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| WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND THE NORTHERN TERRITORY 2002 The Year Of The Outback |
| The Big Trip In March on a pleasant Friday afternoon Tim and I packed ourselves and our gear into Tim's Troopcarrier and took off for a three and a half month tour around the western half of Australia. We had an awesome time visiting the most beautiful places in the world, some of which are so underappreciated and unkown that it is tragic. The drive across the Nullabor is one that every Australian should do at least once, to appreciate just how rugged and vast our country is. The views over the Great Australian Bight are endless and the drop offs down to the water over the cliffs are quite scary. Ideally it would be best to do it in whale watching season (something that we didn't do). |
| Cape Leeuwin, right on Australia's most south west tip. |
| On the other side of the WA border, we took a 4WD track from Balladonia Roadhouse down to the cute seaside town of Esperance. It was vital to check the condition of the track first before attempting it, but we highly recommend this small adventure if you are able to do it. It was a long drive as much of the track was either sand or rock, reducing our speed to slower than walking pace. Mt Ragged loomed in the distance, and was spectacular as we drive towards it. Our trusted Lonely PLanet Guide warned us against hilking up it, describing the walk as hell, so we kept driving. The first few weeks of our trip was spent exploring WA's southern coastline. There are many fabulous National Parks and plenty of walking and fishing opportunities. After we bought a National Parks Pass, it was quite cheap to visit and stay in most parks, great for those of us on a tight budget. In fact we found the highlights of Western Australia to be in its National Parks. The most spectacular of all is the little known Karijini National Park, located inland from Port Headland, near Tom Price. Photographs simply do not do this park justice. Anyone travelling the coast cannot miss taking the turnoff to Karijini even if it adds an extra two days to your trip. Karijini's attractions are its magnificent gorges, like no other in Australia. It is accessible to all, but if you're after adventure this is the place to go. Hancock Gorge is the most spectacular. Visitors are able to climb down into the gorge itself, and the start of the walk is pretty easy. We walked some of the way with a family with two young children. Much of the walk is actually scrambling and climbing along the walls as the gorge narrows. We visited in April, and the sections of the walk not involving climbing will involve swimming. The water was cool by the time we arrived, so to swim much after this time of year isn't advised! Each twist and turn of the gorge revealed an even more spectacular sight of running water falls, magic pools of water both small and large, and even the occasional rock wallaby. We did pause at a sign advising us to stop here unless accompanied by a ranger. However after seeing others before us continue on, we did too, and sections of the climb are difficult and scary. But worth it! The end of the gorge culminates in a huge pool of water surrounded by trees, the junction of three huge gorges. Just spectacular. Other fabulous gorges not to be missed are Hammersley Gorge and Handrail Pool, at the end of which we found ourselves teetering at the top of a 25 metre waterfall. Not for anyone scared of heights. |
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| ARTICLE: Where are all the young Aussies? |