Calling upon all West Aussies! Western Australia is back open for tourism in 2020! Celebrate WA’s success in tackling the COVID19 virus with a road trip up to Karijini National Park. Read… The post Keep Calm & Carry on...
Calling upon all West Aussies! Western Australia is back open for tourism in 2020! Celebrate WA’s success in tackling the COVID19 virus with a road trip up to Karijini National Park. Read on for our comprehensive guide.
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted most countries across the globe. Luckily for us West Aussies things here are in pretty good shape, and hopefully, they stay that way!
Thanks to our natural isolation, effective leadership, and a hard-closed border, WA has seen most restrictions lift with a sense of normality returning. Now, the State Government is encouraging city-dwelling west Aussies to venture out and explore our own backyard; to help support local businesses, revive our tourism, and kick-start the state economy.
Life has a funny way of working out. When we created a Facebook Event for “Karijini 2020” in January 2020, little did we anticipate a deadly virus pandemic would rapidly spread across the globe and so rudely disrupt travel itineraries, forcibly re-schedule weddings, spur on break-ups and pregnancies (not consecutively, we hope); and see toilet paper and DIY vegetable gardens become hot commodities. For us, regional border closures seemingly interrupted our Karijini plans for May 31 to 6 June 2020.
Given Karijini was one of the few major Australian parks we had yet to see, we were itching to get up there and explore but travel restrictions still stood in the way. With all hope seemingly lost, WA Premier Mark McGowan lifted the regional border just in the nick of time leading up to our departure date. Success! Karijini was back on!
The Dirty Drifters take on Karijini.
With a sense of patriotic duty and collective bashfulness about our out of shape (round is a shape?) “iso” bodies, we headed up to Karijini to do our bit for WA and well, to regain our sanity. As a result of departing only a few days after Mark McGowan’s surprise announcement, we practically had Karijini National Park all to ourselves.
What better way to ‘turn off’ a pandemic than by escaping into an ancient, spiritual landscape where you can truly keep calm and carry on. If you are planning a trip to Karijini National Park soon, read on for our experiences and photos of some of our favourite attractions.
As this is a rather long post, you can click on the Table of Contents below to fast-track to the section you are after. And to make images appear bigger, simply click on the photo to enlarge. Happy reading.
About Karijini
Karijini National Park is set in the heart of Western Australia’s Pilbara region, located 1400km north of Perth, and 80km north-east of Tom Price.
Formerly known as Hamersley Range, Karijini is the second largest national park in Western Australia, covering 627,422 hectares just north of the Tropic of Capricorn and consistently ranked on top tourism hotlists.
But what makes a nature-based destination such as Karijini, so special? Its dramatic creeks, cavernous gorges, towering chasms, crystal-clear waterways, and cascading waterfalls are the results of two billion years in the making! That’s right back to the start of Earth’s natural history!
In addition to scaling some of the oldest rocks on the planet, Karijini also hosts a network of walking trails that range from easy to challenging. If you’re up to the challenge, may I suggest Mount Bruce! More on that later.
Karijini’s ancient landscape underneath the Milky Way Galaxy is so mesmerising and powerfully thought-inducing; that you would be forgiven for contemplating the meaning of life, looking to the stars for answers; and thinking about our nomadic ancestors, back to a simpler time. For Adam and I, Karijini was a spiritual retreat – it really reset and recharged us.
A Land Rover, Toyota and Mitsubishi take on Karijini.
Prepare Ahead & Book your Site
If you are spontaneous by nature, then restrain some of that enthusiasm, because Karijini is one rugged place where you can’t just rock up (pun intended) without having booked and paid prior.
Accommodation choices in Karijini are limited. You have Dales Campground (which is most popular and affordable), the Overflow (near Dales), and Karijini Eco Resort for luxury glampers. With campsites in high demand from June to September, check availability and book ahead.
In addition to paying a camping fee per person, per night (pay in full to complete your booking), you will need to pay a park entry fee, per vehicle, or purchase a park pass separately. Don’t skip on this – with volunteer campground hosts and a nearby ranger station, they all check.
A 4WD is recommended but not required, just bear in mind that most Karijini roads are unsealed gravel, graded twice a year. A standard 2WD will be fine, just drive to conditions and don’t take a supercar up there if you care about it’s condition. Caravans and camper trailers are welcome, both in Dales camp and at the Eco Resort.
The best time to visit Karijini is between May and September where the weather is cooler and drier. Average maximum day temperatures remain below 30 ° C. The nights are cool, varying between 15 ° C and 10 ° C.
Pets and campfires are not permitted inside the park and the closest town is Tom Price, 107 km away from Dales campground. Fuel is available in Tom Price to the South West, Newman to the South East and Auski Roadhouse to the North East. The Karijini Visitor Centre is located inside the park and provides educational & cultural information, souvenirs, ice, cool drinks, hot showers, toilets, and a public telephone.
