Camping, hiking and 4WDriving in Western Australia

Mount Augustus – the world’s biggest rock

Did you know that Mount Augustus is claimed to be the largest rock in the world? It is almost twice the size and considerably older than the more famous Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the Northern Territory of Australia. Mount Augustus in the Upper Gascoyne (roughly 1200km north east of Perth) rises 715m above the surrounding plain and covers the area of 4795 hectares. It has a central ridge, almost 8 km long, which is estimated to be more than 1600 million years long.

The road to the rock

The road to Mt Augustus (from Kennedy Ranges) is a good unsealed road, a bit dusty (especially when another vehicle passes by) and with lots of wandering stock. It took us 6 hours to reach Mt Augustus from Kennedy Ranges. We stopped a lot because we believe that travelling is not about reaching your destination but it is the process of travelling that is meaningful and enjoyable.

Camping around Mount Augustus

We stayed at Mount Augustus Tourist Park (pretty much the only place you can stay there). It is a large (actually huge) and nice caravan park with powered sites and cabins for those seeking a bit more comfort on one side and a huge bush campground on the other side. We stayed on the other (bush) side of the park. It is a drive in and choose your own spot place, with a number of bushes which provide some privacy.

Nights being cold in July, it was wonderful to have a camp fire to keep us warm. The kids were happy to roast marshmallows every night, receiving a considerably larger portions of them than they would have at home . Oh, well, camping means doing something different and unusual, after all .

Aboriginal history

Mount Augustus is rich in Aboriginal history and Dreamtime tales. It is considered to be traditional land of the Wajarri people. Wajarri name for Mount Augustus is Burringurrah. In Aboriginal Dreamtime story, Burringurrah was a boy who escaped the rigours of his tribal initiation, only to be found and speared to death. The Wajarri people say the shape of Mount Augustus is the boy lying as he died on his belly with his left leg bent up, beside his body.

View of Mount Augustus from Tourist Park

Hikes around Mount Augustus

There is a 49km loop drive around Mount Augustus which provides views of the changing faces of the rock and access to feature sites. A number of trails lead to the different parts of the rock, from easy and short hikes to long and difficult trails leading to the summit (12km return trails).

We only had one full day to explore the Mount Augustus, so opted to do a few short walks.

Three of the featured sites have Aboriginal engravings on the rocks, the most impressive being Flinstone rock along Flinstone-Beedoboondu trail. To view Aboriginal engravings we crawled under Flinstone Rock which was great fun for kids.

Petroglyph Trail is the shortest hiking trail (only 300m return) which leads to an engraved wall of Aboriginal art.

Aboriginal engraving along Petroglyph trail

Ooramboo trail is another place to view Aboriginal engravings. It is an easy picturesque half an hour hiking trail, leading to a spring, which at that time was dry.

Interesting rock formations along Ooramboo trail

Saddle Trail is a longer trail (1km return) that leads to the views of the Pound (the place used for holding cattle before moving it to Meekatharra in the old days) and over the Lyons River valley. It was the longest trail for us, because there were so many wildflowers to admire.

Cattle Pool

Cattle Pool (known as Goolinee among the Wajarri people) is another attraction in Mount Augustus National Park. It is a permanent pool on the Lyons River, which in the old days was a place where cattle quenched their thirst. There is a short (1.2km return) hiking trail along the banks of this picturesque pool. Lined with white river gum trees, this tranquil and beautiful place attracts a lot of waterbirds.

It was nice to have a picnic and relax there and to learn more about this place. According to Wajarri Dreamtime story, the snake Gujida inhibits waters at the eastern end of Cattle Pool, so Aboriginal people avoid swimming there. They do, however, swim at the north east end of the pool, so long as they sprinkle sand into the waters first to show their respect to the Gujida. An important lesson we can learn from Aboriginal Dreamtime stories – treat nature with respect.

Kennedy Ranges – camping in remote outback

For the lovers of Australian outback Kennedy Range National Park is a special place.

Kennedy Ranges is an elevated sandstone plateau in Upper Gascoyne region, rising about 80 meters above the valley, 75km long and 25 km wide. The nearest town to Kennedy Ranges is Gascoyne Junction, 62km away with only basic necessities, including fuel, so you need to be quite prepared when going to this remote area, carrying enough fuel, water and other provisions.

