Just Trip'in around : The Pilbra and gasgoyne

· Herbert Reserve

· Karijinni

· Cleaverville Beach

· Dampier

· Bruboodjoo Point

· Bush Bay

· Hamelin Station

On the road again – we have covered a bit of ground since leaving Broome – 7.5 hours to Herbert Reserve a freebie next to a river on the main highway. The Pilbra region is full of road trains and industry (Port Headland). Our aim is to get to Karijinni National Park, another 3 hours in the car and another chip in our new wind screen!

Karijinni National Park is the largest WA National Park with some fantastic gorge walking/ crawling/wading. More corrugated red dirt roads. Very picturesque with the deep reds of the Pilbra rock and the brilliant white of the ghost gums. The Gorges were really challenging to scramble around the rocks and wade through the ice cold water, a lota fun! We saw two people become suckers to the icy water.

George at Kilijilli

Kirrabilli National Park

The white of the Ghost Gums against the red of the Pilbra

Action Mum

No stoppin her

It was challenging

" I'm over this Red Dirt"

Onto Dampier (just west of Karratha) which is another industrial town situated on the end of a peninsular surrounded by islands (The Dampier Archipelagos) quite pretty if you take in the tankers filling with iron ore. Also the home of the north west shelf gas plant. While we were there I was lucky enough to score a seat on a little tinny for a fishing trip off shore, Brilliant! The variety of species was extraordinary. I pulled in about 8 different types of fish. A couple of times I hooked up on fish that were just too big to bring up .

A Spanish flag

Fish o man

Denham view from our camp

Bruboodjoo Point was a great spot to stop and do some day trips into Exmouth and the Cape Range National Park, Ningaloo Marine Reef and also Coral Bay. The snorkelling amongst the fish and coral is pretty awesome! This local campspot was cheap and really peaceful just behind the sand dunes of the beach. The beaches are just beautiful with torquiose water. Fish that swim around your feet, sting rays, turtles and the odd whale playing way out.

Here we are on Hamelin Station at the entrance to the Shark Bay area. A day trip in to Denham and Monkey Mia (the free beach beside the fee paying resort – we’re not cheap skates) oh and the bogging of the Santa Fe in sand . The wild flowers are here!