Karijini National Park – day one

by inka on Mai.11, 2011, under Pilbara Region

Wednesday, 11th May 2011

Having started our trip Tuesday afternoon from Exmouth with one overnight stop we finally arrived at the little town Tom Price close to the Karijini National Park Wednesday afternoon after some exhausting 550 kilometres. Shopping and filling up petrol was quickly done and after a good lunch we drove the last 90 kilometres to the National Park.

: “Campground”

: On the way to Karijini

Track number one was into Hancock Gorge – at the beginning with a quite easy class 3 walk and then down the ladder into the Gorge onto the class 5 walk / hike.

: Where is the ladder that leads into Hancock Gorge is what we asked ourselves…

: Beginning of Hancock Gorge walk

: First part of Hancock Gorge – if you don’t want to swim climb the cliffs to your right

: Beginning of the class 5 hike

: You are supposed to go through the water but we just climbed over the rocks on the left side…

: And more climbing…

: Better over rocks than into water!

: Two happy hikers

: Climbing up and down

: We mastered a Class 5 hike – yippieh!

: Beautiful Hancock Gorge

: Hancock Gorge

: Hancock Gorge walls – huge and massive

: Hancock Gorge

: Hancock Gorge

: Sweetie at Hancock Gorge

Up and down to the beautiful Amphitheatre with a little waterfall where we climbed along the rockwalls instead of wading / swimming through the water.

: Almost at the Amphitheatre

: Amphitheatre

: Amphitheatre rockwall

: Waterfall at Amphitheatre – normal exposure

: Waterfall at Amphitheatre – longer exposure

: In between Amphitheatre and Spider Walk

Through the Spider walk, a quite narrow part of the gorge to Kermits Pool, the end of the walk. Only well equipped and professionally guided tours have access to the part that lies beyond that point. Regans Pool that followed after Kermits Pool in the restricted area was named in honour of the rescuer Jim Reagan who was swept away by a flash flood being on a rescue mission in 2004.