Getting to Kennedy Ranges

Driving from Carnavon to Gascoyne Junction (for 172km), we enjoyed this sealed picturesque Carnavon-Mullewa Road with lots of claypans and stock on the road.

Claypans near Carnavon, on Carnavon Mullewa Road

The unsealed Ullawarra road from Gascoyne Junction was in a great condition, allowing us to drive around 80km/h, towing a caravan. There were a few river crossings but all were quite shallow.

Ullawarra Road from Gascoyne Junction to Kennedy Range National Park

Camping at Kennedy Ranges

We camped at Temple Gorge – the only official place to camp in Kennedy Ranges. It is a bush camp nestled among rugged cliffs with magnificent views all around. The only facility it offers is a single long drop toilet, which gives you an a real feeling of camping in nature.

Temple Gorge campground in Kennedy Ranges

This place is so remote, yet we were surprised to see the campground full (with around 25 camper families there) in July. But lovely hosts managed to accommodate every arriving vehicle.

A communal fire every day from 5pm is an opportunity to get warm during chilly nights and meet new people, many of whom we met again and again during our stay at Kennedy Ranges.

Sunrise is very beautiful at Temple Gorge. The sun was casting its rays onto the cliffs, making everything look softly orange.

The nights in Kennedy Ranges are majestic. You can see an endless beautiful sky full of stars.

Camping in the bush often means that we go without showers for days, ocassionally using only a small amount of water for washing. Here is Brian washing hair with his portion of 250ml of water. Water is very precious and every drop counts.

Hiking at Kennedy Range National Park

There are 6 hiking trails to suit every level of fitness and experience, each offering a unique opportunity of enjoying nature in its pristine form.

The Escarpment Trail in Kennedy Ranges is one of the longest. It is a 3.4km return hike, Class 4, which means it is rough and steep in some places. We started at Temple Gorge campground in the morning and hiked for nearly 3 hours. It was a great exercise and an enjoyment along the way.

The view from the top of of the range was definitely worth the hike.

Honeycomb Gorge is the most picturesque in Kennedy Range National Park. A mass of holes created by wind and water spray from seasonal waterfall above the cliff face makes this unique and beautiful pattern, resembling a honeycomb, which gives this gorge its name. It is easily accessible (apparently, our camp host even cycles daily from Temple Gorge to Honeycomb Gorge) and you can spend some time there marvelling at mother nature’s creation.

One of the shortest hikes (from the car park) is Sunrise View platform, from which you can view the sunrise (as the name suggests). We got up early and drove (then hiked) there to take these pictures.

The view of Kennedy Ranges at the sunrise

More tracks and other experiences at Kennedy Ranges

There are a couple of rough tracks in the Kennedy Ranges (we’ve only been to the eastern side of the escarpment) but there is nothing a good 4WD can’t manage.

A couple of more pictures from Kennedy Ranges, taken by our young photographer, 9 year old Ariel.

Red sand dunes, rocky cliffs, spinifex, wattle trees, lots of pink, violet and blue mulla mulla is what truly Aussie outback is all about. Bushwalking provides an excellent opportunity to fully soak the experience. This is what we thoroughly enjoy.

We loved Kennedy Ranges! 2 days we spent there wasn’t enough. Surely, we’ll be back!

Walyunga National Park

Walyunga National Park is about 40km north-east of Perth along the Great Northern Highway. It is a wonderful place for a day trip. Camping is also possible and requires prior arrangement with the ranger.

Walyunga National Park is located in the Avon Valley where the Avon River joins the Brockman River to form the Swan River. The river runs through the park, forming a number of tranquil pools, as well as rapids, which are part of the annual Avon Descent race.

Numerous pools and rapids in Walyunga National Park

There are a number walking trails from an easy 1.6km return trail to moderate difficulty 11km return trail. We took the easiest – considering that we stopped so many times to take pictures, it took us a lot longer than indicated 1 hour :).

