After having a fantastic time on Ningaloo reef it was time to head inland and discover the natural beauty of the Pilbara region. This was a land of contrasts – national parks surrounded by aboriginal and mining communities. It was amazing to witness the extent and influence of the mining industry up here. Everything is just so expensive – how long till the bubble bursts? it happening as we speak. After driving a few hundred kilometres we stopped on the side of the road at Horseshoe Ck for an overnight camp before another long drive to Tom Price. Situated 700m above sea level, this place, not surprisingly was well stocked with supplies and  a perfect base for visiting Karijini National Park – another jewel in the crown for WA tourism.

In all we stayed 4 nights at Dales Campground within the National Park. The campground was a beauty with large private bushy sites and very close to one of the main gorges. The first day we did some short hikes in the adjacent gorge which was crowded, especially as only a 2wd was required to visit here – hence it was backpacker central. Nevertheless, it was stunning and the warmish days were rewarded with a couple of swims in some of the icy pools. It was not surprising they were so cold with temperatures dropping to five degrees at night. Not since Oberon (NSW) at the start of the trip have we experienced the weather this cold.

The following day we visited Weano and Hancock gorges which were even more stunning. The kids had a great time traversing the tight rocky areas, which you would not want to be in when there is rain threatening. We also managed to time it right at Hancock gorge in which we had all it to ourselves. On the final day we hiked up nearby Mt Bruce and then drove for over an hour to  Hammersley gorge. This place was unique in its rock structure and the colours in the low light were particularly amazing. Overall, Karijini definitely lived up to its big reputation and should never be left out when visiting the North West.

We headed out of Karijini for towards the coast, staying for one night at Indee station. It was here we attended our very first grey nomad happy hour and quickly realised why we had avoided them all trip (we are not that old yet!). In the morning we visited Red Rock ( a mini version of Ayers Rock) along with our first glimpse of aboriginal engravings. The next objective of the trip (and a main one of the kids) was to visit the Red Dog Statue in Dampier. We free camped a couple of nights in Cleareville Bay, just near Karratha and spent time driving around the coast and picking up supplies after our inland visit. The towns were not really exciting but one thing that Dad did miss was having a boat . The islands off Dampier are renowned for spectacular blue-water fishing. Never mind we were looking forward to our next stretch of travelling before arriving in Broome (and the kids got to watch the Red Dog movie again for the thousandth time).

The stretch between Port Headland and Broome was only some 600km but only limited accommodation existed along this stretch of coastline – Pardoo Station, Eighty Mile Beach, Port Smith and Barnhill Station – and yes we visited all of them. Pardoo and Port Smith were by far the pick of the spots. From their good facilities and stocked general stores through to their fantastic fishing. Again we were told by semi- permanent residents  ‘not to fish there as the tides were not right, or you’ll get bogged etc. –  only to experience hot land-based fishing sessions which now included mud crabs. This was the land of big tides, long deserted beaches and mangrove lined inlets. We were fortunate enough to experience all this with a couple of families that were also doing the big lap including Greg and Danielle from the Gold coast along with their kids Tye and Ruby. The adults got to spend some “Happy hour” time on their own while the the children got their “ kids fix”. This is what its all about !!!!

Situated just above the Tropic of Capricorn is a town called Carnarvon, which signifies the start of cyclone country during the warmer months of the year. Fortunately for us in winter time it means beautiful warm days and clear cool nights. Carnarvon is also the food bowl of the North-West with plentiful fruit and vegetable produce grown in the region. We spent a couple of days stocking up on fresh food here as well as checking out the local sights. On the advice of a grey nomad months previous we had dinner one night at an obscure pub on the foreshore. We were not disappointed with Chris ordering a large plate of homemade steak pie chips and gravy with a middy of beer for the princely sum of $10 – in W.A. (or anywhere else) you cant beat that!!!.

After leaving Carnarvon we spent three nights at the Quobba Blowholes just 70km away on the coast. This place represented the start of the Ningaloo reef which we had been looking forward to all trip. Our first real reef snorkel of the trip at ‘the aquarium’ did not disappoint as the corals and fish were world class. As the reef was enclosed in a lagoon right off the beach meant this place was super kid friendly and Aimee and Dylan had a ball. On our second dive we also got to see our first W.A. green turtle, something that would soon be a regular occurrence. In the afternoons we explored Quobba Stations many beaches and lookouts – what a place to have a farm.

Continuing on the station theme we went on to stay at Warroora Station just below Coral Bay. This inexpensive bush beach camp is a winter home for many southern grey nomads and big enough to escape from every one. Aside from fishing we spent most of the days swimming and snorkelling. As usual in W.A. the wind blew hard during some parts of the day, but we were now getting used to it (Maybe!). After the bush camping, we were ready to hit the crowds of Coral Bay. This place is on everyones bucket list and it is not hard to see why. Although there are only a few expensive shops, a couple of caravan parks and a multitude of grey nomads and European Backpackers, the place is stunning. The water is crystal clear, the weather was good (Chris had great success on a fishing charter) and the nearby beaches and snorkelling are first class. To top it off the caravan park had generous caravan spots and green grass!!! – a nice change from all that red dirt. Ningaloo was definitely making a good impression on the Walshes.

On the way to Exmouth, we hit some bad weather so we stopped into Bullara Station for a few days. This was a cattle station – a small one at that (only 250,000 acres). We had communal camp fires and got to meet some interesting people working on the farm. Aimee got friendly with the station girl (Lucy) and learnt many aspects of farm life. Once the weather cleared we made our way up to Exmouth – the most northerly point of Ningaloo Reef. Surprisingly, we were lucky to get a low cost camping ground in Cape Range National Park. Hence we were close to all the great snorkelling areas and gorges this park is famous for. As with most of the trip our activities we were not guided by the clock but by the strength of the sun, the wind and tide heights. Most of the snorkelling spots (including turquoise bay and oysters stacks) were best on the top of the tide, while the gorge walks were best don’t earlier in the day. With no internet reception this is one place you definitely forget about the rest of the world. Importantly, Chris got to tick off the top of his bucket list for the trip – a dive with the whale sharks. A day he will never forget.