Day 45 02/08/2013 Port Hedland to Carawine Gorge via Marble Bar.

(It was quite noisy in the night!)

We decided to head into the East Pilbara, (the largest shire in the world!), today, to take a look at Marble Bar, and then head for a bush camp at Carawine Gorge.......all in all a drive of around 400 km.

But first......we had forgotten to refill our spare gas cylinder, so we headed off to do that. Most locations only have 'swap and go' cylinders now, and it was only at the 3rd service station that we found the size we needed! Then we were off on our way.

The route we needed to take leads to several major mining areas and so is frequented by road trains. For several km we were sandwiched between a couple of them, and there were also numerous others coming in the opposite direction. This road train traffic is the main reason that so many roads into these remote areas are now sealed. On the positive side it means that we can travel the long distances necessary in a reasonable amount of time. Having said that, there was a very stiff head wind today which slowed us down noticeably.

We had identified a picnic area, (marked on the map), where we could stop for our coffee break. The location came and went and there was no such picnic spot. We drove a little further and (reluctantly) pulled in at a very dry and dusty parking bay to drink our coffee. Several km further down the road, lo and behold, there was the really nice picnic spot and overnight camping area......it had been incorrectly marked on the map!!

The scenery was very pleasant and as we headed further east, there were more hills and green shrubs. We passed through a narrow area called Doolena gap where the width of the road would not have allowed two road trains to pass, and hence there was a sign instructing the drivers to radio ahead when approaching the gap. It was interesting to follow a road train through this scenic area. We arrived in Marble Bar late morning. Most Australians would 'know' of this remote outback town for its connection to the mining industry and for its claim to fame as Australia's hottest town. For 161 consecutive days leading up to April 20th 1924, the temperature didn't drop below 37.8 degrees, and that record still stands today. The name of the town comes from a local deposit of mineral, first thought to be marble, and later identified as jasper. This 'bar' crosses the Coongan River about 5km west of the town. The area was fascinating and picturesque, and the jasper looked really amazing when wet.. We had been advised at the Information Centre to splash water on the rock, but some other visitors, who had been there before, and were now back with friends, had come equipped with a small bucket! We were happy to take photos of the rocks that they were eagerly throwing water over! However there was one piece of colourful rock in the middle of the river which required some shallow wading to reach........Dave happily obliged, used his hands as a bucket, and I was able to photograph this one too!

This area is a heritage listed site and, as such, it is illegal to fossick there. Therefore, about 4km away along a dirt track, there is an area of jasper which is available for fossickers /rock enthusiasts to collect samples.

After checking out the 'marble bar' pool, the nearby Chinamans's Pool, (great picnic spot and swimming hole), and the jasper deposit, we headed into town and drove up to the water tank lookout for an elevated view of the town, and of course a few photos were taken!

We re-fuelled, then headed back out of town and further east along the Ripon Hills road. This is also a sealed road as it leads to a rather large mine. As the name of the road suggest, it passes through very hilly country, with the flat areas either side of the road strewn with boulders. About halfway along we stopped for lunch near the Nullagine River, and we were able to collect firewood there. The hills became flat-topped mesas, and we saw three wedge-tailed eagles fly up in front of us when we disturbed them eating a roadside kill. Since travelling south from Broome we have seen numerous cattle carcasses on the side of the road and no other types of road kill. In fact, apart from birds and cattle, we have not seen any wildlife.

We reached the turn off to the Telfer mine, (where many of the road trains were headed), and a few km further on came to the turn off to Carawine Gorge. The 14km dirt road to the gorge was in good condition. Although in an isolated location, this gorge is popular with tourists as well as people living in Marble Bar, Newman and Port Hedland, looking for a weekend away. And since this weekend is a long weekend in Port Hedland (we did not know that until we got here), the camping spots were beginning to fill up. We did get a lovely spot right by the river with a few trees around to provide shade. We do not have any very close neighbours. The wind had dropped by the time we had set up camp, to a gentle breeze, which was quite welcome, otherwise it would have been too hot.

We made a cup of tea and sat and enjoyed the bird-life on the river. Unfortunately the sounds of the bush were suddenly disrupted by very loud music coming from a neighbouring site. Happily it didn't last long and the 'culprits' came over to apologise. They were two young guys from Marble Bar who had a couple of days off and had borrowed a 4WD to go camping! One was an Aussie, doing some plumbing work at the hotel, and his mate was a young guy from the Netherlands, working in the pub! They had a very cute 8 week-old puppy with them. After our chat they were as quiet as mice, and we didn't hear them again until they drove off at around 6.30am the next day.

Because we are in a gorge with high cliffs lining the west side of the river, we 'lost' the sun long before sunset. Just on dark, we lit a fire and had barbecued steak and vegetables for dinner......and toasted marshmallows for dessert!

It was a warm, quiet night, although a vehicle did arrive, and park reasonably close to us around 9/10pm. We have decided to camp here for two nights. It will be nice to relax, especially for Dave, who has done all the driving over the last two days.