Karijini NP, WA
As part of the planning for this trip around Oz, Chels and I decided that we would spend most of the time on the coast for the waves, the snorkelling, the fishing, etc. However, along the way we have ventured inland many times for various adventures and ‘must dos’. Karijini NP was one of those times, and we were not disappointed!
On our last trip up the west coast, a few years ago, we were limited by time and didn’t get the chance to head into Karijini. After that trip we kept hearing how amazing it was and we’ve been stinging to get back there ever since. With this road trip having no time limit, it was a given that we would spend time there.
What makes this national park so special is that it’s a wonderland of canyons and gorges in the middle of a red desert. To get there you drive for hours through barren, flat desert and mining towns. As soon as you head into the park the land starts to transform into dramatic scenery.
There’s two main areas within the park, the Dales Gorge area and another area with a cluster of gorges all together. We camped at the Dales Gorge Campground for a few nights and really took it all in. We walked the rim walk on top of the gorge, enjoying the views from above (and I jogged it again that afternoon). The next day we went down into the gorge and walked from one end to the other, swimming in every water hole we could! That afternoon Chels and I then jogged down into the gorge again for our afternoon swim/bath in the Fern Pool, which we had all to ourselves.
After fully exploring the Dales Gorge area we moved onto the other section of the park. Here we did one of the harder walks that scrambled/climbed down into Joffre Gorge and it was awesome. We also did Knox Gorge which was similarly spectacular. We just couldn’t get over how awesome it felt walking down in the gorges with the high red cliffs either side and finding steller water holes along the way. With barely anyone else around we soaked up every minute. To see more photos, check out our Karijini NP album.
All in all we are stoked that we finally made it to Karijini and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is travelling around this amazing country.