Along Carnavon Mullewa Road in Gascoyne Murchison

We used Carnavon Mullewa Road driving from Mount Augustus back home to Perth and we enjoyed exploring so many hidden gems along the way. The section of the road (from Glenburgh) down to Mullewa is nealy 400km. It is mostly unsealed, quite well maintained, with some occasional traffic. The best thing about this road is that it provides a true outback experience with some interesting things and places to explore, picturesque landscapes, beautiful wildflowers to admire and free camps along the way to stay for the night.

Occasionally, there are river crossings. We stopped in front of it, trying to decide how deep the water was.

There was no way to go around the water hole and we were not turning back, so the only way was to drive through! Driving in the outback on unsealed roads is a real adventure!

Bilung pool

The first place where we stopped was Bilung Pool. Located 150km north of Murchison on Carnavon Mullewa unsealed road, this place is not to be missed. We stopped by to admire the beauty of this natural water hole carved by the Wooramel River. A place of respite for drovers and their cattle in the old days, it is now a nice picnic or a free overnight camping spot. It is also rich in Aboriginal history. The Wajarri name for Bilung Pool is Birlungardi. The Warjarri people believe that Rainbow Snake (Gujida) rests here, so they throw sand into the water to show their respect. The visitors are advised to do the same. It is something kids would be happy to do! 😀

Wooramel River Gorges

We decided to drive further down for another 5km where we found another free camping spot. This was our stop for the night. This place (about 2km off the road) is very spacious and quite open, offering beautiful views and many wildflowers to admire.

Old stock wellan insight into past

Life in the old days was very different. Water was precious and required quite a bit of an effort to get. This old stock well on Wool Wagon Pathway (55 km south of Murchison on Carnavon-Mullewa Road) gives us an insight into life some 100 years ago. Built in 1895, the well was used by drovers moving their stock. Now, it is a tourist attraction. Our kids had a lot of fun exercising their arms while figuring out how the well used to work in the old days.Water is still very scarce and precious when you travel in the outback – all the more a reason to appreciate it and use wisely.

Wildflowers and weeds

As we travelled further down Carnavon Mullewa road, we stopped a few times to admire carpets of wildflowers.

Alongside with the wildflowers, there were a lot of pretty but nasty weeds Ruby Dock.

...and some other types of wildflowers.

Greenough River

Greenough River roadside stop (this is how it is called in wikicamp) was our last overnight stop for this trip. It is a nice and quiet free camping spot, just off Carnavon Mullewa Road in Nunierra, WA. We were the only ones camping there, enjoying the solitude, the tranquillity and natural beauty of the nature.

If the sunset was beautiful, the night was absolutely stunning! I stayed up late in the freezing cold (while everyone else has gone to sleep) to take the pictures of the milky way until my camera lens became too foggy from the cold and mist to continue taking pictures.

Starry starry nights in the outback

Early hours in the morning, before the sunrise, in the outback are quite magic. It was worth getting up early with only 4 degrees inside our caravan (and apparently, about the same outside too) to take these pictures of the Greenough river.

The mist just above the water was very mysterious. As I walked further along the banks of the river, I saw these huge footprints (they were at least, 30-40 cm long), and they looked even more mysterious as I didn’t know at the time whom they belonged. The nature is very creative in what it can produce 🙂.

It is amazing how quick cool blue colours changed to warm glow as the sun started to rise.

Under the warm golden colours of the sun even the grass looked amazingly pretty.

And this is us, happy and refreshed after a wonderful 9 day return journey to the biggest rock in the world!

Mount Augustus – the world’s biggest rock

Getting closer to Mount Augustus

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.

Mount Augustus

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.

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.

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Kennedy Ranges – camping in remote outback

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

Kennedy Ranges

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.  

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.

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. 

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.

Temple Gorge bush campground

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. 

Communal fireplace at Temple Gorge

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.

At Temple Gorge bush campground

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.

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!

Garden Rock near Cue

Garden Granite 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.

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 :).

Perfect place for camping

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

Complete wildeness at corner camp

Corner Camp

Corner Camp is a basic and facilities free campsite, off Paynes Find-Sandstone Road in Australian Outback. It is accessible to 2WD.