Like all national parks, Walyunga is a photographer’s paradise. We visited this place in June, which is not the wildflower season. Yet there were many other interesting living things to look at.

Being easily accessible and in a relative proximity to Perth (only about 1 hour drive), it is quite a popular place. There are two picnic sites with barbecues, picnic tables and toilets. Entry fees apply and dogs are allowed.

Respite at Sandy Creek near Newman

Sandy Creek picnic and free camping spot near Newman — Sandy Creek, near Newman, is a hidden gem. It is a free camping spot, popular with locals.

After leaving Kalamina Gorge in Karijini National Park (due to heavy rains the park closed), we headed towards Newman to find some place to stay there for a night. We dropped in at the information centre for the kids to buy souvenir coins and for us to get information on the road conditions, as well as some possible places to camp. It was still raining heavily when we left Newman and at 5.30pm it looked quite dark. The ladies at the Information Centre shared with us local’s secret spot – Sandy Creek.

Driving under the rain towards Sandy Creek, just off Newman — At the entrance to Sandy Creek off Marble Bar Road 100m

Travelling on Great Northern Highway from Newman we turned onto Marble Bar Road and travelled for approximately 24.5km before turning right (after Kalgan Pool track) onto unmarked track. Travelling for about 600 meters we have arrived at what looked like a campground. Ahead of us was a creek which under the rain and in the dark we did not want to attempt crossing. So we followed the track on the right. There was a 4WD Landcruiser Troopy with a pop top and we parked not far away from it.

Camping at Sandy Creek. This is how it looked in the morning.

It rained the whole night but the rain stopped in the morning giving us a much needed break to get out of our very tight and full of stuff dwelling.

The kids measured the depth of the crossing. It was too deep to wet our boots.

We found a narrower passage further away and jumped over it onto the other side. Sandy Creek was actually further away. It looked like a small river with so much water in it after it rained.

The place looked very beautiful and quite magical even though everything was wet. We decided to get some rest and stay here for another night.

Trees reflected in the orange coloured creek

Kids were busy the whole day building houses, bridges (in fact, the whole village!) out of what they found on the ground – stones, leaves and branches.

I went for numerous walks around with my camera looking for more insects and flowers to take pictures of.

And Brian cooked a nice “Sandy Creek roast” for us.

We also drove through the first creek to see what was on the other side. That is where we saw the actual Sandy Creek. There was another camper, a lovely couple, who parked just near the creek. They told us that Sandy Creek was formed because of the water that has been pumped out by the local mine. The first crossing before Sandy Creek was the overflown water from heavy rained that gathered in the ground holes.

Time to check and pump the tyres before heading home

It was a lovely respite for us. Being on the road for many hours we really enjoyed a day of not driving and going anywhere but simply resting and enjoying the place as it was. A true outback experience.

Millstream Chichester NP – an oasis in the desert

Millstream Chichester National Park in Pilbara is an amazing place to visit (as an extension of the trip to Karijini or a day trip from Karratha). It is the place where gorges with their lush vegetation, pools and rivers form a striking contrast to the rocky, spinifix-covered hills, creating a refreshing and welcoming oasis in Pilbara region desert.

Getting there

Access to the Millstream-Chichester National Park from Karratha is via a sealed road. It is 134 kilometres, a 2.5 hour drive. To travel from Karijini (we travelled the other way round – from Millstream Chichester down to Karijini), we used Nanutarra-Munjina and Roebourne-Wittenoom roads. The roads for the most part of the journey were unsealed and at times corrugated and it took us nearly 4 hours to get to destination. If you travel from Karijini, visiting Hamersley Gorge – the most remote gorge of Karijini National Park – is a must. It is on the way and it is the place of immense beauty, like everything else in Karijini.

Travelling in the outback can be a lonely experience. This was one of only a few vehicles we saw while travelling on Roebourne-Wittenoom Road from Millstream Chichester to Karijini.

Camping at Millstream Chichester

We stayed at Miliyanha Campground, which is a nice bush camp close to the pools and gorges. For $11 a night (prices back in 2021) you get a huge camping spot, access to drop toilets and kitchen with hot water.

