaving Derby , we took in some of the local sights – it’s small, there’s not much there and it seemed extremely quiet on the Saturday when we arrived. There’s an interesting jetty where one can observe the scope of Derby’s famously varied tides, a unique boab tree once used as a prison ( yes, really ) and a few other lesser attractions – key needs for us as we considered our options on to Kununurra were food and fuel – we’d need lots of both as there were long driving stretches ahead.
Loading up with extra fuel – each bag holds 20 litres.Boab “prison” tree, Derby.
Barely 5kms outside Derby the road forks. Straight ahead and Highway 1 takes you on to Kununurra; to the left, lies the legendary Gibb River Road ( just west of Kununurra the two roads converge again ). The “Gibb”, actually shorter and definitely more scenic, but strewn with teeth chattering corrugations from start to finish. Highway 1 slightly longer, but blacktop all the way, albeit a far less interesting road. Crunch time upon us, a decision we’d been mulling over since we arrived in WA had to be made. Unlikely to ever come back this way, the van ready to go, and us wanting to do at least one other outback track that might better challenge the van’s capabilities, the decision was made – we’d tackle the Gibb River Road !
Decision time – The Gibb, or…..?The Route……
At over 650 kms in length, the Gibb is a multi-day affair. Some do it in 2 days ( possible ), some take a week. Certainly if one checks out all its extensions and diversions those “days” quickly turn in to “weeks”. We spent 5 days on the Gibb, following the main track and making diversions as required to visit the most popular gorges en route ( there are many ) but left the longest diversion out ( as many do ). The Gibb tempts you with an initiation of blacktop but that soon gives way to hundreds of kms of unsealed surface ( interspersed very periodically with very short sealed sections). Consistent blacktop would not be seen again until we crossed the Pentecost River just a short distance from the end of the road.
Checking that all sections were open.Restrictions in some sections.More detail on the route. We opted not to take the “road” to Kalumburu. A German we met described it as hellish.
The Gibb for us fortunately went pretty smoothly- we’d heard of ( and seen with our own eyes) several vehicles carried off the track on a flatbed truck. We would go on to see several with nasty flat tires, cracked screens and 3 camperized vehicles get stuck crossing the crocodile infested Pentecost river ( all needed to be winched out ). None of the above for us – apart from a couple of decorative rubber caps for our hitch and side steps being lost reaching Adcock Gorge, we survived the Gibb unscathed. A relief to make it through, and very glad we took on the challenge, we’re also glad it’s now in the rear view mirror. A difficult road it’s not- there is no inherent danger, no steep cliffs, no huge potholes or the like – but it will shake you hard – very hard – all the way, just more or less very uncomfortable. And, hence, very tiring.
Typical scenery early on.There are numerous reminders like this in the north – the danger is real and fatalities do occur.The beginning of the unsealed section. There would be lots more of this !First attraction on the Gibb: Queen Victoria Rock – a stunning resemblance !Drove all the way to Windjana Gorge only to find it was closed. Road to it was open, the gorge itself was closed – ughh !Likewise for Galvans gorge, one of the better ones; it was closed due to controlled burn off when we arrived 🙁Adcock Gorge access. Rough !Adcock Gorge – the road in was a heavy duty 4×4 track. Most difficult part of the Gibb that we drove.Adcock gorge.Mount Barnett Roadhouse – civilization in the middle of the Gibb!Manning River, one of the few places it was safe to swim ( no crocs ! ).“WY” is Wyndham – still a loooong way to go !Typical scenery in the middle of the Gibb.Ellenbrae station accessEllebrae – an oasis on the Gibb.Everyone stops at the Ellebrae station for their famous hot scones – worth two creek crossings and a rough drive in !At times it was busy…….! And almost always dusty, but…….…..periodically there were short sections of blacktop. A welcome relief!One of many creek crossings on the Gibb.Typical clattering when on the rough stuff – corrugations and rocks.Typical road….Northern end of the Gibb, near the Pentecost River.Scenery near the Pentecost River.
