Day 58 15/08/2013 Carnarvon to Kennedy Range NP.
Fortunately we had no rain overnight, but it was a cool, overcast start to the day. The brake light problem has returned.....we will have to try to get it sorted out before we are back in civilisation! On outback roads with a cloud of dust behind us, no-one can see the brake lights anyway, and fortunately even on sealed roads in this region there is still not much traffic! This morning our route took us in an easterly direction towards the Upper Gascoyne region. Our first stop was at a pretty picnic spot called Rocky Pool. This would be a great swimming hole in summer and a good place for bird-watching. It was designated 'no camping', but that hadn't deterred the several people who were definitely doing just that! We were going to have our morning coffee here but it was too cool and too windy. The wind is definitely following us now and I think we were fortunate to have a reasonable day out on the boat on Tuesday. We have had the radio on and the forecast for all the coastal regions contains boating alerts due to strong winds. That is another reason why we have now decided to head inland rather than continue to track down the coast.
We continued on our way and on either side of the road....sealed at this point....we encountered sand dunes and clay pans. We saw plenty of cattle and quite a few emu, including a couple who nearly ran out in front of us! The wildflowers were also prolific and colourful. The road we took was designated as the Kingsford Smith Mail Run. Charles Kingsford Smith is best known in Australia for his feats in aviation and Sydney's International airport is named for him. However to fund his aviation activities he and a mate set up a business in the 1920s, in this area of WA, taking supplies and mail from Carnarvon to the goldfields in the Gascoyne region. The area was also a sheep growing region.....now it's mainly cattle which are farmed here. Along the route we took, there were some stops with information boards telling some of the history of the area, and also some of the geological features. We reached the small township of Gascoyne Junction around mid-morning. It is situated at the junction of the Gascoyne and Lyons rivers. During 2010 there was flooding in the area and the township lost its historic pub. A new pub has been built......it is due to open next week! At this township we turned north and headed out on a good unsealed road into the Kennedy Range NP. On the way we had two more stops.....one to look at the remains of a cobbled road which had been built so that the wool haulage trucks would be able to travel more easily if there was rain in the area. During the 1920s these horse-drawn wagons would often get bogged if it rained, and would have to wait days until they could continue their journey. The second stop was to collect wood, just in case we could have a fire at our campsite. By this time the temperature had increased.....still not too hot....and the cloud had cleared. We reached the NP and the Temple Gorge Campground around lunchtime. We were directed to a site, (we had a few options), by our 'Camp Hosts', Andy and Debbie. (I don't think I mentioned that we also had camp hosts at Tulki Beach in the Cape Range NP). These camp hosts are usually 'grey nomads' like ourselves, who elect to manage, on a voluntary basis, popular campgrounds in National Parks during the peak season. Some stay for a month, some for two or three. They are provided with free camping plus drinking water, which isn't always available to others. We have not encountered them in any other state, but they do ensure that when campsites are booked ahead on-line, no-one else comes in to 'appropriate' these campsites. We have been on the receiving end of this situation a couple of years ago in QLD!! The hosts we have encountered so far have been from Perth and choose to spend the winter months in a warmer climate.
Once we had set up, we had lunch. Then we decided to do a couple of the walks in the area. The Kennedy Range NP has huge rugged sandstone cliffs, magnificent gorges and, in season, waterfalls and pools. The first walk we took, (directly from the campground), was into Drapers Gorge. This was a Class 4 walk which became increasingly difficult as we trekked further into the gorge. We passed some permanent water holes and saw evidence of where waterfalls would have been after rain. It was a very pleasant walk which took just under 2 hours. After a brief rest back at camp we drove a short distance to the start of another walk.....to Honeycomb Gorge. This was a short relatively easy track to a permanent pool, which again was fed by a seasonal waterfall. The main feature of this gorge was the amazing honeycomb appearance of the rocks. A truly wonderful sight.
Back at camp it was almost time for happy hour. We contributed our wood to the communal campfire, (no individual fires were permitted), and so did not feel bad about using the coals to cook our meal in the camp oven. No-one else was cooking anyway. We chatted to fellow campers and got a bit of advice re the intermittent brake light problem.
It was a cool evening, but not too windy and no rain clouds in sight.