Wonderful in all respects, the only annoying part of our stay at Miliyanha Campground was ants which were there in thousands. Wearing gum boots, as well as having an ant spray to spray all round the caravan to prevent ants from climbing is a solution though. We had to borrow the ant sprayer from the friendly camp hosts but learnt a lesson to be better prepared next time.

Deep Reach Pool

Deep Reach Pool in Millstream Chichester National Park is a large (much larger than you would expect in the desert) permanent pool with warm but quite deep waters. It is rightly considered an oasis in the desert. This is a beautiful place, well maintained and cared for with BBQs and picnic tables. It offers opportunity not just for a refreshing dip but swimming for long distance, if you are up to it and not scared by the serpent Warlu 😊, which according to Yinjibardndi people quietly resides in the pool. As such, this unique place of a cultural significance should be treated with respect and care (motorised watercraft is prohibited there to keep noise to minimum, so as not to disturb the Warlu Serpent).

It goes without saying, Deep Reach Pool was the highlight for our kids, who enjoyed swimming there.

Cliff Top Walk

Next to Deep Reach Pool (and only 2km away from Milliynha Campground) is Cliff Top Walk, which is an easy 600m return walk with three vantage points to view the Fortescue River and the distant Hamersley Ranges.

Python Pool

Python Pool in Chichester Range is a fresh water rock pool at the base of an impressive red ochre cliff. It is a great place for swimming and picnic.

Python Pool is about 2.5 hours drive south of Karratha (a popular spot for locals to visit during weekends) or an 1 hour drive from Miliynha Campground in Millstream Range, where we stayed for 2 nights.

The scenery on the way to Python Pool is quite breath taking. The views kept changing as were were approaching Python Pool.

Pilbara region and Millstream Chichester, in particular, is home of spectacular Mulla Mulla plants. You can see lots of them in the red iron ore rich area, growing in carpets or sometimes as a single plant.

Pilbara Olive Pythons

While we didn’t see any, we were told that Python Pool is frequented by Pilbara Olive Pythons (on the outer side of the cliff face). However, we did see this gorgeous beauty in Miliynha Campground, just meters away from our camping spot. On our second night, as Brian left off to the kitchen with loads of dishes to wash, I suddenly heard him screaming: “Bring camera!”. Rushing with a camera to his voice, I saw a huge python lying across the driveway, blocking the path. Luckily, Brian is very cautious and had a torch with him. We estimate the python was around 4 meters.

While not poisonous, the mere size and length scared us. Nevertheless, we were eager to take have a closer look at it and were cautiously getting closer and closer, trying to take better pictures of it. To share the delight of our finding, we called the neighbours to admire the python.

Wildlife

Wildlife is abundant in Millstream Chichester National Park, especially closer to the water. There are 22 species of dragonfly there, including beautiful red and blue dragonflies.

There are a number of various types of lizards in the park.

Sturt’s Desert Pea is another icon of Millstream Chichester (found mainly in the Chichester Range) – a unique and beautiful wildflower.

Red Sturt's Desert Pea — Sturt’s Desert Pea

Millstream Chichester is a wonderful place to explore for a couple of days – to swim in the pools and creeks, admire flora and fauna and simply rest in a beautiful place.

Blowholes at Point Quobba

An impressive natural phenomenon.

We always used Carnavon as a convenient stopover (and cheap too – the prices of food are the same as you would get in Perth). One of the things I always wanted to see were the blowholes at Point Quobba.

Blow holes are created by the force of the water gushing through the holes in the rocks. Known also in geology as marine geyser, blowhole is formed as sea caves grow inwards and upwards emerging at the surface. When there is enough pressure (normally during high tides and in windy conditions) the water rushes through the caves and then erupts like a volcano, sometimes up to 20 meters high. It is an awe-inspiring sight to behold.

Blowholes at Point Quobba near Carnavon - an impressive explosion of water — An impressive marine geyser!

It is best to view blowholes at high tides, although take care when approaching blowholes, because it is Mother Nature in its raw and fierce form – the stunning swells can also be dangerous.

Here is the view we’ve got in September 2020. It was in the afternoon (presumably, during high tide).