Getting to Corner Camp

Leaving Mount Magnet and its rock formations at around 4pm, we set off along Great Northern Hwy, travelling south for our last overnight stop for this trip. Our Captain Andrei, a very adventurous and courageous man, decided to change my plans and drove 30 km off the highway on a dirt road just to spend a night in complete wildness. We found Corner Camp or Wikicamp. It is 30 or so km off Paynes Find. It wasn’t sign posted (or, perhaps, we took a wrong turn?) and when we arrived, it was total darkness. Driving through the bushes, we navigated our way to a secluded place where we settled for the night. Potato and freshly made bread prepared in Aboriginal way in the charcoal was our meal for the night. Only the stars and warmth of the burning fire were our companions that evening.

Upon waking up in the morning and getting out of caravan (with only 6 degrees inside), I went for a little walk. It is there, among bushes, far away from civilization, I stood and listened to complete silence. Not a single sound interrupted it – neither bird, nor man, nor wind. Only Silence. It was full, indescribable and completely fulfilling. Merging into the Silence, I realised that it was worth driving 30km off the road to experience and absorb it.

Corner Camp in the morning

Leave no trace

Leaving a place in a better condition than you found it means taking rubbish with you, burning organic waste, extinguishing the fire and burying the traces. Kids learn along the way and take active part in the process.

Learning how to start a car when the battery is dead is a must when you travel in the bush on isolated roads. Being self-sufficient, relying on your own skills and knowledge coupled with Trust in Life and Creator is the key not only to survival in harsh environment. It is what turns survival into adventure and enjoyment of the process along the way.

Time to leave Corner Camp and go home…

Day 8: Beautiful sunset at Cape Le Grand

Sunset at Cape Le Grand
Sunset at Cape Le Grand

Sunsets at Cape Le Grand National park are amazing and the beach is the best place to watch them. It is our last full day at Cape Le Grand and we decided to take it easy, not go anywhere and have proper meals at the camp. Campground facilities at Cape Le Grand beach have been upgraded recently, so we enjoyed nice and clean sheltered undercover kitchen where we washed our dishes daily with hot water. Bring your rubber gloves, as water in the kitchen is really hot!

Camp kitchen at Cape Le Grand
Cape Le Grand campground facilities

We spent the day walking on the beach where the white sand squeaks under your feet, observing waves rolling and dispersing into the air when the wind was strong, and spotting seagulls and other birds fly across the sky.

Photographing flowers and insects was another past time.

The kids ran on the beach and played in the sand.

The evening meal was served inside our caravan where we could hide from the strong wind and feel cozier.

Inside our caravan

Being on the western side of Western Australia means you can see amazingly beautiful sunset at Cape Le Grand.

Sunset at Cape Le Grand with a seagull

Not only sunsets are different every day, but they are different every minute of the day as it gets to its end. The time after the sun goes down is particularly magical when the beautiful colours appear in the sky.

Sunset at Cape Le Grand  in pink colour

Loving our 9 day stay at Cape Le Grand!

Day 7: Thistle Cove

Thistle Cove is a small picturesque bay in Cape Le Grand National Park near Esperance on the Southern Ocean coastline in Western Australia.

We visited Thistle Cove as part of our 9 day stay at Cape Le Grand. On day 7, nice beautiful day with sun shining and temperature in low 20s, we decided to go hiking. We drove to Thistle Cove and decided to hike from there to Lucky Bay. This proved to be one of the best places in Cape Le Grand National Park. The place is so rich in history, natural coastal beauty, diversity of plants. It is a paradise.

Local history

It was named Thistle Cove by Captain Matthew Flinders who, while surveying this area in 1802, found much needed fresh water. He decided to name the place after the ship’s master John Thistle. These freshwater sources were also important to traditional Aboriginal people who camped here during seasonal journeys to and from the coast. Thistle Cove, as well as Frenchman Peak, is part of Aboriginal Dreaming Story. According to Nyungar Aboriginal People, when the wind blows amongst the rocks you may hear ancestors crying for their two children who were carried out to sea by mother walich, the eagle. She was angry that the children had stolen her eggs, disobeying their parents and elders. Every time the children tried to swim back to the shore, their mother walich picked them up and carried back to the sea. This story teaches children a very good lesson.

Whistling Rock

Another attraction there is Whistling Rock. It is an interestingly nature sculptured granite boulder that captures the sound of the wind and it actually whistles!

