It's not a palindrome, but an anagram. Years ago, my friend Krista spent close to two years in Australia. She raved about Karijini National Park, therefore when a good friend speaks so personally about a place it must be special. When I looked at it on the map it was out in the middle of woop-woop. Last night I pitched my tent outside of Auski Roadhouse where the mozzies were ferocious. My face, neck, arms, and legs were all covered in bites. Refreshed after a shower and a coffee, my gear was ready and my thumb was out toward Karijini. It was only before long that I was picked up by a guy heading to Tom Price, which is the provision town for most people travelling to and from the park.
Traditionally the home of the Banyjima, Kurrama, and Innawonga people, "Karijini" is the Banyjima name for Hamersley Range. The park is seriously remote, and facilities are rather lacking. There are no showers, no shop of any description, and only one place to get water, located near the visitor centre. Upon arriving at the campground I wanted to pitch my tent and then get out there an explore despite having little sleep last night. A midday nap is impossible in my tent during the day. When Krista speaks highly about a place, I know I have to see it for myself. Dales Gorge I opted to explore first and upon Fortescue Falls I descended.
What a magical place! At Fern Pool I was even more excited as I got a (free) powerful hydraulic massage.
I had to swim across, however. Mr. Hanley once described Zion National Park is "Yosemite in colour," so Karijini is Australia's answer to Zion. Massive gorges, majestic waterfalls, and colourful rocky landscapes make this place a photographer's dream. Whilst trekking through Dales Gorge I met a lovely lady named Kylie, who is travelling with her friend, Lucy.
Since they didn't bring their phone or camera with them on this walk, I opted to be their photographer. These girls are as gorgeous as the Karijini landscape.
Upon reaching the top of the gorge I was absolutely in awe!
Look up WOW! in the dictionary and this is what you should get! I didn't have a single view today that wasn't breathtaking. I hiked, climbed, swam, and strolled around until I had nearly no energy left.
For tea tonight I made some instant noodles, although I kept wasting matches as the wind was wreaking havoc. Another camper named Andy is doing a trip round WA. I sat with him and he let me use his stove since I couldn't get mine to light. 2-minute noodles became more like 30-minute noodles tonight. After all the mozzies and noise I had to put up with last night, here in Karijini the mozzies are nowhere to be found, and I can hear a pin drop. May I add that the stars here are extremely majestic. Off in the distance I could hear some commotion so I decided to go see what these people were up to. It turned out they are three girls from three different countries who were freaking out over a spider. I sat with them for awhile, sharing stories and being in awe about this amazing national park. A few glasses of wine later it was finally time to call it a day. Tomorrow I'll be sharing some wine and snacks with these lovely ladies, who are from Sweden, England, and Brazil. I lay here in my tent just gazing at the moonless sky with the southern cross watching over me, and then I'm off into Dreamtime...
