Friday 31st May 2013 – Karijini National Park

We set out soon after 8am to do the Dale’s Gorge Walk.  The initial walk was along the gorge rim.  It’s great to see the wildflowers coming out – hakeas and grevilleas as well as the wattle and lots of smaller flowers.  

The grevilleas are blooming

Cork tree

  

There are quite a few lookouts overlooking the gorge – very spectacular, particularly the ones over Fortescue Falls and Circular Pool.

Fortescue Falls Lookout

Dale's Gorge

Circular Pool Lookout

Near Circular Pool we climbed down the steps and ladder onto the gorge floor.  It wasn’t as difficult as it first looked as the National Parks people have done a great job with the path – made easier with the way the shale is in layers and naturally breaks off to make steps.

Climbing down to the floor of the gorge

The 'paved' floor off the gorge

Amazing rock formations

Circular Pool

We walked to circular pool, a really beautiful spot and a great place for morning tea.  We then walked back up the gorge to Fortescue falls.  The walk was relatively easy and quite picturesque.

There is an amazing lot of water coming over Fortescue Falls.  You would wonder where it all comes from in this environment.  

Fortescue Falls

From the falls we walked on up the gorge to Fern Pool which would have been a great spot for a swim in the weather had been warmer.  It’s quite overcast today and definitely not swimming weather.

Fern Pool

Backtracked to Fortescue Falls and then climbed up the path to the top – an easy climb with lots of steps.  The whole walk took about 4 hours and has to be one of those “must dos”  - this really is gorgeous country (amazing rock formations, vegetation hanging from the rock walls, beautiful waterfalls, even a colony of flying foxes) made even more so by the fact that they’re in this quite arid environment.  Looking across the countryside there is no evidence that the gorges exist.

Back to camp for lunch and then a read and a rest.  Kaye and Phill arrived just on dusk having driven from Exmouth that day.  Dinner was stir-fry veg and beef with rice.  Good to know the wok could fit enough for 8 people.  Kaye had made a g/f cake with plums while she was sitting around in Exmouth.  With custard, yoghurt and cream it was delicious.

Sunset over Karijini