Located approximately 1400km north of Perth and around 80kms north-east of Tom Price, Karijini National Park is the second largest national park in Western Australia and is one of the top 5 most visited places in the state. Originally called Hamersley National Park, it was renamed in 1991 to Karijini, which is Banyjima name for the Hamersley Range in recognition of Aboriginal history. (Source)
What is so unique about Karijini National Park?
What makes Karijini so unique and unforgettable is its amazing ancient rock formations.
These types of rocks are mostly banded iron formations, which are layered sedimentary rocks composed of alternating chert (a form of quartz) and iron oxide bands. Originally deposited, about 2500 million years ago, they covered some 150 000 km2 and contained about 300 trillion tonnes of iron. We do not see any rocks of this type forming in the world today, and this suggests that conditions in the ancient oceans where they formed were quite different than today, according to WA Museum.
Banded iron formations are thought to have formed in sea water as the result of oxygen production by photosynthetic cyanobacteria. The oxygen combined with dissolved iron in Earth’s oceans to form insoluble iron oxides, forming a thin layer on the ocean floor. (Source: Wikipedia) Eventually, the rocks rose up out of the water to form dry land. Rivers and creeks cut through the rocks, forming beautiful gorges, filled with permanent refreshing rock pools and spectacular waterfalls that are the main attractions for thousands of visitors.
Gorges in Karijini National Park
There are more than 20 gorges in the national park but only 8 of them are accessible to visitors. Originally we planned to stay 3 nights at Karijini but after spending an extra night at Cobbah Downs River Crossing camp, which was like an oasis in the desert, we only had 2 days to explore Karijini, during which we managed to see 3 of the 8 gorges.
Dales Gorge
The most accessible and probably, the most popular of all gorges is Dales Gorge. It’s home to 3 highlights: Fortescue Falls, Fern Pool and Circular Pool.
Fortescue Falls is a moderate difficulty 800 meter walk, including some steep steps down from the car park.
We saw a little snake sliding slowly along the rocks. It was rather shy but we managed to capture it on the camera.
Adjacent to the Falls is the Fern Pool, which is a delight for kids. On a busy day it might look like a public pool with lots of people going for a dip or swim and it is definitely very refreshing when it is hot (we visited Karjini end of September and the average day temperature was around +32 degrees).
Weano Gorge, Oxer Lookout and Handrail Pool
Even though Weano Gorge is considered Class 4, it is a relatively easy walk (1.5km), except for the last part where it becomes steep. Walking through water (appropriate footwear is a must here), along the narrow passages you get a feeling of suddenly immersing into another world – the ancient world of mystery and unknown.
The narrow passage leads to a Handrail Pool. As the name suggests, you need to hold the rail to climb down before you can reach deep and rather cold but so welcoming Handrail Pool.
Even though it was quite a steep descent our kids managed without help (our kids were 5 and 8 at that time).
We arrived at the pool quite late with the setting sun shining directly through the gap inside the gorge, making it rather difficult for not experienced photographers to take good pictures 😊. The reward was that we had the pool to ourselves.
You can go further from the Handrail pool into the gorge, but the water gets very cold there.
Knox Gorge
I found it the most picturesque gorge among those we visited. It is also one of the longest we visited (2 km), which meant more interesting places we could see 😊.
Initially climbing down was quite challenging. At one point I actually struggled where to put my foot down safely. But once down in the gorge, it is quite an easy walk most of the time, except for a few places where you have to climb over the rocks.
Knox Gorge has a few places where you can swim.
Or jump into….
You can also dive into it.
Or throw stones and see mesmerising circles forming on the surface of the water…
Closer to the end of the pathway there is a slot canyon, where you can actually go down into (although we were satisfied with just looking into it).
This is the farthest point we could get to. Beyond it was a sign indicating there was no entry. So, this was to be our late lunch stop.
While snacking on the food, I noticed that the two interfacing walls of the gorge looked like a man and woman lovingly looking at each other. How romantically nature has set it up.
It is time to go back…
More gorges
(from our second trip to Karijini in April 2021)
After spending 2 nights at Millstream Chichester National Park, full of wonderful memories and experiences, we slowly started heading back home. Our route was inland via Karijini. This time we intended to visit a couple of more gorges, in addition to those we’ve already seen.
Hamersley Gorge
This is the most remote gorge in Karijini National Park and it is the only one where you can get without paying national park entry fee if you enter from the north west. We used Roebourne-Wittenoom Road from Millstream Chichester National Park, joining Nanutarra-Munjina Road. Both roads are unsealed with the last section leading to the carpark is sealed.