Stay safe, be aware of the risks in Karijini. Always carry adequate drinking water on you and read the signs. Sadly, there have been many accidental and preventative deaths at Karijini. Use common sense and stay away from cliff edges, test water temperatures, and know your limits.
For more details and up-to-date information, visit Explore Parks WA: Karijini National Park or call Karijini Visitor Centre: (08) 9189 8121.
Driving to Karijini.
Karijini NP roads are mostly unsealed red gravel.
Perth to Karijini – A 14.5 Hrs Drive
Karijini is located a mere 14.5 hours north of Perth. Translated in Aussie terms, that’s “just up the road and then some“, haha.
If you are departing from Perth, you have two route choices – inland via The Great Northern Highway or along the coast on North West Coastal Highway. Due to time constraints, we chose Great Northern Highway both ways, which we found to be a surprisingly busy highway with FIFO workers, cargo trucks, and nightly road trains. Sadly, there are no buzzing bakeries out here, with food options generally limited to roadhouses and petrol stations. Though, Queen of the Murchison Cafe in Cue is lunch-stop worthy!
If you are heading inland, also expect to see plentiful Birds of Prey like the Wedge-tailed eagle feasting on roadkill (try not to hit them!), oversized trucks carrying mining equipment (try not to get stuck behind them!) and quirky gold rush towns that are rich in history, along the way.
Given how dangerous it is to travel on outback roads late at night with wildlife, road trains, and risk of sleep deprivation, it is strongly recommended for travellers to get their rest. With the help of the “Wikicamps” app, we chose a free camp spot along the Gascoyne River.
Don’t get stuck behind one of these.
Fuelling up at Paynes Find Roadhouse.
Town’s Public Water fountain.
In Cue, a former gold rush settlement.
Don’t fall down.
Gascoyne River Camp Spot.
Yep, there really was a river! 
Arriving into Newman!
Dales Campground
Dales Campground is located near Dales gorge in Karijini National Park. The campground is in close walking proximity to some of the parks’ more ‘family-friendly’ attractions in Circular Pool, Fortescue Falls, and Fern Pool.
We stayed on Dingo Loop (view the campground map here). Made up of three couples, we chose sites 56, 57, 58 so to be next to each other and away from generators (which are allowed in certain parts between 4 pm – 8 pm). Optus signal can be received at Dales, with Telstra received at Mount Bruce.
Dales is a large, flat, and very tidy, with sites spaced-out appropriately and picnic tables and gas barbecues seen at the nearby picnic area.
A special mention has to go out to the outback toilets at Dales (aka. drop dunnies). They were regularly serviced and maintained exceptionally well with zero smell! Dare I say that Dales’ drop dunnies are some of the best I’ve ever been in. Now that’s luxury, without the price tag.
But the greatest highlight at camp? Dingoes. Yes, little did we anticipate that staying on Dingo Loop would literally mean receiving evening visits from a timid dingo (scavenging for food scraps); as well waking up to sounds of dingoes howling. In addition to a feisty Wag-tail and various bulgy-eyed geckos – these animal encounters truly enhanced our camping experience.
Iron Ore Galore
Spot the Dingo!
Dales Gorge (Fortescue Falls)
The first gorge we saw once arriving into Karijini National Park was Dales Gorge, as it’s a short walking distance (or 3-minute short drive) from Dales Campground. This is an ideal first attraction to see for those rolling into Dales or the overflow camp later in the day but still want to ‘do something’.
Dales Gorge boasts a 2km Gorge Rim track, Circular Pool as well as the photogenic Fortescue Falls and slightly further up, the Instagram-worthy Fern Pool. Unfortunately, Circular Pool was closed when we were there, but the other two attractions certainly made up for it!
Fortescue Falls is a 20m year-round waterfall that is famous for its natural amphitheater and being the only natural spring-fed waterfall in Karijini National Park. The sparkling waters here are a welcome delight for weary and dusty travellers – and Adam & I made sure to make the most of it while we stayed at Dales Campground nearby.
Fortescue Falls, Dales Gorge
Dales Gorge (Fern Pool)
Located within Dales Gorge, Fern Pool is just a quick walk up from Fortescue Falls. Famed for its picturesque ferns, its a photoshoot dream!
On the days we worked up a sweat hiking and boulder-hopping, Fern Pool awaited us in the evenings to wash away our dirt and woes; helping us feel human once more. We dived off the jetty and basked under the waterfall, inspecting the mossy cave behind it. And to top it all off, there was the random surprise of free beauty exfoliation services from the local fish.
That’s right – fish exfoliation exists here. I’m giving you the heads up because it freaked me out at first – but if you hang your legs off the jetty and wait, you will start to see hundreds of fish nibbling at your dead skin cells. Apparently people pay for this kind of exotic pampering, so appreciate it?
But the best bit! We had Fern Pool all to ourselves. Was their nudity? Partially. Don’t tell on us. Check out our photos below of Fern Pool below.
Fish eating my dead skin!View Entire Post