Continuing Along on the Warlu Way

Andy and I ran along Warrungunha Trail, a small single track that hugged Millstream Creek weaving its way through melaleuca, snappy gums and palm trees. The trail turned east, following the Fortescue River to the Cliff lookout. Our return journey was along the wider Red Roo Trail, on which we conveniently saw a few kangaroos in the morning sunshine.

We rouse the girls, keen to get going relatively early in order to make the Rock Art Tour we'd booked in for. First stop though way only a few km’s down the road at Deep Reach. This permanent, large expanse of water is maintained by the aquifer and is home to the Warlu serpent which is revered and respected by the local Yinjibarndi people. It was a perfect place for an early morning swim to wash off the sweat and dust from our muggy run.

Again we timed this to perfection, having Deep Reach to ourselves. A well constructed set of stairs made the entrance into the river easy. It was a quick dip as we were aware of our time constraint and as we returned to the car we noticed a handful of others driving in! Driving 130km to Dampier, the girls were eager to continue to listen to the Nancy Wake audiobook we'd borrowed from the library.

In Dampier, we found a great cafe - Soak where we enjoyed a long relaxing lunch. We had a few jobs - a call to my parents was on top of the list. Sadly they confirmed that they would be unable to join us in Broome due to Mum's recent heart problem requiring further investigation and management.

We also contacted Fi, Andy and family to firm up plans as to our meeting place. Originally it was going to be 80 Mile Beach - a caravan park halfway between Port Hedland and Broome however Fi had emailed them to check it was ok to come (the park has a no booking policy) to which they replied they were overflowing! Quickly, we discovered and booked to have 2 nights at Pardoo Station with the Livermore clan.

As we left Dampier, we pulled in at the Red Dog statue to take obligatory photos. Red Dog was a famous Red Cloud Kelpie who roamed the Pilbara region until he unfortunately died from dingo bait.

Murujuga National Park, situated on the Burrup peninsula is home to over 1 million  petroglyphs (engravings). We thought a Rock Art Tour would be interesting and a change on previous holiday experiences.

At 2pm under the blazing sun a few other cars had gathered in the designated carpark although none of the occupants were on the tour. We waited patiently wondering if we had the correct time - the email confirmation had conflicting info. A ranger soon appeared in their distinctive ute.

Sarah, a young Aboriginal ranger, introduced herself to us. It looked like we were the only group on the tour. The Murujuga National Park is an unusual place. It looked like someone had tipped piles of red rocks leftover from a mining business. These ridges of broken red rock were bare of any flora. A harsh environment.

The 90 minute tour  provided us with an insight into ancient culture regarding the rock art and stories behind them. We learnt about various aspects of traditional Aboriginal life - how they lived in harmony with the land. Numerous plants and trees were pointed out with explanation of their use either as bush tucker,  medicine or as an indicator of time.

  

Hot and bothered by the time the tour was over, we made our way straight to the closest beach which happened to be Hearson Cove. The turquiose water of this sheltered bay looked so inviting. Unfortunately it was shallow - so shallow that despite walking over 150m from the shore the water was still only up to our thighs!

It was late afternoon when we rolled up to the caravan park in Karratha. The girls headed for the pool, while I made a beeline to the laundry. Funnily, Andy recognised a couple in the campsite diagonally across from us to be NSW orienteers! We had inadvertently bumped into Paul and Julia Prudhoe who were doing a lap of Australia. It was nice to chat to them over the next few days.