OK... this was going to be a nice big post on all the things we'd taken away with us after months of deliberating and discussions, arguments of do we need it or not... I'd been plugging away at a heap of hilarious text, some ripping jokes and banter. It quite possibly might have been the best piece of writing you'll never read. And, thanks to some pretty crappy programming that doesn't auto-save posts as you work on them (or at least doesn't point out that you're exiting without saving) it's gone...
So, as I sulk and sook it up, I've decided a different approach might work and suit people more. An express review... a two or three sentence max review of the things we've brought with us and whether or not they really are worth the trouble.
Just bear in mind, we're a family of 5 with three young kids. What works for us, might not work for you. But space, weight and convenience were always our priorities. Sometimes comfort got a look in....
Washing Machine
Life on the road + kids in a van = washing machine is a must.
It will save you years of work to pay the equivalent amount that will be used in van park machines.
TV
"Each to their own" but ours is largely dead weight.
Light a fire or watch a sunset, talk and enjoy 'natures TV', sans Trump
Outdoor Mat
Your living room carpet. Don't be afraid to spend the big bucks on quality. CGear for us and we haven't regretted it one bit.
Peggy Pegs / Tent Pegs
Great in theory and if Australia was made completely out of a sand base or grass site you'd be fine. It isn't though so get yourself a robust metal solution. I don't know... like a tent peg.
Butane Stove
Incredibly convenient but uses more fuel than Space Shuttle launch. Ditch it, carry a gas burner and get the attachments to plug into your van or trailers gas reserves like we did. Sit back and cremate away.
Coffee Machine
Why we thought we could go this trip without a coffee solution is beyond me. We now carry two, a Bialetti and a aeropress, which gives us a few options and ultimately have saved us a packet by not buying overpriced coffee in roadhouses.
Waeco Fridge
Waeco... Engel... whatever. A second fridge is a must for a big family as it allows you to store/freeze more food which in itself saves you money and gives you more flexibility. Just accept that it's not going to be the "beer fridge" it used to be.
Thumper Battery (Second Battery)
Thumper... Battery Box... Second Battery... whatever. If you have a fridge, I think you should really have a second battery. You don't have to, but when you're out bush, off grid and out of cranking power, don't try and call me for a jump (you won't have reception anyhow).
Tablets
Can be charged on 12V + install cool apps = more convenient on the road than PCs.
Chairs
Like the mats, don't be afraid to invest in quality as you use them ALL the time. You wouldn't buy a cheap and uncomfortable lounge suite for home now would you?
Table and Benches
See comments for chairs but in the witty second setence, replace "lounge suite" with "dining table".
Bluetooth Keyboard
Typing out posts and blogs on a touch screen sucks. Bluetooth keyboards are God's gift to nerds...
12V fan
Get one or option one of those swanky Sirocco thingys into your RV. Power doesn't always exist but still humid air does up North. And there's no escaping it. Ever.
Desk fan
Bought these little tackers for the kids to plug into the 12V sockets above their bed. They think they're cool, and keep them cool. Sometimes being a tightarse works out well.
Ceramic Heater
Currently (small) dead weight. But a complete and utter lifeline in previous van trips, I hope we never have to use it.
Collapsable Laundry Basket
ALDI collapsible baskets are cool. And helps you blend in with the grey nomads...
Drills and tools
Bring what you think you'll need but don't stress. You'll soon realise after a few weeks that you never have what you'll need and you support the local hardware shops anyhow.
Tents & sleeping bags
Have provided excellent flexibility in keeping open the chance to reach 'no vans allowed' spots. Not for everyone, but a great way to make you realise just how comfy your van really is.
Jerry cans
I thought I wouldn't need these, but brought along a couple anyhow. Have used them twice and I suggest you don't leave home without at least 20L of fuel stashed somewhere.
Surfboard and boogie board
The surfboard's best use so far is making our car identifiable amongst a sea of 4WDs in outback roadhouses and shopping centres. 'Nuff said.
Scooter and bikes
Bikes would be cool but scooters have provided more than enough entertainment for the kids. Plus they fit in the tool box on the front.
Weber
An outdoor roasting open is a must. Find a space to store it, and enjoy your trip smelling the best roast meat you can find.
