ODO: 01508.8

Date: 23 November 1997

We headed into Karijini National Park (also known as the Hammersley Ranges) which to anyone who'd seen a tree in the last week would look fairly plain, but for us it was like an oasis.In fact, below the suface, it is just that. The main attraction in the park is a series of gorges that have been carved by rivers out of the most amazing red rock that looks like layers of slate piled hundreds of meters high. At the moment, the rivers are at their lowest (being the end of the dry), but there are still lots of permanent pools and waterfalls, some fed by the ground water coming straight from the rock.

This is going to be tough explaining in words what we've been seeing; and unfortunately we can't even show you any pics as we were so caught up in it all we didn't take very many digital photos. You'll just have to go. As we've all heard Darryl Summers say: "You'll never never know, if you never never go". Such wit, don't you just wish you could come up with lines like that. But in the meantime, picture Wile E. Coyote country meets the Grand Canyon. But no cactus. And no Wile E. But lots of gorges, and really cool rock structures.

Here's one picture of Michelle standing on some red rocks. Just doesn't quite do it justice.

Friday, we visted Fortesque Falls, and sat under a waterfall on some of the natural steps that were made by the layers of rock falling away. Diving into the cold water was unbelievable. We also walked down to Fern Pool, which you can look straight down onto from the top of the gorge. It has water coming from the rocks like a waterfall that you could stand under as a shower - like the jets of water at an onsen in Japan. Both were just awesome.

Today we walked down to Handrail pool which has just two narrow entrances in the walls of the gorge that extend up about 40m. The pool's about 12m deep, with a great natural jumping point about 6m up. 6m probably doesn't sound far to you sitting there all cozy in front of your computer, but when you're up there looking down at that crystal water, it's a looong way.It's hard to explain how amazing it is swimming in those pools looking up at the gorge walls towering above.

One of the few pics we do have for you is taken at 'the slide' in Knox gorge. Definitely a misnomer unless you happen to be a bug floating in the water, which at the moment is just a small stream making it's way between walls which were about 2 feet apart for about 50m. (Sorry about the interchanging measurements - hanging around with Al'll do that to you) If you did happen to be a bug in the water it would make a pretty cool slide down to a fantastic pool below, but we're not bugs, although going by the trend of the increasing bug size as we head North, we're likely to come across something not much smaller than me pretty soon. Instead of sliding, we had to shuffle along with our backs on one wall and our feet on the other.

What would possess us to do this, you may wonder. Well, we were left wondering the same thing when we couldn't even fall into the pool below. A guide told us there used to be a rope there, but it's gone now: that means that if you fall in, there ain't no getting out. But just looking at the rocks themselves made it worth it. With the red suface rubbed away, the multiple layers of different coloured rock could be seen.

The past few days have seen Al's complete intolerence of bugs and flies emerge in full force, driving him to invent an enclosure of shadecloth impenatrable by bugs so that we can sit by the light at night completely bug free. Only problem being that we now feel like animals in the zoo- not being able to see a thing beyond our bug free haven (we wouldn't want to see too much nature now would we) while everyone outside watches us for entertainment. Well, maybe we'll score some bananas. In fact, as we sit and write this, the biggest stick-bug that we have ever seen has just made his way in here. Twice. The second time we ushered him well away, only to find a couple of his mates hanging out at the door waiting to get in. Bugs.

Here's a grasshopper as big as your hand. Just one of the many bugs that seem to find it necessary to dive-bomb your face. That's not my hand. Not that I'm afraid of grasshoppers; I was working the camera.

Tomorrow we're off to Wittenoom, a town famous because on all the maps there is a warning to tourists to take precautions, as there are asbestos fibres in the air. What might those precautions be? Gas masks perhaps? Dunno. Then it's off to Port Hedland, where we hope to download this stuff. We should add that everything, and we mean everything, is covered with a thick layer of the famous Australian red dust. In fact, we both look like we have wicked tans, but every time we jump in the water, it all comes off.... however, if you don't mind feeling absolutely disgusting, eating pounds of dirt, and generally looking and feeling like someone who's been tarred but not yet feathered, maybe this dirt-tan is for you.

 

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