If you haven’t been, add Karijini National Park to your bucket list. Aussies often ask us what our favorite place we’ve visited here has been. How does one choose between the white sand dunes and miles of breathtaking beaches at Cape Arid, the hazy canyons of the Blue Mountains, the stunning snorkeling at Ningaloo Reef, or the dolphins at Pebbly Beach in Yuragir National Park? But Karijini National Park, with its backdrop of red dirt, yellow-green spinifex grasses, chalky gum trees, and mountains—highlighted with stunning gorges and refreshing pools—has been the favorite spot for Doug and me.
We spent four days hiking up and down gorges, cooling off in multiple pools and falls, each with its own unique appeal. After an 8-hour day of hiking Mt. Bruce then Hammersley Gorge, I decided to stay at camp while Doug and the girls returned to Knox Gorge. In a narrow wedge of space near the bottom of the gorge Ella found herself face to face with an 8 foot long, super deadly King Brown (Mulga) Snake, essentially cornered by her due to the long drop deeper into the gorge behind it. Doug and Helen arrived, inadvertently further threatening the snake. While these snakes don’t go looking for trouble, they are territorial. It stood its ground by staring malevolently at the three of them as they slowly backed up the gorge. They were all rightfully freaked and relieved to get out of its space, and I was happy to hear about it when they were all back safely.
In addition to many snakes, we saw multiple cool skinks, lizards, frogs, spiders, and insects. I was glad our Ecolodge host warned us of the abundant frogs in the bathroom, as on my first visit to the loo I was hardly alone–there were 20 frogs about two inches in length, including about 7 inside the toilet. Apparently having so many frogs around is a sign of a healthy water system. We know first hand there were many well-fed mosquitoes and biting flies for the frogs to feast on.
Centralian Blue-tongued Skink
Happy Helen sliding down falls
We spent two days traveling from Karijini National Park back to the big city of Perth for the final leg of our Australia trip. What a contrast after the remote Karijini and Cape Range National Parks.
To Perth!!
Strout Family Year of Travel 