Oh dear, we really need to get used to the idea that this is not a country which can be easily traversed in three hours by road. And when people tell you something is 'just on your doorstep', what they actually mean is that you don't need to take a flight to get there.
Yesterday we decided to visit the famous Karijini National Park, which had been described by several people as - yep -- 'on our doorstep'.
It isn't.
Setting off with a picnic, five bickering children and half a tank of petrol, we figured we'd be at the park in an hour.
And yes, we did reach its outer edges in just over an hour, however we quickly discovered that the Visitor Centre was 55 kilometres away, and all the attractions were of similar distances and in various directions. And the road had given way to a red gravel track making for a bumpy and uncomfortable ride.
I had imagined visiting the park would be a bit like visiting The World Showcase in Disney World, where you can visit eleven countries in an hour, shuttling from fake Marrakesh to fake Oslo in a matter of minutes. Sadly nature isn't quite as accommodating as the Disney Corporation; it takes time, patience and a lot of petrol, and to see all that Karijini has to offer -- the falls, the gorges, the pools, the fauna -- takes many hours or even days, and many people choose to camp there and make a holiday of it. How naive to think we could simply rock up, park the car, check out the nature and still be home in time for The Voice?
Instructing the children to please put away their Nintendos and look out the windows, we kept our eyes peeled for kangaroos, dingos or anything else of interest. 'Is that a lizard? Look, LOOK!' yelped DH enthusiastically at regular intervals. 'Nope, it's a strip of tyre....'
We drove for what felt like an eternity through bush land and I wondered what secrets the surrounding mountains held, and what we might be missing. Karijini is truly a stunning place, but oh so vast!
Not knowing which sign to follow, we finally opted to follow one for Kalamina gorge, which lead us up a bumpy, winding road to a smallish gorge overlooking a rock pool below. It was beautiful to behold although sadly nature doesn't come with a safety rail, and the splendour was rather spoiled by the three youngest children who hold little or no regard for their personal safety.
It was clear that there would be no swimming in the rock pool below (how would we get to it without literally jumping from twenty feet above?) so we opted to simply sit on the flat, four billion year old rock and have a picnic, while trying to prevent the baby from hurling himself into the water below.
After a fretful lunch, we decided to continue on the road towards the Visitor Centre where I hoped to peruse a gift shop and look at nature on a flat screen TV. Tragically it was closed, and it had also started to rain.
The petrol tank was by now starting to look a little thirsty -- we had been driving around for almost three hours -- and the nearest petrol station was an hour and a half away.
It was time to retrace our steps and head back, so we reluctantly turned the car around to make the two hour drive home. All we had seen was a gorge too perilous to get close to, a closed Visitor centre and at one point I thought I may have seen a dead snake on the road.
Next time we visit Karijini National Park we will leave the children behind and book into the Karijini Eco Retreat, which offers luxury camping accommodation -- or as they call it ecommodation -- allowing us to be at one with nature while lying on our bed, viewing it on the Samsung Tab 2. Less perilous and far less petrol.
Yesterday we decided to visit the famous Karijini National Park, which had been described by several people as - yep -- 'on our doorstep'.
It isn't.
Setting off with a picnic, five bickering children and half a tank of petrol, we figured we'd be at the park in an hour.
And yes, we did reach its outer edges in just over an hour, however we quickly discovered that the Visitor Centre was 55 kilometres away, and all the attractions were of similar distances and in various directions. And the road had given way to a red gravel track making for a bumpy and uncomfortable ride.
I had imagined visiting the park would be a bit like visiting The World Showcase in Disney World, where you can visit eleven countries in an hour, shuttling from fake Marrakesh to fake Oslo in a matter of minutes. Sadly nature isn't quite as accommodating as the Disney Corporation; it takes time, patience and a lot of petrol, and to see all that Karijini has to offer -- the falls, the gorges, the pools, the fauna -- takes many hours or even days, and many people choose to camp there and make a holiday of it. How naive to think we could simply rock up, park the car, check out the nature and still be home in time for The Voice?
Instructing the children to please put away their Nintendos and look out the windows, we kept our eyes peeled for kangaroos, dingos or anything else of interest. 'Is that a lizard? Look, LOOK!' yelped DH enthusiastically at regular intervals. 'Nope, it's a strip of tyre....'
We drove for what felt like an eternity through bush land and I wondered what secrets the surrounding mountains held, and what we might be missing. Karijini is truly a stunning place, but oh so vast!
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| More termite mounds... |
Not knowing which sign to follow, we finally opted to follow one for Kalamina gorge, which lead us up a bumpy, winding road to a smallish gorge overlooking a rock pool below. It was beautiful to behold although sadly nature doesn't come with a safety rail, and the splendour was rather spoiled by the three youngest children who hold little or no regard for their personal safety.
It was clear that there would be no swimming in the rock pool below (how would we get to it without literally jumping from twenty feet above?) so we opted to simply sit on the flat, four billion year old rock and have a picnic, while trying to prevent the baby from hurling himself into the water below.
 |
| The visitor centre is miles from anywhere.... |
The petrol tank was by now starting to look a little thirsty -- we had been driving around for almost three hours -- and the nearest petrol station was an hour and a half away.
It was time to retrace our steps and head back, so we reluctantly turned the car around to make the two hour drive home. All we had seen was a gorge too perilous to get close to, a closed Visitor centre and at one point I thought I may have seen a dead snake on the road.
Next time we visit Karijini National Park we will leave the children behind and book into the Karijini Eco Retreat, which offers luxury camping accommodation -- or as they call it ecommodation -- allowing us to be at one with nature while lying on our bed, viewing it on the Samsung Tab 2. Less perilous and far less petrol.
 |
| 'Glamping' in Karijini Eco Retreat... |
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ReplyDeleteNational parks are amazing and a great fun place where we can spend a very good time with anyone may it be friends, family. I have seen many national parks and they are really amazing. It is very interesting to see the wildlife from so close and we can know many interesting facts about all these things related to wildlife and these animals. It is good to hire a car as these are located far from main cities so hiring a car can give lot of comfort and fun to visit these places. I always hire a car whenever i go on any trip. There are many car hire companies these days. you can have a look at this for further information http://www.dan-dooley.ie/car-rental-hire-dublin-airport.htm
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