western australia: karijini national park, circular pool

Circular Pool was the third walk we did with the six children. They grabbed their walking sticks and rock hopped like the confident rock climbers they are! We did have a tough time reigning some of them in though!

The walk takes you down the side of the gorge in to the valley between Fern Pool, Fortescue Falls and Circular Gorge.  Unlike the other walks most of the walk is along huge flat rock shelves. I can imagine the waters flooding over the edges and down in to the gorge during the wet season. It must be unbelievable!

The Pilbara had some rain a fortnight ago and their was still plenty of water about.

Circular Pool is surrounded by high cliffs and was a cold treat after a warm walk. The kids weren't in the water long but they explored the surrounding rock environment.

Photos courtesy of Vivid Imaging. 

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western australia: karijini national park, kermits gorge,

The Kermit's Gorge walk was an unforgettable trek along narrow, slippery ledges and through cold pools, and waterfalls with towering cliff faces of that orange red rock. 

We, six parents, attempted and finished the gorge walk with seven kids under seven years. I hope the kids look back on the walk with a sense of pride of their achievement. It wasn't always easy. We had to work closely to ensure the kids took each step carefully, aware of their plan ahead on the narrow paths. In the narrowest sections we could reach both sides of the gorge. 

Some of us braved a swim at the end of the gorge walk but it was chilly! 

Thanks to our friend, and photographer, Jo for these shots which capture the light, the challenges and the achievement of making it through the gorge and back with our mob of kids!

Photos courtesy of Vivid Imaging. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vivid-Imaging/151857428215142

western australia: karijini national park, fortescue falls, fern pool

A few walks in Karijini National Park are achievable with kids. A few others are achievable but I would also describe them as a challenge. The kids staying at Karijini were all good bush walkers and accepted some great challenges for their ages and abilities. It turned out to be a week for teamwork all around - for the parents and the children.

The walk down to Fortescue Falls and then on to Fern Pool was the easiest of walks as well as picturesque. A swim in Fern Pool was refreshing. Tiny fish were attracted to the dead skin on our feet which was amusing and ticklish! The pool must have been special place for locals for thousands of years.

Photos courtesy of Vivid Imaging. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vivid-Imaging/151857428215142

western australia, karijini national park, dales gorge

Karijini National Park is north east of Paraburdoo and south of Port Hedland. The predominant industry in the area is the mining of iron ore but the National Park attracts thousands of visitors each year and it's not hard to see why. This part of the country is overwhelmingly beautiful. The landscape is dotted with huge termite mounds and rocky outcrops change from black to orange to red throughout the day depending on the sunlight. We spotted a couple of dingos during our stay.

Thanks Jo for the photo of our girls! 

A bunch of travelling families happened to all be staying in the same campsite area (Warlu Way)at Karijini. We met New Yorkers Miranda, Jay and their twin boys at the Bay of Fires in Tassie and then Carnarvon. Luke and Jo are travelling with their two children from Newcastle. We met new friends, Ben and Saskia, from Belgium with their two children too. It was inevitable that the kids would play and they had a ball wielding sticks, creating hideouts and generally getting bronzed by the red Pilbara dust.

Meanwhile we prepared up a huge combined feast for brekky - bacon, eggs, pancakes and fruit salad. It turned out that none of us can live without coffee, so we compared coffee grinding and brewing techniques in caravans, campers and camping trailers. There can be some in-depth conversations on the road!

The days at Karijini went like this - wake, breakfast, kids play, Baby A's sleep, school work for all the kids, lunch and a gorge walk before dinner and then happy hour, ukulele and a drink under the Karijini stars once the children had gone to sleep. What a great week!

J had to drive to the car park to let Jay and Miranda know that we wouldn't be joining them on the first day for a gorge walk. He recognised Robert Irwin from a book B has been reading, Dinosaur Hunter, and which we'd only bought a few days prior in Exmouth! B was so envious that his dad met the Irwins but they kindly gifted an edition of Australia Zoo magazine. It turned out J's friend, Paul de Gelder is featured in the mag too! It's a small world!! We hope we'll get to Australia Zoo in Queensland and B is desperately hoping Robert will be home!