This part of our trip covered the Pilbara region including Karijini National Park and it’s gorges and the amazing Ningaloo Reef.

The Pilbara and lots of big things…..

We spent a day in Port Hedland getting the car serviced and the amount of activity in the area is overwhelming. There is a constant stream of trains, road trains and ships moving an incredible volume of iron ore around (and probably other stuff). We spent about 45 minutes at a playground near the port and in that time we saw 4 loaded bulk carriers leaving port. It was all very interesting and impressive but I wouldn’t want to live there.

Karijini National Park

Many people have never heard of Karijini but for nearly every traveller we met in the north of WA it is an essential part of the itinerary. And if you like incredible geological formations and swimming in deep gorges it is not to be missed. Unfortunately it is bloody long way from anywhere.

The gorge trails are classified as Class 2 to Class 5 with Class 5 being:

These trails are difficult and a high level of fitness is required. Trail markings are minimal, and steep sections with vertical drops are common. Expect to encounter natural hazards including large boulders; pools of water; slippery, wet rocks; and narrow, high ledges.

We did all the Class 5 trails we could find with no problems, but kids younger than ours or old people may find it difficult. I slipped onto by butt in one section but luckily it was only my ego that was bruised.

If you want to get into the more extreme sections of the gorges there are some companies that offer canyoning tours with ropes and harnesses.

So that was a lot of gorges and swimming holes. And yes they were spectacular and lots of fun – but after a couple of days walking and swimming through these gorges they all started to look the same and it was time to move on.

Mount Meharry and the State 8

If you haven’t heard about the State 8 check it out here, but basically it is a challenge to climb the highest mountain in each of Australia’s 8 states and territories. Mount Meharry is the highest mountain in Western Australia (but the lowest of the State 8) and as we were only a couple of hours away it seemed like a great opportunity to cross it off the list for my goal of one day dragging my family to all 8 peaks. This is sort of a poor man’s version of climbing all 14 peaks over 8,000 metres (see details here) but much safer and easier.

In fact it is so easy that you can drive right to the top of Mt Meharry which is exactly what we did. The only real challenge is that it is in a very remote area.

There is not a lot of satisfaction from bagging a peak in your car so the next morning I went for solo dash on foot up Mt Bruce which is WA’s second highest mountain.

Ningaloo Reef

Everyone knows about Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, but if you want the reef experience without the crowds and the long boat ride you should check out the Ningaloo Reef near Exmouth.

We had planned to to camp at Cape Range National Park, but as it turns out you need to book in advance and we couldn’t get a camp site. So after a day trip to Cape Range we headed to Ningaloo Station for 4 nights – and it was just awesome. Not only was it our favourite spot on this trip – it is probably my favourite campsite ever.

Why was Ningaloo Station so good?

• We camped right on the beach and there was hardly anyone else around (but I believe it can get busy at times)
• There is awesome snorkelling right off the beach. Heaps of fish, turtles and dolphins. You don’t need a boat.
• It is very cheap. It cost us $70 for 4 nights for a family of 4.

Why you may not like it?

• It is a bloody long way from anywhere
• There is about 50km of dirt road to get to South Lefroy Bay (we let our tyres down to 20psi and it was fine)
• You need to be self sufficient in terms of water, toilet, food etc. There are no amenities or services

In contrast to the great value at Ningaloo Station, we paid $79 for 1 night at Coral Bay, which is pretty steep when you can’t even drink the water provided on the caravan sites. We had to pay to fill up the caravan tanks with potable water from the Bayview Caravan Park. But if you want to experience the Ningaloo Reef and like your creature comforts then Coral Bay is the place for you. The snorkelling off the beach was OK but the water was very cloudy on both days we were there making it pretty difficult to see. On a previous trip to Coral Bay 11 years ago I found the snorkelling to be much better – but we had the use of a boat which provided access to some great snorkelling spots.

So after 1 night in Coral Bay it was time to start heading south and start making our way back home. Stay tuned for the next and final installment of our trip report.