Pentecost River, as we arrived. No one there.The guy behind us drove around us while we sat, pondering whether to “walk” it before driving through. He got half way, then bogged a rear wheel. He was stuck in the middle of the Pentecost( ultimately needed two other trucks to winch him free).Discretion being the better part of valour, I decided to walk the crossing before driving it to see where the deep points may be. We simply kept to the left, driving right past the guy who was stuck.Crossing the Pentecost.…and the final step.Safely across ! The guy we allowed to go ahead of us still stuck in the middle. Two more would get stuck later the same day.SUV and caravan, stuck on the Pentecost River crossing.Camping on the Pentecost River.Stayed well away from the edge !Sunset on the Pentecost. Gibb River Road almost complete.Rainforest trail to Zebedee hot springs.Zebedee hot springs, El Questro.Zebedee hot springs, El Questro.Emma Gorge – nicest one we visited.
Emma Gorge – highlight of the Gibb ! Refreshing swim was wonderful.
I was asked how the Gibb compared to the Oodnadatta Track ( they are about the same length ). In terms of surface quality, the Oodnadatta “Track” was much closer to deserving the title of “road” whereas the Gibb River “Road” could more aptly have been called a “track”. There was some lengthy respite from severe corrugations on the Oodnadatta – none such on the Gibb. Traffic ( or lack thereof ) probably explains the difference – we regularly passed cars and trucks on the Gibb ( sometimes being behind a line of them even ) whereas we could count on our hands the number of vehicles we saw on the Oodnadatta. We only camped alone once on the Gibb (lots of people around), while we never camped with anyone else on the Oodnadatta. Among the many thousands ( tens of thousands ? ) of campers on the road in Australia ( and there are many ! ) the Gibb River Road seems to be on the bucket list of most – certainly anyone with a 4X4 vehicle (which is required).
It was an unforgettable drive- we met some great people en route and the many gorges ( for which it’s famed ) dotted along the route provided a welcome distraction from the heat and dust. Oh, yes, dust – lots of red dust !!!! Sadly several of the gorges were closed ( one to flood damage, another to fire, and a third required a vehicle capable of fording a 1 metre deep creek- sadly beyond the capability of our snorkel-less van ). Bells Gorge we chose to skip due to the uncertain creek depth. That all said, Adcock, Manning and Emma Gorges were open for us – Emma being the definite highlight of the trip. Truly an impressive sight.
Setting out on an adventure like the Gibb – and it was an adventure – you set certain milestones and one of the biggest was successfully crossing the Pentecost River. It’s only 50 or so kms from the northern/eastern end of the journey but can be problematic if too deep to cross. I’ll confess it was on my mind all the way through ( as it is for most on the Gibb ) since it’s an awful long way back if you can’t get across – a thought we absolutely dreaded ! While we would watch 3 campers get bogged in the middle of the Pentecost River (needing to be winched out ) we ultimately cruised through with ease – never have we been so happy to be on the “north” side of a river in our lives!
The finish line !!
Till next week…..
Not all survive the Gibb – a Nissan truck being carried off by flatbed truck.
Hard to top Karijini but the week ahead did offer up a couple of great treats: a wonderful rendezvous with my brother and his wife just outside Marble Bar, a stopover in Port Hedland, and a delightful few days in trendy Broome.
Our travels since the last post.
Over the preceding months we’d remained in close touch with my brother, Ian and his wife ( Anne ) in the hope that, just possibly, our paths may cross in northern Western Australia. They habitually travel in these parts at this time and, as luck would have it, they’d reached their destination of Nullagine just a few days before we were to leave nearby Karajini. A rendezvous would indeed be possible and (Australia’s hottest town) Marble Bar ( more or less in between us ) would be the venue.
Road train, en route to Marble Bar.We had left Karijini but were not yet done with oversize vehicles.
Spent a wonderful couple of days together trip planning, reminiscing and generally just hanging out – Anne, the camp pot was awesome ! Really nice to wind down and just be stationery after a pretty hectic previous week where we’d been constantly on the move. Delighted to be able to bring some diesel fuel to the rescue as well ( Marble Bar had not, technically, run out of diesel but the pump that delivers it was inoperable). Ian was able to reach us by phone just prior to us leaving Karijini to advise they could not get fuel in Marble Bar, so we threw a couple of extra fuel bags in the van. Problem solved ! Only thing worse than a “Pub With No Beer” in the outback is a fuel station with (effectively ), no fuel !