Levelling ramps and chocks
They learnt many centuries ago that the world is not flat, and I've learnt rarely are campsites either. Bring along a solution to lift the van somehow.
Levelling bubbles
Ours 'broke'. Our solution was to get a golf ball and sit it on the floor of the van. Works a treat. Don't overcomplicate things.
Shade clothes and screens
Surely you are chasing the sun like we are? If so, bring the shade clothes and avoid looking like a lobster-esque British backpacker.
Wikicamps
The Bible. If you leave home without this installed, turn around and head back. You're not ready.
HEMA HX-1
Cool but a little wanky. Still we use around 5% of it's capabilities so I shouldn't cast too many aspursions. A good map will get you by.
Camelback backpacks
Cool in concept for the kids, but they all started to drip through chewing on bits. We ripped the bladders out and they had cool little backpacks for drink bottles and snacks. Fail = Win.
Torches and headlamps
Again cool in concept for the kids. Then they'll lose/break them and you'll all end up walking to the torch setting of your smartphone.
Clothesline
See washing maching comment above. Can't have the ying without the yang.
Hoses and cords
Get either longest version of power cords and water hoses you can find, or better, carry two shorter versions. You'll cover big distances on a trip like this, and most are just to the facilities of a powered site. That includes a 240V extension cord as well remember...
Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Who would have thought we'd still need a vacuum? And classes as a power tool as it runs off the drill battery right?
BOS370 Jockey Wheel
It's drill driven so does that make it a power tool too? It's been brilliant though, and worth every cent in avoided one arm workouts.
Fishing Rods
Who would have thought with with more coastline than most other continents on the planet we'd do a lot of fishing? It's brilliant, cheap, fun and accessible family time. Just don't expect fish for dinner if you come with me.
Spare Tyres
Not wanting to jinx it, but we've done OK with only one each for van and car. Please smile nicely on me Tyre Gods....
Pool Noodles
God's gift to caravans. Flexible, light and has a bazillion uses. Stash one somewhere and thank me later.
Clothes
Really, you need a couple of tops, a couple of pairs of shorts and more underwear than you think. As long as you don't mind smelling like a cattle yard. Which we don't seem to. Sorry if you're downwind.
............
Ultimately, there's a million things you can buy or get. Things you need but we won't. Things we need that you won't. In the end, unless you are going 'proper bush' you are never too far from a shop for that 13mm spanner you don't have. Just don't expect to pay the prices you pay at home. Unless you are from Perth. Then everything is cheap!
OK... before we get to the good stuff on this post, I better put in a intro, a prefix if you like.
To get to Karijini Nation Park (from hereon in shortened to Karijini) we had made our way from Cheela to a mining town called Tom Price. And whilst this might be unremarkable to most B and I knew we had to at least detour here as our good mate, and my old housemate's name is... Tom Price. I remember eons ago when Tom stayed with B and Steve and I for a little while in Oz, we were joking about how there was a town named in his honour. But we chucked it out in the middle of Bunty-yoop-yoop so we wouldn't hear too much about it. And here we were, staying overnight in that very town.
I'll say, Tom Price (the town) isn't much to write home about. A necessary stock up point for anyone heading to Karijini from our direction. Built solely around the neighbouring mine it was serviceable, clean and without too many issues. And whilst we weren't planning to stay the night, once we got wind of a drive-in movie being shown, well that was it. We were pulling up stumps for the night.
The Caravan Park was pretty good, if a little expensive in my opinion. But it's the only place in town so hey, milk the monopoly.
No, not a New Age convention, we just thought it was unique to be surrounded after not seeing too many on the road for quite some time. A Big Red and a Manta to keep the Gecko company.
I often wonder if keeping our kids in a big box for 9 months is having side effects...
Yep... that looks comfy Evie.
The drive-in was really cool and quite the novelty. It was a shame that the movie (Boss Baby) was the same movie the kids had seen in the cinema in Perth, but no one really cared that much. Surprisingly entertaining, I wouldn't be rushing out to by the DVD and matching T-shirt. Very much a "oh... this is on. Might watch it" kind of movie.
For those wanting a seat, better get in early... How's the backdrop though?
