Karijini National Park

Sunday 14th June
The usual Sunday breakfast of baked beans on toast got us started for a big day in Karijini National Park. The first stop was the visitor centre where we got the good oil on the Gorges and its native inhabitants. We saw a photograph of a 14mt long Python dragging an adult Wallaby out of a rock pool and a photo of a couple of other 6mt Pythons, one of which has a hair band around its neck. One of the staff explained that the Python came out of a tree to go for the pony tail of a passing woman, the hair band holding the pony tail ended up around the Python where it has remained ever since.
Our first target for the day was the famous Fortescue Falls where we had to descend into Dales Gorge via a steep track in the gorge wall. The reward for all this hard walking was at the bottom of the gorge where the Fortescue Fall drops into a pool of turquoise water where we could see all the way to the bottom. From the fall we went a bit further along the bottom of the gorge to Fern Pool - hat a fabulous spot. On the return walk we first smelt an then spotted a colony of large fruit bats hanging in the trees. Rock Fig can found in abundance at the bottom of the gorge and provides food for the bats.
The only unfortunate thing about the experience is the ascent back out of the gorge which made us earn our lunch. A bit further down in Dales Gorge is another spot called Circular Pool, that's where had our lunch before another, even steeper descent into this part of the gorge.
Once at the bottom of the gorge the walk continues along the bottom with water, rocks, ferns and other vegetation forming a lush, jungle like environment. The walk took us mainly over rocks, upstream, until we arrived at a natural tunnel made up of dense trees. We walked up the tunnel and after a few more rocks we arrived at the totally awesome Circular Pool. Surrounded by vertical rock walls some 150-200 feet high, water emerges from the bottom of the rock walls and flows into the large, turquoise looking pool of crystal clear water. This place looks like something out of a Fairytale or maybe it looks like Paradise itself.
We arrived at Circular Pool just on 3pm and due to the steep walls the sun had already set down there. After spending some time admiring the place we started our walk back out and the ascent back up where we met another couple on the road for one year with 3 kids. After exchanging some stories about kids and their schooling during long trips we made our way back to the caravan, some 80km away at Auski Roadhouse.
Driving back in an easterly direction provided us with an amazing view of the red topped ranges bathed in the golden light of the setting sun - what a sight to end the day.