Blowholes at Point Quobba near Carnavon at high tide — Blowholes at high tide

And this is what we saw this in April 2021, in the morning, when it was quiet (probably, low tide).

Blowholes at Point Quobba near Carnavon at low tide — Blowholes at low tide

You can find these blowholes at Point Quobba, 75 km north of Carnavon along Australia’s Coral Coast.

Best snorkelling and camping at Cape Range National Park

We have been looking for best snorkelling and camping at Cape Range National Park for quite a while. Having stayed at various caravan parks in and around Exmouth, this time we decided to stay in Cape Range National Park itself. Not only we were closer to the best beaches where we could see corals and other marine life. In addition, we were also staying just meters from the beach with only a few fellow campers. It is quite a different experience compared to overfull (as it is the case during Easter holiday break) caravan parks. It is all about being closer to nature. Every night we enjoyed sitting outside of our caravan, gazing into the Milky Way up in the sky. We spent time reflecting on how incredibly vast and enormous the universe is, of which we know so little. It is the desire to know, to experience “real life” that drives us to stay in those pristine, unique and often wild places, so rich in natural beauty, geological history and biologically diverse.

Termite nest in Cape Range National Park (approximately 2 meters tall)

Camping at Cape Range National Park

So, we booked a site at Tulki Beach, which is the closest to famous Turquoise Beach. At $11 per night per person (the price has changed since then, and it is $15 you can get a wonderful spot only 200 meters away from the beach, shared with 10 other campers. There are no facilities except for a very decent (no smell) drop toilet.

The sunsets and the sunrises you can view at the beach are amazing.

So, is the abundance of wildlife, including insects and birds, which were fascinating to obsesrve.

Being the season of turtle hatching (April) I went out a couple of nights to look for little turtles making their way to the ocean. I wasn’t lucky enough to see them (they say, turtles are directed by the moon light to the water) but I saw something which looked like the trails left by little turtles moving. Or, I could be wrong.

While there are plenty of activities, including great walk and hiking trails to enjoy in Cape Range National Park, we spent 3 full days at the beaches. We took full advantage of the hot and sunny weather, leaving the walks and hikes for the cooler and overcast days (that was the plan). After all, to see corals and marine life was our main agenda in Cape Range.

Snorkelling sites

Oyster Stacks

Our favourite beach for snorkelling is Oyster Stacks. In my opinion, it is the best snorkelling place. Only a few meters away from the car park, you can find yourself a spot for a picnic and then step into the water. There is only a slight drift and no strong current or waves. The bay is protected by the outer reef which is the closest to the shore in this part. So it is quite safe for inexperienced swimmers and snorkellers. Probably, the only downside of this beach is rocky shoreline (wear beach shoes unless you are using fins – or use both), But once you step into the water you are in a paradise. Oyster Stacks should only be snorkelled at medium or high tide when there is sufficient water over the coral reefs to avoid damaging these delicate organisms.

The abundance of the corals and marine life you see is awe-inspiring. I spent hours trying to take a good shot of these crabs.

My regret was not having a professional underwater camera to make a record of all the beauty we have seen (yet another reason to visit this place again!). However, I managed to take a few nice shots of the fishes, star fish, stingray and even a baby reef shark!

Turquoise Beach

Turquoise Beach has been voted Western Australia’s top beach by Trip Advisor Traveller’s Choice. It is very popular (so get there early to get a spot) due to its white sandy shores, crystal clear turquoise water and easy access to corals (only meters away from the shore). There are two places to snorkel in Turquoise Bay – Drift Snorkel area (our choice) and Bay Snorkel area. Entering the waters at the southern end of the beach, let the current take you over the reef while you relax and enjoy viewing beautiful corals and marine life. There are moderate/strong currents at Turquoise Bay area due to a break in the reef further out, so it is important to exist the water before you reach the sandbar.

Sandy Bay

Sandy Bay beach is great for a picnic and after snorkelling experience. While it does have some corals, it is best known for white sandbar and knee-deep water around it which is excellent for kids playing and swimming. This is what our kids enjoyed after they’ve had enough of snorkelling.