The Rock Truck just sliding into the 4WD look of a mining town as if it always belonged here. If you ignore the surfboard....
But enough of Tom Price and his town....
Our overnight stop enabled us to reach Karijini nice and early and without too many issues. It's a first come first serve style campground at "Dales Campground" in the Eastern end of the park. (Mental note: find out who Dale is...). And we're glad we did as, despite the campground being absolutely MA-HOOSIVE, it was pretty chockers. In fact on one of the nights we were there, I believe the "Sorry, we're full" sign was put out. Good luck if you arrived to find that as the nearest spot (not including some... ahem... slightly illegal camping) would be quite a few clicks down a dirt road.
Our commitment to getting on the road however found us a spot and we made our way through the windy roads of the campground to the back corner where we found our spot. Well, I use the term 'spot' loosely. It might be more appropriate to say our minature cattle station. I reckon at a push, we could have run a few head of cattle on it without too much issue. At the very least, we were able to drive in, unhook and drive off. No reversing, no caravan tetris. It was in fact, too big. B and I spent quite a while debating about the best way to orientate the van to ensure sun/shade/dust/access/light considerations were all taken into account.
Not to be confused with a "drive through" site, this was simply a "drive in" site.
Not too much lawn around here. Plenty of grass, just not the type you'd want to walk on...
We had heard Dales Campground was the size of a small African nation, and I don't think it was far off.
So... what of our time there? We spent 4 nights there where the activities ranges from bushwalking to rock hopping to swimming to astronomy lessons and socialising. All in the shadow of what can only be described as a phenomenal natural backdrop. Over our time there I was reminded of different parts of Australia we've seen all rolled into one, and then jazzed up with a further injection of colour and natural beauty.
So join me as I reminisce on some of the brilliant parts and favourite moments of our time at Karijini.
Fern Pool
Twice we visited Fern Pool, a little gem located within (generous) walking distance of our site where
water cascaded over a short but wide waterfall into the pool where you could swim. Apparently there used to be quite the deck and lounging area adjacent to the pool, but fire had ripped through the gorge and had burnt it all to smithereens. The Parks department had done a "reasonable" job cleaning up the area but a sign still warned of timber decking screws that may be prevalent. Evie found three I believe in our two visits... I could have lent them my pristine metal detector... Still, a replacement deck was constructed to at least allow 'graceful' entry into and exit from the pool.
On our first walk down the steps towards Fortescue Falls, which is being fed by the water from Fern Pool.
B and the kids being dwarfed by the falls and the surrounding rock.
This tree was still standing (and growing) on the path into Fern Pool. The fire had decimated it, but at least you could marvel at the structure of such a beast of a tree. Normally I suspect this would have been hidden amongst the undergrowth.
At our first visit only B entered the water, and judging by the sudden look of shock on her face, the rest of us decided that it was far too cold. How little did we know...
B swimming in the beautiful Fern Pool
Our second time was at the tail end of the Gorge Walk a few days later. After a nice long walk and a dip in the frigid Circular Pool previously, I spent most time in Fern Pool, practically marvelling at its 'warmth' and 'cosiness'. Joe McGuirk and I swam all the way over to the falls, where upon rest on the rock, something bit my toe, and I decided the welcome mat wasn't extended that far....
A beautiful spot, reasonably easily accessible, certainly in comparison to some of the other gorges and pools in the area. I would say a dip in Fern Pool is almost compulsory for anyone staying at Dales.
Karijini Info Centre
A pretty cool looking building, most of which is made out of rolled steel and metal work. And whilst the staff behind the counter weren't overly warm and welcoming, we did arrive the best part of 20min before close so I can imagine their frustration in a family of tourists coming in swanning around. It is their job though...
The Centre itself offers showers (at a price) something we didn't take up during our stay but from all accounts were reasonable quality. On display however is a brilliant and informative presentation of the local aboriginal heritage of the area, the people who belong to the land and how the used to live on it. Also discussed is how the unique land formations came to be over millions of years and the detailed ecosystem they house.
It was nice to see a Information Centre that was more about Information rather than just peddling touristy nick-nacks, souveniers and merchandise. Although, the certainly had that there...
Sam getting his "info" on...
