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If you are in search of a real outback-Australian bush walk, you are fit and healthy and have waterproof gear for your camera, Karijini National Park--located 900 miles north of Perth, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia--will provide a magnificent walking adventure in a place of untamed nature and 2,500-million-year-old rock formations.
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 The numerous hiking trails in the Karijini National Park allow adventurers to see first hand the spectacular pools, waterfalls, steep cliffs, caverns and the polished tiered banded layers of rock. Within the national park, the Karijini Eco Retreat, (www.karijiniecoretreat.com.au) is suggested as a base from which to operate. It is a centrally located, well-organized and equipped up market facility, including a fully licensed alfresco restaurant, with extremely friendly and hiking savvy staff. The retreat was a winner of the Eco Tourism Western Australia.
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PHOTO CREDIT: Karijini Eco Retreat
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You can bring your own tent, or book one or more of the Eco tents that are available for use that vary in price depending on your requirements. Campers have access to a central barbecue area complete with running water that is potable, showers and toilets. Importantly, visitors must remove all of their rubbish, as there are no facilities for this.
There retreat is popular with many Australian and international young couples and elderly groups, and most are eager to share their experiences. Visitors must pay a small fee to charge camera and laptop batteries or access the Internet. The more adventurous travelers could sign up to a "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" event that takes them, via rappelling using a licensed guide, deep into the gorges beyond the marked paths. Residents of the Retreat can also sign up for a few hours of stargazing that uses a relatively large telescope. |
THE CHOICES OF HIKES AND SOME WARNINGS:
Once there, travelers can choose from an array of hiking trails in the many gorges. The paths are well marked and rated by degree of difficulty ranging from the easiest Class 2 through to the most difficult that you can do without being a licensed rock climber - Class 5. Be aware that the degrees of difficulty changes quite rapidly as you descend deep into the gorges and there is a huge difference between a Class 4 and a Class 5.
Many accidents occur in the Karijini National Park including fatalities so it is very important to be prepared and not to take unnecessary risks. Also, hikers should be able to notice asbestos in some of the rocks so care is needed not to touch this.
There are many posted notices about snakebite treatment. The parks visitors center revealed that there were some small but extremely venomous snakes (Death Adder, Tiger) and some very large non-venomous snakes (Olive Python) that are more than 4 metres 13 feet in length. |
THE JOFFRE GORGE HIKING TRAIL:
| The Joffre Gorge hiking trail starts from the Eco Retreat campsite and although it begins as an easy Class 2 that wanders through the spinifex (native grass), beautiful trees and large termite mounds up at the top of the Gorge, it quickly bcomes Class 5 that is extremely steep climbing which can prove difficult, particularly if you carry a camera backpack. At several spots, you may need to carefully remove your pack and give it to your hiking partner to hold as you navigate downward following the trail markers. Hikers need to use both hands and feet so it is recommended not to carry anything in your hands like a tripod. |
| In a relatively short time frame your efforts will be rewarded as the amazing Joffre Falls appear around the corner from a narrow part of the path. Being first in the Gorge early morning will provide the best lighting, as the waterfall will be shaded. The return hike is a bit easier and the trail takes you to the lookout of the Knox Gorge. At this time of the morning hikers are facing directly into the sun and it is recommended to return again very early morning to take photos. There are steep cliffs and beautiful trees that reflect on the water at the bottom of this Gorge. |
THE HANCOCK GORGE TRAIL:
A relatively short drive will get you to the Hancock and Weano Gorges. The hike down the Hancock Gorge was rated Class 3 as it was steep and the rocks were loose. The best time to visit this Gorge is early morning, which could be cold at the top and even colder at the bottom. To get down to the base of the Gorge hikers need to negotiate down two steep ladders where the degree of difficulty now changes to Class 4. Once at the bottom the trail narrows and it is necessary to walk through several areas of water. Hikers are now in a Class 5 level and it is advisable to strip down to bathers, use sneakers with socks and place your dry clothes into your fully waterproof backpack with your camera gear. This is sound advice that hikers should know about before planning their trip.
