Millstream - Chichester National Park 9 - 10/9

These days the run from Karratha to the national park is pretty good as the road is sealed almost to the park boundary. It is not a real fast journey however; as it is quite hilly and when you are towing a van it makes a big difference to your travel time and fuel consumption. Our first night was spent in the Chichester range section of the park at Snake Creek camping area. This camping area is reasonably remote and the only facilities are long drop toilets, but there are no fees and it is quite close to the main attraction in this section of the park, Python Pool. There were only 2 other groups in the campground during our 1 night stay and so we had a quiet and restful night. Packing up early the next morning it was only a short drive to the parking area for the walk to Python Pool. The permanent large plunge pool nestled against rugged red cliffs and surrounded by trees is a stark contrast to the arid surroundings. This would make a great place for a refreshing dip and even though the temperature was already quite warm the water was very cold, far too cold for us to venture in.

Back in the car we began the steep climb up the escarpment and stopped in the carpark near the summit of Mt. Herbert. The walking track to the very top is not all that long but it is quite steep so we made good use of the seats to catch our breath while taking in the fantastic view across the ranges to the north and east. Another great walk from this carpark is to follow the camel trail around the base of the mountain where we found a clean running spring fed stream with large clear pools and lush vegetation, again quite a contrast to the country surrounding. This 4 Km round trip walk took us over 1½ hours due to the rugged terrain and the rising temperature. Just as well we always carry plenty of water and wear a hat and sunscreen.

Our next destination was the main Millstream section of the park where all visitors are required to stop at the entry station to self-register and pay an entry fee. Our information (now outdated, it seems) had us planning to camp at Deep Reach Pool on the Fortescue River for several days but, much to our disappointment camping is no longer permitted at this pretty spot.

You now have to travel on to a newly finished camping area near the old Millstream Homestead. This campground is well laid out and has new composting toilets (the best we have seen in a N.P.) and a fantastic new camp kitchen, however it seems to be in the most exposed, hot and dusty location in the entire park. Given that we had visions of camping for days by a cooling stretch of river this was quite a let down and we stayed for only one night. Of course we did enjoy the walks around the homestead and to Chindewarriner pool. This permanent spring fed pool on Millstream Creek, is a very attractive oasis populated with waterlilies and surrounded by stately palms, and the water is so clear it becomes almost invisible as you gaze into the depths.

We left the next morning travelling out of the park via Pannawonica to rejoin the northwest coastal highway. All of the roads within the national park are unsealed but are generally in good condition with the corrugations being not too bad. The dust, though, is another issue, it is fine, red and very plentiful and by the time we got back on the bitumen the exterior of the car and van were totally covered. You have to be careful where and what you touch or brush against because it really sticks to your skin and clothes and once ingrained it is quite difficult to wash out. Thank goodness our van has very good dust sealing. Travelling southwest we spent 2 nights at Robe river rest area (using the abundant water to clean the car and van) and 1 night at Barradale rest area before heading into Exmouth to begin our stay at Cape Range N.P. and Ningaloo Reef.

Port Hedland, Karratha and Dampier 28/8 to 8/9

Port Hedland is pretty much just an industrial town and quite a busy one. Even the tourist attractions are focused around its industrial activities such as viewing the enormous ore trains as they bring their massive loads from inland mines to the busy port. The information centre has a board out front detailing the arrival and departures of ships and trains, and the best place to view them. The trains are quite impressive, the longest in the world, with lengths in excess of 2 Km common, and some more than 3 Km long. The landscape is dominated by large industrial structures as well as huge white ‘mountains’ of salt and other minerals. We spent three days in town and a further two out at Indee Station waiting for mail and began to really believe, as many a fellow traveller has quipped, that W. A. stands for ‘Wait Awhile’.

After the mail finally arrived we travelled south through more of the Pilbara towards Karratha and Dampier. We did have a two day break at Balla Balla, a free camping area on he coast east of Whim Creek, where we met fellow travellers, some of whom had been camped there by the water for up to 5 months. Initially we based ourselves at Roebourne, inland from the coast, and the original main town of the northwest. From here we explored the old buildings of the town (many very well preserved) as well as the old abandoned town of Cossack, which was the original port. Some of the more prominent buildings in Cossack have been restored, and combined with magnificent coastal scenery, made this a rewarding visit. It is interesting to note that all of the old, now overgrown and no longer visible, streets of the abandoned 19th century town are shown on our 21st century GPS navigator. Also while in Roebourne we visited the attractive seaside town of Point Sampson, having lunch on the terrace of the tavern overlooking the sparkling bay, and the mining company built town of Wickham.