Hand Rail Pool
We had managed to find The Butchers in another of Dales 'loops' and hooked up for a drink and some nibbles. From there we arranged to drive the 40km of dirt road across to the other end of the park to walk a couple of the really tricky gorges.
The drive across was quite the ordeal as we had timed our run such that we were eating the dust of 4 other cars heading the same direction. The road itself was quite good, wide and only with mild corrugations. On the way back solo, being able to do the speed I wanted, we had little drama at all sitting on 60-70km/h. The way over however, the dust made you blind and the 40km/h speed was painful and I heard the truck whinge over every bump. In the end I simply backed right off until I could see clearly again and travelled in spurts of speed until I once again caught the train and repeated the action.
However, reward comes to the persistant, committed and tolerant.
We arrived and went through the Holy Trinity of Walking... Hats... Cream... Water... Naturally B and I have a few more, but the kids have these as a minimum. This walk also threw in a conundrum as we knew that there'd be a bit of water around... So what shoes were suitable. In the end, sandals and rock/water shoes were chosen, except for B who was happy to trudge in her walking boots.
So the Butchers and The Whites headed off to find the Hand Rail Pool.
Now THIS was a walk and a half. Not because it was long, but the challenges and obstacles it brought. With the other Matt in the front and myself 'Tail-end Charlie', B and Elle interspersed themselves with the kids to ensure that there was always an adult within striking distance.
The walk took us through some disgustingly beautiful terrain, over rocks, through pools and down slippery chasms all in search of the elusive hand rail... At times the water was waist deep (for those of us carry people across) and at others it was rushing past ankles trying to sweep us downstream. If we weren't so busy trying not to go 'A over T' or watch a kid, there might be even more photos!
If I'm honest, I'm so glad that the WA Government hasn't given in to some wowsers and the pressures that I'm sure come when someone gets seriously hurt down there. To shut this kind of adventure off would cheat so many people of such an enriching experience. And for us, the thousands of giggles, "wow this is cool" and "more water, yippee" made the at times worrysome trek all the worth while.
There's always time to take pics. At least Matt B is paying attention to helping the kids navigate the path ahead...
Yep... not your average bush walk.
The path came through here. I use the term 'path' very loosely.
A welcome bit of dry ground...
What we thought at first might have been the pool, but there was no 'handrail' so on we pressed...
Until we spied this...
And down the handrail we had to go. What an adventure!
And in the end, we got there with little fuss or accident. And after climbing down the handrail into the pool, we were met with a fantastic audotorium being constantly filled by the water that we had been previously traversing. Only the brave (B) and the unfortunate (Evie, after slipping) went in for a dip. How the water itself wasn't frozen I've no idea because I'm sure it was sub-zero. Certainly felt it to me and I was expecting penguins to pop up at one stage.
B swimming in the Hand Rail Pool.
Still, it was an amazing spot, and we snacked and watched the kids play and paddle where possible, and marvelled and shook our heads at others bravery to get in, swim, dive and jump around...
An awesome spot that took a cool adventure and plenty of Indiana Jones impersonations to get there. If this is the kind of experience we were in for at Karijini, then we were a chance to never leave...
We left the Butchers back in the carpark as they had to return to hook up and move on to their next destination. After tucking into the usual sanga's we asked the kids if they were up for a REAL adventure... expecting a few whinges and whines... they couldn't have refilled the drink bottles and got on their way quick enough....
Hancocks Gorge to Kermit Pool
The Butchers had worded us up about this one, basically saying "if you do one walk, do this one..."
If we thought the Hand Rail Pool walk was cool, this one was proper all encompassing Spider Monkey goodness.
"OK... it says something about Extreme Caution Dad"
Down some steep stairs, and we're away. This gorge, like the one in the morning was narrow and wouldn't see a heap of direct sunlight. But this walk was something even more... Tougher, narrower and requiring a bit more concentration on everyone's behalf, we once again made it through unscathed and without issue. Sure there were moments where I was wondering "what the hell are we doing" but everyone coming back the other way kept reassuring us "it was worth it".
And it was.
Nope. No filter. No photoshop. This was how part of this walk looked.
B leading the way, trying to find the safe way through. Not as simple as it looks as often the channel (stream) dropped away quite suddenly and given the temperature of the water would be quite the experience if you went 'in'.