Well, our plan to do some hiking to explore the rest of the national park did not materialise due to the Tropical Cyclone Seroja which caused closure of Cape Range Park where we stayed and forced us to change our plans and leave sooner (April 2021).

Packing up before the cyclone arrived. We were one of the last campers to leave.

Instead of going back home, we decided to travel further up north-east to continue our adventures in an uplanned itenary. We ended up going to Karijini and Millstream Chichester National Park.

And, yes, we went back to Cape Range again, exactly one year later. We discovered yet another wonderful snorkelling spot, which is a hidden gem.

Shell beach at Goulet Bluff and Stromatolites

Beautiful, diverse and unique Shark Bay

Deciding to camp free meant that we had no bookings (for some places) and could change our plans as we went along. This was our fifth or sixth trip to Exmouth (having been there so many times I lost count 😊) and we always stopped at Denham on the way there. This time I decided that it was enough to see the same place, however, the nostalgia about the Shark Bay area was there. After all, it is such a unique place that has always been drawing my attention. It is not a surprise. Listed as a world heritage place since 1991, Shark Bay satisfies all four of the criteria for the natural heritage values:

Natural beauty, which includes diversity of landscapes (peninsulas, islands and bays), rare, unique and abundant flora and fauna.
Earth’s evolutionary history represented by famous Hamelin Pool Stromatolites.
Ecological processes seen in the largest seagrass meadow in the world with the highest species diversity assembled in one place.
Shark Bay is home to many endangered plants and animals that still survive.

The Shark Bay World Heritage Area covers 2.2 million hectares and has a coastline stretching for 1500 kilometres. About 65 percent is marine waters. It is located 800km north of Perth on Australia’s most westerly point.

Getting there

Camping in wilderness, in the unique place looked very attractive to us. So, we called the Shark Bay Tourist Centre in Denham and bought a permission (it costs $15 per night per vehicle) to camp in the national park. By the way, you can only camp there for one night but it was all we needed, as we had to be in Exmouth by a certain date.

Turn off to Goulet Bluff from Shark Bay Road

Turning off from Shark Bay Road onto the dirt road, we drove for 2 km or so. When we nearly arrived the destination according to google map app, we approached a fork, wondering where to go from there. Expecting to see campers or at least some visible traces of the campground and not willing to tow a caravan to a place where we could not turn around, I left the car and walked for a while up the hill. Still no sign of people or campground – just a beautiful and peaceful view of the bay.

A car with two young girls stopped nearby. Hoping they might give us a clue, we asked them for directions to the campground. It turned out they were just looking around and knew not more than we did, however, they were helpful by driving ahead and then coming back telling us that the place ahead looked like a camping spot!

Shell beach at Goulet Bluff

So, we found our perfect camping spot right on the beach. Shell beach. It is not the famous Shell Beach you can read about in the travelling brochure. Goulet Bluff is 10 km away from Shell Beach and it is on the opposite side of the Shark Baby Road when you drive to Denham. Being in proximity to Shell Beach, Goulet Bluff is basically a continuation of it (it is said that Shell Beach stretches for 120 kilometres), so it shares the same unique look and feel of it. Shell Beach (and so is Goulet Bluff as part of it) is one of only a handful of places on earth where shells replace beach sand in such a picturesque way. Interestingly, the shells are from just one type of animal, the Shark Bay cockle, making the beach truly unique.

Camping experience at Goulet Bluff

We set up our caravan and awning. Kids helped with the pegs (the younger one, Ilusha, was mostly playing with them 😊) and then we all had a relaxing afternoon.

Swimming in very warm bay water, playing with the shells, taking pictures, reading or writing – each one of us was occupied diffferently.

As the day was nearing to its end, we noticed the tidal waters getting closer to our caravan. Luckily, we set up quite a distance from the shore line and were separated by a small reef from the ocean which formed a little lagoon. By the time, the tide was at its highest, what was a little lagoon merged with the rest of the oceanic waters and shore line separating the lagoon and the ocean was no longer visible.

Our (the only) neighbour a few hundred meters away was not so lucky. He had to interrupt his fishing in order to move the caravan closer to us, as the water got to the wheels of the caravan.