Whistling Rock at Thistle Cove in Cape Le Grand National Park

The walk from Thistle Cove to Lucky Bay is an easy (Class 3) 1 hour walk (one way). It offers stunning views of the bay. At some high points you can see Thistle Cove, Lucky Bay and other bays at the same time. It is a beautiful place to visit.

Day 6: Cape Arid and mistakes we’ve made/lessons we learnt

Almost everyone who has ever done some 4WDriving, got bogged at 4WD track. Our first experience of it was at Tagon Beach 4WD track in Cape Arid National Park.

With 9 nights at our leisure at Cape Le Grand, we decided to spend a day driving to Cape Arid National park, which is 120km east of Esperance.

Cape Arid National Park

It is a large national park, covering an area of nearly 3000 square kilometres. While it is accessible by road, most of the park itself is 4WD only. Cape Arid is a very pristine, hardly touched and spoilt by humans’ place. It is also beautiful with clear blue waters, white sandy beaches, rocky headlands and diverse vegetation. We only managed to see a small part of the park. After paying our entry fees to the national park, we drove to Dolphin Cove along Thomas River Road.

First, we wanted to check the campsites. There are 2 shire campsites, close to each other. Each campsite has 14 to 20 camping spots , sheltered bbq and picnic areas, as well as toilets. Both areas were full (around Christmas time) when we drove by. Quite nice camping places but perhaps not quite for us, as we would probably miss on the spot, should we decide to come to camp there. (Update: a few years later, we came back, stayed at one of those campgrounds and actually loved it! And here is a post about it.

Dolphin Cove beach being just around the corner we decided to drive there. Two roads were leading there – Tagon Beach 4WD track and an unsealed 2WD path. We thought having a 4WD was enough to undertake the first track. However, we underestimated our experience. We obviously still had a lot to learn and this was our great learning experience.

How we got bogged at Tagon Beach 4WD track

The track was quite firm and slightly gravelled at the beginning. As it continued, it started to get softer. Four 4X4 utes driven by young, seemingly carefree but experienced drivers passed by. We let them go forward and thought of following them, however, they were quickly out of sight.

About 100 meters or so away from the beach, it happened. We got bogged! The sand was too soft and imprudently we did not reduce the tyre pressure. ☹. Mistake number one. (Lesson learnt: reduce tyre pressure before driving on soft sand and engage proper 4WD gear for soft sand driving.)

We were prepared to such surprises to some extent. First, we reduced the tyres down to 15psi, then dug some sand from underneath the car and placed the recovery boards.

Brian started the engine and pressed on accelerator. Trying to push the car from behind I watched the wheels spinning. This went for a short while. The car moved forward a little and encouraged I asked the kids to help push the car again. More wheel spinning. The car stopped moving.

We lost recovery boards when we got bogged at Tagon Beach 4WD track

When Brian came out, he asked me where the recovery boards were. Naively, I thought they were just invisible but still underneath the car. We tried to look for them but it was impossible to find anything. Our Pajero was sitting with its bottom on the sand and nearly half of the wheels were buried into sand. There was no sign of our recovery boards. Mistake number two. ☹ (Lesson learnt: Tie the ropes to recovery boards to prevent losing them.)

We tried the same a couple of times more. More pressing on accelerator and more wheel spinning. No sign of recovery boards. Mistake number three. ☹ (Lesson learnt: When you persevere in your attempts to move forward on the sand and the wheels are not engaged, the vehicle gets buried into the sand even more.)

Our recovery with lucky Luck

Nearly 2 hours have passed. With no progress in sight and no more vehicles passing by, Brian went to the beach to ask for help. We were lucky that was a group of people in two 4WD on the beach (but no sign of the previous 4 utes) whom Brian approached. ”Luck” as he is known and his friend was indeed our luck! Eventually, we did get out after a few forwards and backwards to compact the sand, and following Luck’s advice to reduce the tyre pressure further down to 10psi. Brian was so horrified by the whole experience that he refused to drive to the beach alone and only wanted to go back to Cape Le Grand. So I have no picture of the beach to place here. ☹ (Update: we came back to this beach a few years later, drove the same track with success and took pictures of the beach. Here is a post about it).