Looking back along the same view, you can see where the deep water ended and the shallow ledge of slippery rock began. Just another challenge.
From there, the water cascaded over this beautiful waterfall and passed through...
...into this amazing natural amphitheatre. Breathtaking. The trail however extended beyond this, just beyond the kids heads...
As we sat in the "Amphitheatre" I was wondering how much better could it get. But from there the trail narrowed further and we had traverse the "Spider Walk"... A more aptly named chasm you couldn't get. And oh to be a flexible young 'spider' like our three. Sam and Evie practically walked through around head height at times as the adults tried to negotiate the slimey chasm floor. It was freakin' awesome fun.
It isn't hard to see why they call this section the Spider Walk...
Looking back the other way, it is most definitely a one lane road... Some were more graceful than others I might add...
And then, at the end we found Kermit's Pool, and yes, it was worth it. An amazing little green pool of water that ponded in this small rock enclosure was so awesome it was hard to believe that it was created by nature (or perhaps a higher power if that's your want). The layers of rock provided a perfect backdrop to the picture and would have been the star of the show if it wasn't for the superb pool, shimmering in green in the patch of sunlight we were lucky to get.
A photo by us mere mortals will never do this place justice. B and the big kids are over in the sunlight if you can make them out. The trail ends here for the general public. Something about a 20m drop or something around the bend...
I think I surprised all (including myself) for going for a dip in what could only be described as Antarctic-esque water. It was so unvbelievably cold, I started looking for a door to float around on with Kate Winslet. But it was purely amazing and a mental picture I don't think I'll ever have trouble recalling.
The Hancock Gorge was everything the Butchers had promised and more. It remains to this day the benchmark for bushwalking difficulty on this trip, and any time we hear the kids whinge, we simply refer to the Spider Walk and they realise that keeping two feet on the ground is a luxury!
Evie on the 'easy' part of the walk, the stairs out!
Yep... it was a long day... But I've never been so proud of all the kids, James especially. He just kept on going, and refused to let anything beat him. He and I had a great day at the tail end climbing over rocks.
Meeting McGuirks
And just when we thought our run-ins couldn't get more random, we were setting off for another walk and through the distance we spy a Lotus Trooper. And parked in front was a Landcruiser... surely not, it couldn't be Joe and Teresa? Nah... its a different colour. But it's just dirty and it has a pod. Nah, different colour pod. No it isn't, it's just the sun. As we got closer it became without doubt. Our great psuedo, on-road, replacement grandparents had indeed called in for a few days at Karijini! What are the odds....
So over a couple of evenings, and a dip at Fern Pool, we entertained the Irish Aussies over some drinks, dips and a yarn.
The kids always love catching up with the McGuirks... it often means a bit of luxurious TV time in the posh van!
Circular Pools and Canyon Walk
After spotting the McGuirks we continued on our "big walk" for the day. I say 'big' as it would actually cover some distance as opposed to trying to abseil off a ledge or practice our "spelunking".
After a great family shot at the top of the canyon, upon which the boys and I kept baiting B about how far down it was, we descended the stairs and steps to the floor and headed left up to the Circular Pools.
Once again, I've no idea how they came up with the name "Circular Pool". Truly brilliant...
It's a long way down...
"You know there is a quick way down... I mean, just over this edge..."
This walk was pretty cool as it was pretty much stepping along the different layers of the ancient sediment that made up the canyon itself, exposed in different spots and at different levels. At the end we were met with an amazing pool, that was fed by water seeping out of the ground, but I suspect during heavy rainfall might be waterfall fed from above.
After a walk in the sun, there was no denying a dip was required. B, as usual jumped in like a lady that was brought up in Wales and that any water above 3 degrees is considered practically balmy. I got changed and walked into the water up to my knees... Holy freezing penguin turds!! How could a pool this big be as cold as the Kermit Pool? Truth be told, it wasn't, but it wasn't much warmer either. There I was hoping to back out, when along came my youngest son, and in front of a couple of young female backpackers from Camberwell, started goading me with chicken noises.... What the hell? Where did he learn that? Still, I now had absolutely no choice and in I dove...
And thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can see it right here!
The walk in took us across beautiful terrain like this.