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Hancock Falls
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Kermit's Pool
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| Although the first couple of pools that you need to walk through are not deep, there is an 82-foot stretch that requires you to hold your gear over your head as you walk through the water that could reach your chin or higher depending on your height. Hikers should walk on the right side of this pool that could be slippery in places. The water is very cold and there are leeches. |
| The next part of the trail is even more challenging, as you are required to spider walk (with both hands and feet) through another narrow part of the stream and then over very slippery rocks. The effort will pay off as you enter into a magnificent cavern known as Kermit's Pool, where you can put on some warm, dry clothes and take photographs. The wind does whip through this underground chamber. At the end of Kermit's Pool is a clearly marked warning sign at the top of a waterfall that takes qualified and licensed rock climbers deeper into the gorge where see another spectacular cavern may be seen down below. |
| On your return hike you can take time to shoot some of the small waterfalls and streambeds. No doubt that you may run into other hikers, many with their cameras, that were not prepared to walk through the deeper water to get to see the true highlights of the trail. |
THE WEANO GORGE TRAIL:
After this invigorating experience you may want to have a bite of lunch, warm up and get ready for the next hike into the Weano Gorge that starts from the same parking lot. Once again the trail quickly changes to a Class 5 and for good reason. At the base of the Gorge, hikers must walk through a pool that can be quite slippery and hands must be free to help maintain balance. It is advised to stay on the left of the pool and at about halfway through turn right and head to the other side where the water height is minimum but still about waist high.
After walking through some narrow bits, hikers come to the beautiful area known as Handrail Pool. You must straddle the handrail and vertically descend to the bottom of this beautiful cavern that will allow qualified rock climbers to continue even further. You can wade in this pool and take your time to take photographs. The lighting in the middle afternoon provided shade, which is generally preferred in photography. Having a waterproof knapsack for your camera gear is recommended for this trail as it is easy to slip and fall into the water in so many places. |
THE DALES GORGE TRAIL:
On another day, you can drive about 30 minutes and then hike the easy Class 3 trail to Dales Gorge. The late afternoon will provide shade on the beautiful Fortescue Falls. This is a very popular spot where many hikers swim and sun themselves on the rocks. They do disappear late afternoon to allow photography. If you take your flashlight, you can stay at the bottom of the Gorge at sunset where you will be amazed to see a seemingly endless number of Ghost Bats, with wingspans of 1.5 feet, emerge from the caves and fly quite close to you.
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Dale's Gorge just after sunset...
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Soon after, the stars come out and you can take some great photographs of the Gorge and the sky. (Hint: Try 50mm lens, f/4.5, 25 second exposure - ISO 6400 if your camera gear has this capability). Alternatively, if you arrive at the Dales Gorge earlier, you can hike into the Circular Pool, (Class 4) that then takes you around the other side and into the Fortescue Falls. This is a pleasant 2-hour walk and there are many places to stop and take photos. |
There are several other bushwalks available that are nearby or may require driving some distances from the campsite such as the Hammersley Gorge (2 hours).
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GETTING THERE:
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It is recommended to travel there between April and October, which is the dry season. The weather ranged from frost in the early morning to more than 20 degrees centigrade (68F) in the daytime with plenty of sunlight.
Adventurers can reach Karijini National Park by car and it is a 16-hour trip from Perth that goes through some quaint outback towns (Cue and Mount Magnet). Preparation for such a trip could include a song playlist of at least 250 songs or a good audio book that will last for the long drive. It is critical to bring extra tires as travel in the park is on gravel roads, distances between the gorge's are far and the rocks are sharp and tend to shred tires. Also, bring plenty of extra petrol (gas), as the nearest station is over 2 hours away.
Visitors can fly (Qantas) into one of the relatively nearby towns (Paraburdoo, Newman, Karratha or Port Hedland) and hire a vehicle. Travel from these towns to the park is easy and roads are paved.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Barry Epstein is an Australian photographer, businessman and medical imaging specialist living in Perth, Western Australia. He has traveled into remote wilderness locations (Alaska and Australia) and has taken landscape, architectural, portrait and transportation photographs from metropolitan and rural areas throughout Europe, Asia, USA, Russia and other locations. Born in Brooklyn New York, Barry graduated from the University of Alaska in Biological Sciences.He has written and produced two medical education videos that won awards from the American Film Festival.
Note: All photos copyrighted 2012 to Barry Epstein
To see more photos: www.barryepstein.com.au.
Telephone +61 412 788 665
Email barry@exponential.net.au.
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