The trip back to our campground was uneventful and rather long. Back at the campground while looking through the photos I found a picture of the roads conditions sign I took at the park. If only I actually checked this properly! Mistake number four ☹. (Lesson learnt: do your research before going to unknown places.)

To comfort ourselves we had sausages for dinner once we got back 😊.

Back at Cape Le Grand campground

Day 2: Esperance beaches and Stonehenge

Beaches and Stonehenge are two things you must visit when you are in Esperance.

While staying at Cape Le Grand National Park during our 9 day camping trip, we decided to visit Esperance. After filling gas and treating ourselves to local fish and chips, we had plenty of time to do sightseeing that day. First, we visited Stonehenge.

Stonehenge

Esperance Stonehenge is a full-size replica of the original UK Stonehenge and it appears as the UK version would have looked like around 1850BC.

Stonehenge replica in Esperance

It was built from 137 stones of Esperance pink granite quarried opposite the road where Stonehenge is rested.

Esperance Stonehenge was built to align with both Summer (22nd December) and Winter (21st June) Solstices in Western Australia. If you are lucky to have good weather, the owners actually open the place at 4am in summer to allow visitors experience this phenomenon.  

Esperance beaches

The beaches around Esperance are spectacular and easy to access via The Great Ocean Coastal Drive. It is a 40km coastal self-drive route encompassing a number of picturesque lookouts and parking bays.

Photo by our oldest son Ariel who discovered and taught us how to create 3×3 panoramic pictures.

You probably need a couple of days if you want to explore this area and explore all of the beaches and lookouts (plus Pink Lake and wind farm) along the route. Having only a  few hours at our disposable, we decided to visit only the most interesting places. Salmon Beach was the first of the beautiful beaches where we stopped.

Salmon Beach

Twighlight Beach is probably the most popular family beach located 10km from town centre. It is one of the safest and most beautiful beaches around Esperance.

Twighlight Beach

Twighlight Beach is equipped with picnic facilities, public toilets and also Shark Warning System!

Shark Warning System at Twightlight Beach

Ten Mile Lagoon is a fantastic swimming beach 19 km from town, particularly for young swimmers. A rocky shore separates a natural shallow and calm lagoon with much warmer waters from the breaking waves of the ocean.

Ten Mile Lagoon Beach

The lagoon is a perfect place not only for swimming, but also for snorkelling and admiring what the ocean shallow floor offers.

Ten Mile Lagoon

Going up the stairs back to the car I was admiring rugged pristine coastline…

Ten Mile Lagoon rugged coastline

Esperance is approximately 720km south east of Perth, on the Southern Ocean coastline in Western Australia.

Day 1: Frenchman Peak

Driving towards Frenchman Peak

Frenchman Peak is within Cape Le Grand National Park, which is 45 minutes drive east from Esperance, in the south east of Western Australia.

Frenchman Peak was discovered and named by surveyor Alexander Forrest in 1870 in search of a good country for pasture. The peak’s shape is quite unusual and very distinct, resembling the hats worn by French troops in the 1800s.

Cleaning the shoes before hiking to prevent spread of dieback disease

Hiking Frenchman Peak

We hiked this 262-meter mountain, which was quite an interesting experience. It started as an easy walk but quickly turned into quite a hard and challenging climb, the path consisting mainly of loose, bare rocks.

Climbing Frenchman Peak

Frenchman Peak hike is ranked Class 5.

It gets steeper as we climbed higher

Being quite a warm day, there were lots of flies, which ceased being a problem due to strong winds at the top of the mountain.

Having a break…

And now it’s time for a snack 😊.

SNACK TIME!!!

Cave

There was an interesting surprise near the summit – a large cave, which is thought to have formed by wave erosion and underwater currents some 40 million years ago when sea levels were about 300 meters above their current levels and the peaks of Cape Le Grand were submerged.

Amazing granite arch

Walking further around the cave, we discovered that there was another entrance to it.

Inside the cave

Getting closer to the walls of the cave we marvelled at the amazing rock formations.

From the cave it was only a short walk to the granite peak.

The view from the top

The views from the summit are magnificent. I felt a sense of an immense expanse and wonderment standing on the top, reflecting on how we, as human beings, are only tiny grains in this vast universe and so much of it is unknown to us. The desire to know and explore is what drives us on travelling adventures.

Are you ready to follow our adventures? On to Day 2 of our 9-day stay at Cape Le Grand.