From Roebourne we travelled into Dampier for 3 nights. Dampier could be described much like Port Hedland with the addition of a couple of very large natural gas processing plants. The scale of the operations in these parts is quite overwhelming and seemingly at odds with the ancient harsh and rugged landscape of the surrounding country. If there really is a world economic downturn then they forgot to tell the people around here, because everything is going full speed ahead. Nearby Karratha is a modern service centre town with all the facilities you would expect. We used this opportunity to restock and refuel as well as do some posting and banking. A bit of a highlight for us while in the area was to catch up with our son-in-law’s cousin, Matt. Having just recently arrived in the area to work on a power station development Matt, an electrician, is certainly going to feel it with the weather heating up noticeably. We only had a brief visit with him at his accommodation camp and just sat around with a few coldies discussing each other’s travels and adventures. Good on ya Matt!
Oh ! almost forgot. While we were in the area we visited Hearsons Cove to view the spectacular natural phenomenom of the staircase to the moon, This happens when a full moon rises over the exposed mudflats at low tide - quite a spectacle.

We left Karratha heading inland through the hills to Millstream-Chichester National Park.

Broome to Port Hedland 21 - 30/8

The drive along the Great Northern Highway from Broome to Port Hedland is a journey of over 600 Km. The terrain along the highway is generally quite flat and featureless and the trip would be boring and tedious if you were to undertake it in one hit. Fortunately there are a number of diversions that are only a short distance from the highway, to break up the journey and make it more interesting.

Our first deviation was to Barn Hill camping area located on Thangoo Station. Thangoo has an 85 Km frontage to the ocean and the commercially run camping ground and Caravan Park is situated right on the cliff edge overlooking the sea. The road in is a reasonably good sandy and gravel stretch of about 10 km, with only minor corrugations here and there. We spent two nights there enjoying long walks on the golden sandy beach and swimming in the warm tropical waters. Our visit coincided with the weekly Sunday night roast dinner that we really enjoyed. It is a BYO everything (except food) and it was great to see about 200 people setting up their tables, chairs and cutlery on the lawns surrounding the tin shed that serves as the shop and office. The friendly staff served the food efficiently and all this was accompanied by music from a band comprised entirely of members of one local Aboriginal family. Good food, great atmosphere and all for a very reasonable price.

For us the second break in the long journey was at Cape Keraudren. The turnoff is almost opposite the Pardoo Roadhouse and a well maintained sandy gravel road of about 13 Km leads you to the camping areas scattered around the headland and creek mouth. Cape Keraudren is situated at the southern extremity of eighty-mile beach that marks the transition from the Kimberley to the Pilbara region. Administered by the East Pilbara Shire Council the campground has numerous small clusters of sites that have expansive water views, either over the rocky headland, or across the creek mouth and sandy beach. The only amenities provided are long drop loos that are clean and well maintained, so visitors need to be pretty well self-sufficient. Our site had expansive views over the rocky cape and northward along the sands of eighty-mile beach. We enjoyed 3 relaxing days mostly observing the abundant marine life that consisted of whales, dolphins, turtles and the elusive dugong. We even witnessed the spectacle of large marlin jumping quite high and repeatedly out of the water. Large tidal movements affect this area and 6 to 7 metre tides are quite common. Just below our site a large rock shelf was exposed at low tide leaving behind a rock pool the size of a football field at least and around a metre deep. We enjoyed numerous walks around this large pool that was full of coral and fish, sort of like snorkelling without getting you feet wet. I (Alan) even rescued a stranded turtle trapped on the rock shelf by a quickly receding tide. It seemed grateful when I returned it to the water when after an initial high speed swim away, it turned and raised it’s head above the water a number of times as if to say thanks. I am sure that if it had been left to bake on the exposed rocks in the hot sun it may not have survived until the next high tide.

Thankfully we arrived quite early at our next stop at De Grey River. This free roadside rest area is very popular and is almost always quite full because of the shady trees and proximity to the permanent water of the river. We only stayed one night before the final leg into Port Hedland.