Sam marvelling in the beauty of Circular Pools
As they say in the classics (foolishly) it wasn't too bad once in, but it was still cold. I swam as fast as I could over to B near where the water was coming in, primarily to keep the blood flowing if nothing else. Sitting there with B though, we marvelled at the towering walls above us and the brilliant clear water and setting we had.
After catching a passing Icebreaker back from Mawson Reasearch Station we continued back along the trail at which we came and then continued on along the Canyon Walk.
It was almost a welcome change to go on a walk that didn't require either a Sherpa or a Wildling guide. The five of us strolled along the floor admiring the different flora of the floor, and at times the fauna scampered around us. It was strange at times to think that such a massive canyon could be carved by such a serene creek.
I know, I know, it's over exposed... But, still, I think it looks kinda cool...
We came across 'Totem City' on our walks. Careful walking through here as to not knock one over. Bad juju to anyone mucking around with totems...
Family selfie!!!
Explaining to Evie that in this instance, green is not good...
Like our other walks, James and I liked to go at our own pace.
The walk took us up to Fortescue Falls and then on to Fern Pool where we met the McGuirks.
The last water crossing, gorge to the right, Fortescue Falls to the left.
A wonderful walk that still required a couple of moments of careful foot placement to cross the water and negotiate the stepping stones, but didn't have to many death-defying moments such as the previous walks.
A nice little time elapsed video from B's point of view. Time elapsed... we weren't going that slow were we?
Remtrek Astronomy
And who would have thought, that out here in the middle of nowhere we'd find ourselves staring through high powered and quite expensive telescopes looking at varioius celestial bodies? And yet Dales Campground had the Remtrek show put on a couple of nights a week, weather permitting.
This show turned out to be quite informative, entertaining and educational. I think the kids really enjoyed it, however it was at the tail end of the day we did the two walks at Handrail and Hancock. As such, they tailed off quite substantially towards the end of the day.
Still, Phil the presenter was great, had a love of Bunnings that rivalled my own and knew how to engaged people of all ages and beliefs. He had more stats and numbers in his head than I could ever build a spreadsheet big enough for and could recall basically a fact or value for any question posed to him.
And whilst I thought the shots of the stars, clusters and nebulas were a little 'meh', being able to focus on and clearly see the big storm on Jupiter and the rings of Saturn was quite cool. It also reaffirmed to me that I'm likely to require glasses sooner rather than later.
........
In summary Karijini is just simply one of those places.
One of those places only seeing can ever do justice do.
One of those places people wax lyrically about.
One of those places that has an immense amount of natural beauty that it seems it's "hogging it all".
One of those places you need to put on your bucket list.
The view from the lookout at Cheela Plains Station at sunset.
Pronouced "Sheila" or for the overseas contingent, "Sheel-la", this was our home after Cape Range. If we're perfectly honest, most places were always going to be a let down after leaving that part of the world. But, in fairness, the road out to Karijini and the Pilbara certainly tried it's best.
As we left Cape Range, we rounded through Exmouth and stocked up. B took the big kids for the shop whilst James and I took the van to the local tap to fill up the water tanks. What should have been a quick job, for some reason dragged it's heels and the others were ready before we were! Still, it gave us time to admire another of Australia's big "things", this time the Giant Prawn.
That's one big crustacean. Interestingly they take it down each wet season due to cyclones. Not surprising I suppose given that Exmouth has recorded the highest wind speed ever recorded on the Australian mainland. A lazy 267km/h during Cyclone Vance. Imagine the insurance report trying to cover the destruction of a house due to a flying metal prawn...
So off we trundled for what turned out to be an reasonably uneventful drive. At one point we even went 15min without a car passing the other way, which given the amount of nomadic travellers we've encountered was quite the surprise. Still, once we hit back up with the highway proper, the van and truck counting could continue as per normal.
James has adopted recording of our caravan survey (post coming on that) and is now the gatekeeper of the notepad. He's going to get to Prep and whilst he might struggle with 'this' and 'that', he can spell 'Jayco', 'Coromal' and 'Crusader'...
It's a massive country...