Jeff, filling Ian’s vehicle with diesel. “”I’ll never hear the end of this !” he’s thinking !Anne, preparing a delicious “welcome” camp dinner.Nice to have access to a Starlink system – high speed internet anywhere in the world !Beautiful sunset, camped at Marble Bar.Camping at Marble Bar.Classic old style buildings in tiny Marble Bar, from the days when it was much bigger.Sturt’s Desert Pea – a beautiful wildflower common in the area.
Port Hedland was the only place of note between us and historic Broome, the pearling capital of Australia. Not a town of any intrinsic beauty ( and coated in red dust from all the iron ore that is shipped through it ), it is though, veryinteresting to see the scale of mining in the area. Four privately owned rail lines pretty much constantly drop ore at the port and just as quickly it is loaded into giant bulk carriers for the blast furnaces in Asia. The scale is indeed immense – each train can be over 2kms long and the fully loaded ore carriers glide out of port every 15 mins or so. They proudly boast it’s the largest bulk loading port in the world in fact.
Iron ore train, en route to Port Hedland. These can be 2.5kms long!Train crossing, near Marble Bar.In Port Hedland the comings and goings of massive ore carriers is an attraction – gives an indication of just how much of the stuff comes out of the ground.The carriers are huge !
Almost 700kms north east along what had to be THE most boring stretch of The Great Northern Highway that we’ve driven, lies trendy Broome. None of that section of highway follows the coast and to make matters worse we battled a fearsome headwind and the acrid smoke of seasonal burn-offs for much of the day. Historic ( and now trendy ) Broome is the worthy reward for those long, lonely miles and it’s immediately obvious why Aussies ( and now many international visitors ) are flocking there- the climate is perfect, the setting ( on beautiful Cable beach) is stunning and the revitalized downtown is boutiquey with a vibe reminiscent of fashionable Byron Bay on Australia’s east coast. It seemed half the town walked to the beach each day to watch its famous sunsets. Really enjoyed the place.
The long, lonely road between Port Hedland and Broome. 80 Mile beach, near Broome.Downtown Broome.No wonder Broome is popular this time of year !This famous old outdoor theatre still operates. Over 100 years old. Broome.Lois shopping, Broome.Cable beach, sunset. Broome.Broome, sunset on Cable beach.
It would have been a much smarter move in hindsight to have simply enjoyed one extra day relaxing in beautiful Broome , but, foolishly ignoring the advice of our camping neighbour we opted to make the 5 hour, 420 km round trip on to Cape Leveque. There are precious few places we regret visiting but the trip to “almost” Cape Leveque was all for nought – the final 5 kms of the road to the Cape ( the principal attraction ! ) was closed ! We should have listened to our Broome camp neighbour ( serves us right ! ).
Dead end ! We drove 420kms return to see Cape Leveque – road closed 5 kms from the end 🙁
Beyond Broome, it was a short hop to Derby, jumping off point for the legendary Gibb River Road. More on the legendary “Gibb” next week !
Fueled up for the long run to Derby and on to the Gibb River Road. An extra 80 litres. Our collapsible fuel bags have been a life saver.
Working our way steadily up the Western Australia coast two things became readily apparent. First, there is, at this time of the year, basically a complete mass migration to the north-west coast of WA involving travellers from all over; Western Australians, Australians from the east, and – in very significant numbers- travellers from abroad, especially young European working holiday makers. Secondly, after the whale shark experience in Exmouth, everyone ( and I mean everyone) was heading to Karijini National Park. Following a pit stop at the very impressive Bullara Station ( a working station/ranch ), Karijini was top of our list as well.
Our route this past week.