The following day was Easter Sunday, which the kids very much looked forward to. In fact, easter chocolate eggs and bunnies was what they were looking forward to.😊.

Kids were happy to receive their Easter chocolates

A couple of last pictures and it is time to move on.

Stromatolites at Hamelin Pool

On the way out we visited Hamelin Pool Stromatolites. Shark Bay is one of only two places in the world where living marine stromatolites exist (the other place being the Bahamas). The living fossils that build Stromatolites in the highly saline and very warm waters of Hamelin Pool show us what marine ecosystems would have looked like 3 billion years ago. This is one of the reasons for Shark Bay’s World Heritage status.

Not only this place is beautiful and unique, it is also full of history. There are a number of interpretive signs along the boardwalk where you can read and learn how stromatolites were formed. It is definitely a place worth a visit (it is better to visit early in the morning as it gets very hot there especially in warmer months).

Stromatolites: Below and Above. Spot the fish.

Garden Rock near Cue

A lot smaller in size than nearby more famous Walga Rock, Garden Rock, near a small town Cue, is hardly known. Located only 18 km east of Cue, on Cue-Wondinong dirt Road (connecting Cue and Sandstone), it is easily accessible. This granite rock rises 20 meters above the sandplain and has a circumference of 1km, so it is quite an easy and pleasant walk around.

There were a number of loose rocks, as well as rock holes filled with water from the recent rains.

Garden Granite Rock was once the site of market gardens established in 1894 to supply gold rush population around Cue with fruits and vegetables. This is hard to imagine today, as there are no traces of the former gardens left ☹.

There is a free bush camp around the Garden Rock (unlike the Walga Rock). While we neither camped, nor saw people there, we noticed traces of people who camped before. Maybe, one of these days we’ll be back for a camp here :).

Back on the road. While approaching Cue, at the end of dirt Cue-Wondinong Road we saw an interesting sign, urging all vehicles to stop and brush off wheels. For the record, we couldn’t find the reason why needed to dust off wheels, but we followed the rule 😊.

All vehicles must stop and dust off wheels sign near Garden Granite Rock in Cue. — Check the road sign on the left

Knobby Head

Knobby Head (South) used to be a free camp ground (back in 2021 when we visited it), 3.5 hours drive north of Perth. It is half way between Leeman and Dongara. There are two entrances 20 to 40 meters apart running in parallel from Indian Ocean Drive. If you are travelling from Perth, use the first entrance, if you tow a small caravan. Second entrance has soft sand and not levelled (towing and driving could bog the vehicles). Both tracks are short and very soon you find yourself in front of the ocean! There are only 3 or so spots there, 80 to 100 meters apart, so there is a lot of privacy and the spots are quite big. We had our friends in a Land Cruiser Sahara and a huge tent staying with us for the first night.

There is also Knobby Head north campground, a short drive further up north, which has more spaces.

We tried fishing… although didn’t catch anything.

However, we were lucky to be gifted with a freshly caught lobster (after our friends left) by a friendly neighbour whom we saw every morning passing by and launching a boat to go out in the sea.

A gift of freshly caught lobster from a friendly neighbour

There are no facilities in this campground, so please take rubbish with you. It is a nice stop over for a night or 2, or a place to get away for a weekend.

Update: Things have changed a lot since we camped at this place in 2021. The shire has put up basic facilities and is charging now $20 per site per night. As we have not been there since 2021, we can’t provide any more updates.

The road to the rock

Camping around Mount Augustus

Aboriginal history

Hikes around Mount Augustus

Cattle Pool

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Getting to Kennedy Ranges

Camping at Kennedy Ranges

Hiking at Kennedy Range National Park

More tracks and other experiences at Kennedy Ranges

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Getting there

Camping at Millstream Chichester

Deep Reach Pool

Cliff Top Walk

Python Pool

Pilbara Olive Pythons

Wildlife

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Camping at Cape Range National Park

Snorkelling sites

Oyster Stacks

Turquoise Beach

Sandy Bay

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Beautiful, diverse and unique Shark Bay

Getting there

Shell beach at Goulet Bluff

Camping experience at Goulet Bluff

Stromatolites at Hamelin Pool

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