Lovely bush campsite
So Saturday morning we were up early and at the turn off before 7.00 am. I am surprised they manage to get so many tourists in to the park as the road is an absolute shocker. Helicopter flights over are understandably popular. It is 50 kilometres in, we did it in around an hour and fifteen minutes, but the 4x4 tour buses and anyone towing would be lucky to mange it within two hours. The corrugations are something to behold, the road curves and bends the whole way in, and there are numerous creek crossings.
The park has two sections, northern and southern. I hadn't realised how different they were going to be. We headed south first, and this has the striped beehive formations that the Bungles are famous for. We did the Domes Loop and the Cathedral.
We then headed to the Northern section. It is about 25 kilometres back to the entry road and about another 20 from there to the Northern section, so probably a good forty five minutes from one end to the other. We came across a sobering reminder of driving to the road conditions.
By the time we got to our destination it was midday, so we opted for lunch before the next walk. This was Echidna Chasm. Wow, what an amazing place. We had to walk up a rocky river bed to reach it and then you walk right through it for about 300 metres. Some of the chasm is less than a metre wide, but so very high. Towards the back you have to climb ladders to reach the next area. It is quite an experience to see it.
View from the walk to the entrance
Start of the gorge
Narrower and narrower
Climbing over rocks to get through
And up ladders. Look at the rock wedged above
After the Chasm we walked up to Osmand Lookout. Upon returning to the carpark, we counted six tour buses having not long arrived or just arriving. You would think they would time it better so they aren't all there at once. Glad we beat them there as it must get tight in those narrow areas.
View from Osmond Lookout
The Bloodwoods
On the way back out we checked out the short walks at Bloodwoods and Stonehenge, then back to that terrible road. Back on the highway we were looking like being on track for a 4.00 pm return, when we came across these two huge wide loads, where the pilot driver got us to pull completely off the road. They looked like mining equipment. Unfortunately for us they were at a one way bridge, and it was a very long and time consuming job getting them over it. The pilot told us they were over 7 metres wide.
Sunday morning was a leisurely pack up. The mornings are getting to be a bit of a shock - 8 degrees in the van. But then the van near us told me he has an outside thermometer and it measured 2 degrees. At least it warms up pretty quick.
We arrived at Halls Creek just before 9.30 and were the first customers for the day at the caravan park. We had considered another free camp for the night, but decided it would be a good idea to top up the water and batteries and do some of the washing that seems to accumulate quickly in the dusty environment.
After lunch we headed south to explore some of the attractions of the area. The first one was China Wall, an interesting geological formation.
China Wall
Next was Caroline Pool, somewhere we had been thinking of camping at. It was a nice spot but not very big so I think probably pretty crowded by the end of the day. From here it was only about a kilometre to the Old Halls Creek. The town was originally founded on a gold rush which soon petered out. When an airfield was put in in the 1930's and the highway moved near it, the town soon followed and there is very little left of the original.
Caroline Pool
After this we drove further south to Palm Springs and nearby Sawpit Gorge, two very pretty spots that also have 24 hour camping allowed. It was around 4.30 by the time we returned to Halls Creek.
Palm Springs
The next morning was a leisurely pack up before heading into the town for a stock up. Halls Creek used to have a terrible name, but the town now looks neat and clean. Banning takeaway alcohol has had a big impact. It is a very well serviced town with a good butcher and baker and a well stocked supermarket, all of which we gave patronage.
We made our next destination, Mary Pool, by lunch time. This is a hugely popular free camp, but fortunately is also a huge area. Being nice and early we picked a great spot, had lunch then walked around the camp and up past the water holes. Much to Jim's delight I then made some shortbread. Late afternoon, we sat and watched all the campers roll in.
Mary Pool - we are in there somewhere
Tuesday was pretty much unplanned as to where we would end up. We had considered the free camp at Ngumban Cliff. This is a really pretty spot, but the camp is on the top of the cliff, totally barren, but a great view. Unfortunately this isn't a good spot on a windy day, and this was one of them.
View from the cliffs
So to avoid being blown over the cliff, we decided on the extra distance to Fitzroy Crossing. Again we arrived just before lunch at the Fitzroy River Lodge, a really lovely caravan park. We got a huge site fully shaded, our luck is still holding.
After lunch we made our way to Geikie Gorge after a quick look around the town. We took the 3.00 pm tour of the gorge. This was really beautiful and we enjoyed the one hour trip very much. The gorge is known for its distinct colours where the frequent floods in the wet season have made the bottom layer white. We saw lots of freshwater crocodiles.
We took the original old crossing back to the camp.
The crossing from where the town got its name
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