Bullara gives travellers a taste of life on an Australian outback “station” ( North Americans would consider it a big ranch ) – complete with all the usual wildlife, farm stock ( principally cattle ), amazing “damper” and some of the best hot scones ( replete with strawberry jam and cream ) we’ve tasted in a long time. Far from any city lights it was an excellent place to star-gaze as well.
A warm welcome on arrival at Bullara, however the camp host was a bit shocked to see the steering wheel on the “wrong” side !Damper maker and local legend, “John” from the UK.Camp showers – rustic, but hot and strong !
In addition to hordes of travellers descending on Karijini, the road is also shared with specialized heavy transport vehicles which carry very large pieces of mining equipment- some as much as 7.5 metres wide ( meaning it effectively blocks both sides of a two-lane road). Passing them is a challenge and we would soon be put to the test as we encountered just one such vehicle on the way into Tom Price. Our two way radio ( hitherto considered no more than a souvenir ) suddenly became indispensable as we communicated with the pilot car as to when and how to safely overtake. Needless to say overtaking a 7.5 metre-wide vehicle leaves precious little margin for error – see the next two video clips Lois captured as we made the maneuver:
Approaching a 7.5m wide “oversize” on a bridge.The passing maneuver – white knuckles all the way !
Karijini is located just east of Tom Price. On the advice of the many, many people who counselled us about this park we set aside 4 days (3 nights ) with a plan to tackle all its major hikes and found we had time to do them all- certainly all the ones that we wanted to do. Some were tough, and tiring, but absolutely worth the challenge – it lived up to ( probably even exceeded in some areas ) the very lofty expectations we’d developed in the preceding weeks. It was, simply awesome ! I’ll say no more but leave our pictures and videos to tell the story:
Tom Price camping sunset.
Caught up with Grant and Sue at Dale’s Gorge – he, an Aussie, she a Canadian, together 35 years. A very similar story to our own. Grant had just completed the holy grail of Australian outback tracks, the Canning Stock Route. Fellow campers were in awe…..!Picked up this delightful little “souvenir” on the road into Karijini. No one to do a repair in Tom Price, so I bought a kit and tackled it myself.Quickly repaired with a do it yourself kit from the Autopro store ! No one else in town would touch it. So far it’s holding !Swimming in the pool beneath Fortescue Falls, Dale’s Gorge, Karijini NP. No croc’s this far south.Dale’s Gorge.Lois, last steps out of Dales Gorge.Dale’s Gorge, Karijini NP.Dale’s Gorge.Fortescue Falls, Karijini NP.Joffre Falls, Karijini NP. No “falls” as such in the dry season, but a stunning circular visual.Success at the end of a hike. Joffre.Bottom of Joffre Falls.Corrugated roads, Karijini NP.Some parts of the park were not paved – the gravel roads were in very rough shape with tough, deep corrugations. Needed to reduce tire pressure well below manufacturer specs, hence the “malfunction” warnings.Karijini NP.Walking to Handrail Pool, Weano Gorge, Karijini NP.
Handrail Pool, Karijini NP.Weano Gorge, Karijini NP.First water obstacle on the way to Kermit’s Pool, Hancock Gorge, Karijini NP.Narrow waterfall, deep in the gorge..Narrow section !Kermit’s Pool at the end of Hancock Gorge.Camped at “Buddha’s Retreat” just before, Hammersley Gorge. The lighting just begged for a photo !The geological history of Hammersley Gorge, Karijini NP.Hammersley Gorge, Karijini NP.Hammersley Gorge.Hammersley Gorge.Trying to dodge severe corrugations on the far side of the road, leaving Hancock Gorge.
Undoubtedly the best national park we have seen so far, we felt Karijini was truly impressive. The problem now – how do you keep raising the bar ? While we might not be able to raise the bar any further as far as national parks go, we just caught wind of a rather outstanding award bestowed upon a certain beach I was raving about last month when we visited Esperance ( in WA’s south west ) – Lucky Bay. Just named the most beautiful beach in the world. Can’t beat that !
Readers might recall me raving about the pristine beauty of Lucky Bay ( Esperance ) a few weeks back. Just voted the most beautiful beach in the world ! https://www.worlds50beaches.com/lucky-bay
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