A little highlight was running into the Butchers unplanned at Nanturra Roadhouse. Well, it's unsurprising we met them there given it's the only place within a bazillion miles to get fuel, but to rock up there in the same 20min window was quite the coincidence. We said hi and swapped notes and realised that for all intents and purposes we'd probably cross paths out at Karijini in a few days.
A bit of the old Sandwhich action for lunch instead of the exhorbitant 30 day old chips and chiko rolls and promised the kids a Zoopa Doopa when we got into Cheela Plains.
The road from Nanturra to Cheela was excellent and I found the landscape changing from the plains and ranges of the Ningaloo Coast in the rough and rugged reds of the Pilbara. It didn't take Einstien to realise that the soils around this part of the world were Iron rich, although after hearing the tales of commitment to mine, it certainally took a truckload of gumption and determination to get it out of the ground.
A distinct change in landscape was coming...
"Someone chopped the top off that hill Dad!"
After the success of staying at Bullara Station, we were keen to try out this Station as well after reasonable reviews were found online. What we found was something akin to a earthmoving depot crossed with outback station stay. The local mining exercises provided Cheela with a great oppurtunity for regular income and baseline economy. Unfortunately this meant the parking of a crap load of trucks, tractors and Toyotas around the place. And whilst the campground area itself was nice enough, it made you feel a little less 'outback' than you actually were.
Our camp site. Dust to the left, grass to the right.
It took every bit of trickery to frame this shot without a bit of heavy machinery in it. But it proves we were out in the middle of nowhere...
The Station had a book swap. I found this. Make of that what you may... Too many puns for my liking.
But the drawcard for us, like at Two Peoples Bay near Albany, was the free washing machine. A week out in the park had our dirty clothes 'pigeonhole' (the middle rung of Sam's ladder) overflowing and looking like it could explode and take out the van at any moment.
So whilst we were only planning on staying there one night, we decided, after a successful night around the campfire chatting to a family from Brighton (6 of them travelling around the country in 8 weeks in a Jayco Eagle... what the hell?) we decided that we'd do two nights at Cheela purely to ensure all clothes were washed and we could do a little self drive 4WD tour of the station.
In hindsight, probably wasn't required, but still we had a great day exploring and it gave us one of the small little impromptu moments of the trip that will stay with me for as long as I remember. One of the moments that couldn't be scripted and yet was invaulable in providing substance and memory to our adventure.
One must always have a co-pilot adept at opening gates. Check!
No need to engage low-range just yet. Glad we have the surfboard too...
The folds and angles of the rock always fascinate me, and sometimes, the kids too.
On the self-drive tour of the Station, that in itself quite boring by 4WD standards, as the track was quite mild, albeit the scenery quite spectacular. We decided to walk a trail after finding the (very easy to find) waterhole. There all five of us spent a good half an hour just walking and talking happily (that in itself a rarity) comparing rocks and pebbles found on the path. In wasn't seeing Whale Sharks or walking pristine beaches. It wasn't tree top walks or exploring mining holes. Hell, it wasn't even Mt Barker. But it was really special, to me at least.
"Is that a cool rock Dad?"
"They're all cool to me mate"
And then when we realised we'd actually walked quite a way without any gear with us, Evie and I walked back to get the car, that in itself a nice moment. It's always so hard to get a moment to yourself, or as the case may be with the kids one on one. You are always on the go or living on top of each other. Like our walk back to the shore at Whyalla, this was another special Dad and Evie moment where we talked about pretty much everything.
The tacho showed me we'd actually walked 2km without really knowing it and we picked the others up and headed back after a huge bull walked across the track we were on and we realised that we weren't in "Kansas anymore Toto".
Evie rode in the front seat on the way back to get the others...
...and seemed to stay there!
It might not come across in this shot, but that bull was by far the biggest piece of cattle we've seen on the trip. He was as tall, if not taller than the truck. And whilst he scampered off in to the bush, I wasn't trifling with the station after that. U-turn required.
A contemplative James.
A bit of a lesson in skimming stones to the kids whilst lunch was being prepped.
So Cheela Plains was an interesting interim point and, along with Tom Price the next night provided a nice little interlude in our trip between two amazing locations, Cape Range and Karijini NP.
Evie getting acquainted with the red dust proper. She stayed like this for the best part of a fortnight I reckon...