A short (400 meters) but steep and uneven (class 3) walk from the car park takes you down to quite a large permanent pool, which is warmer compared to other pools in more enclosed gorges, like Handrail Pool in Weano Gorge.
Swimming in a pool was a delight despite the rain. We did take care not to touch the bottom of the pool or else our toes could have been eaten by yabbies 😊.
Hamersley Gorge, like all other gorges in Karijini, is full of colour and texture and is rich in geological history. Iron-rich layers of minerals alternating with iron-poor layers created distinctive bands in the rock, which then compressed and folded when the Earth’s surface moved as a result of tectonic plates collision. Eventually the rock pushed upwards and the seasonal rainfall formed rivers, that cut into the rock creating gorges. Work of nature over millions of years has produced these stunning landscapes.
Joffre Gorge
We tried to visit Joffre Gorge twice. First time, in September 2020, it got closed right in front of our eyes because of an accident (a boy fell into the gorge). Second time, in April 2021, it was closed again – this time because of the heavy rains. Unfortunately, the gorges (or their parts) do get closed quite often.
Kalamina Gorge
Kalamina Gorge is the shallowest of the gorges in the park. It is an easy 5-minute walk down from the car park to the base of the gorge. It is a delightful and enjoyable walk through along the gorge. A trail crosses the stream a few times. There are picnic tables and toilets at the car park.
The rain was expected again on our second day in Karijini. We just managed to get down into Kalamina Gorge and take a couple of shots of small waterfalls, when it started to drizzle.
Soon drizzle turned into heavy rain. Brian and the kids turned back while I was still hoping to get to the pool at the end of the gorge. I decided to wait till the rain stops under a small cliff where I managed to stay dry (and most importantly, keep the camera dry). It was not just an idle time for me. I looked up and saw this interesting spider above my head… and another one not far from the first one.
The rain did not subside. I noticed other travellers turning back. One of the ladies in a group asked me if I was by myself and suggested that I go back. Safety comes first. Unwillingly, I turned back. As I rushed through the rain, it started to pour buckets.
Hiding under another small ledge, I took out a few pictures of the rain. I wanted to remember those moments of the water falling so heavily, that it blocked the colours of the beautiful red iron ore rich rocks.
A ranger appeared as I was getting closer to the car park asking if there are more people in the gorge. The park was declared closed.
Where to camp for free in Kariji (just outside of the park)
Karijini is a very popular destination and being such, the two camp grounds and Eco retreat (these are the only places you can camp on the territory of the national park ) are fully booked months ahead during peak season (April to September). So we decided to free camp just outside the Karijini National Park. While it took us a little bit longer to drive to the gorges, it was still an excellent choice, because it meant freedom for us!
Albert Tognolini Rest Area
Our first stop was Albert Tognolini Campground in Juna Downs, which is 67 km away from Karijini National park on the eastern side. It is a huge campground on the hill with magnificent views, individual large secluded bays and plenty of space, so there is always a place for anyone coming late.
When the sun set down, the temperature dropped and the flies disappeared, making it a comfortable night.
It was a cooling night with moon and stars….
In the morning upon waking up we found that each person has one of his slippers missing. It took us a while to find the missing bits. Guess where?
Bush Camp-Track Opposite RIP Lookout
After exploring Dales Gorge with its lovely Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool, as well as Weano Gorge, we relocated to the western side and stopped for the night at Bush Camp-Track Opposite RIP Lookout on Karijini Drive in Mount Sheila. It is 65 km from Knox Gorge, where we were heading the following day. The campground is far away from the road not to be disturbed by traffic noise, has designated spots, enough bushes to hide behind… and it was all to ourselves!
RIP Lookout camp
During our second trip to Karijini in April 2021, our camping stop over for the night was RIP lookout (almost opposite Bush Camp-Track we stayed the year before).
RIP lookout is what the name suggests. It is a small hill offering nice 360-degree view. There are no facilities there. It felt slightly spooky in the evening with all those stones in memory of perished people around. We had no desire to stay outside after our dinner, given that it was already dark and the weather was promising more rain.
In the morning we were rewarded with the mysterious experience of being enveloped by the cloud.
We watched a low-lying cloud of thick fog moving from Tom Price across the Hamersley Range towards RIP lookout hill. Soon it was all over us, creating amazing photo opportunities.
Final note for those intending to visit Karijini national park. Plan at least 4 days to explore gorges. April to September is the best time to visit. September worked better for us in terms of weather, because in April we caught a tail of the cyclone that brought heavy rain to the park. Either way, Karijini is an unforgettable place, worth revisiting many times.
