Wednesday, 30 May 2012

Eel Pool to Marble Bar



Day 7 - Eel Pool to Marble Bar



Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Out fellow neighboring campers were curious about the layout of the Travelander, so by the time we had given them the tour and exchanged a million stories it was mid morning before we hit the road. First port of call the Lower Carrowine Gorge. The boys were eager for this as supposedly it was a 4x4 only. That proved to be correct, but nothing too challenging although the Oakover River Crossing was the deepest one yet. We had noticed a bit of a rattle before we crossed so chauffeur got underneath to check things out. One bashplate screw missing and another only finger tight! Once shipshape again I was made to wade across so I could video it, only mid thigh deep. Further down at the Lower Carrowine Gorge we found the campsite of the Landrover Club. Got us thinking it would be a great spot for our own club camp as there are plenty of places to hub out from for daily drives. We had set off thinking we would have lunch at the Ironclad Hotel in Marble Bar. This is listed in The Book (Bush Pubs) but our socializing in the morning put us behind schedule so lunch was had on the river banks. The road into Marble Bar was all hard top so it didn't take us long to cover the 150 or so Kms! Lots of road kill (cows). Found the caravan park (aargh, those CPs). Anyhow we had the obligatory showers and cleaned ourselves us then walked up the road to The Ironclad for a bevy and dinner. Well worth it, me who doesn't like to eat out was very impressed - nicest meal I have had for a long time. Chef Peter was Thai/Vietnamese and his Pad Thai was yummy, and the vegetarian one for me with loads of fresh greens was a treat!



Magnificent Paperbark
[Map]

Planking at Marble Bar
[Map]

Sign in Iron Clad
[Map]



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Tuesday, 29 May 2012

three Pools to Eel Pool



Day 5 - Three Pools to Garden Pool Nullagine



Sunday, 27 May 2012

Morning has broken yet again bringing another lovely day! Moving on I am amazed at the mining tracks. It is as if a large net has been dropped over the whole area and a bulldozer has gone through carving out a grid of roads. When will it stop? Will there be any hills and gorges left in the Pilbara in 50 years time?

Nearly had a heart attack a few minutes down the road after having taken Doug for a walk when I realised I had lost my glasses! Chauffeur dutifully drove me back and we retraced my steps through the spinifex, just about to give up when chauffeur nearly trod on them, phew!

Managed to stay on the 'main track' through to the Marble Bar road, no easy feat with the thousands of exploration tracks! In to Newman for supplies and back track north to Nullagine.

Quite a long stretch of Tarmac, but then we his the gravel and ate the dust of a road train for half an hour. Fond a beaut little spot just outside Nullagine at Garden Pool and settled in for the night, enjoying fives's with a game of boules - chauffeur 10, Michael 9 and she who is chauffeured only 6.



Pilbara Mine Roads
[Map]

Road Train Dust
[Map]

Any one for Boules, Garden Pool Nullagine
[Map]

Day 6 - Nullagine to Eel Pool



Monday, 28 May 2012

After a lovely evening at Garden Pool, we packed up and had a quick sticky beak around Nullagine. For such a tiny place it sure has fast Internet service, also a library, police station, footy oval, Conglomorate Pub (not in The Aussie Bush Pubs Book! ). All that and we hardly saw a soul. Did see a sign up at the lookout that said you had to ask where you were allowed to fossick (amythyst). Heading out of the tiny tidy town I was given the task of translating the waypoints. First one Beaton Battery - a 10 stamp. It amazes me thinking about the effort it would have taken to get something this size all the way out here that is in the. Idle of nowhere even today. Mine shafts everywhere. It was a slow going road, lots of washouts. Interesting signpost for the Skull Crossing Spring, complete with Bolle sunnies :) this crossed the Davis River which was incredible. Largest paperbark trees I have ever seen. We crossed over looking for a picnic spot, but it was one of those wide meandering creeks, almost like a plain of water holes. Eventually found Eel Creek later, and decided to stay for the night even though someone else had beaten us to it. Introduced ourselves to a delightful older lady, her daughter Ellen Hickman (botanist and artist) and her friend visiting from Vic. It made a nice change being 'social'. Ellen turns out to be one of a group of 4 botanists in WA, one of the others being Phillipa, who we met on a deserted beach down Cape Arid National Park last New Year, shortly after she had just met the Queen! (Her latest illustrated botany book had been presented to The Royals during their Perth Tour!) What a small world.



Nullagine from lookout
[Map]

Beaton Battery
[Map]

Skull Springs Road Sign (Bolle sunnies)
[Map]



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Sunday, 27 May 2012

Three Pools to Garden Pool Nullagine



Day 5 - Three Pools to Garden Pool Nullagine



Sunday, 27 May 2012

Morning has broken yet again bringing another lovely day! Moving on I am amazed at the mining tracks. It is as if a large net has been dropped over the whole area and a bulldozer has gone through carving out a grid of roads. When will it stop? Will there be any hills and gorges left in the Pilbara in 50 years time?

Nearly had a heart attack a few minutes down the road after having taken Doug for a walk when I realised I had lost my glasses! Chauffeur dutifully drove me back and we retraced my steps through the spinifex, just about to give up when chauffeur nearly trod on them, phew!

Managed to stay on the 'main track' through to the Marble Bar road, no easy feat with the thousands of exploration tracks! In to Newman for supplies and back track north to Nullagine.

Quite a long stretch of Tarmac, but then we his the gravel and ate the dust of a road train for half an hour. Fond a beaut little spot just outside Nullagine at Garden Pool and settled in for the night, enjoying fives's with a game of boules - chauffeur 10, Michael 9 and she who is chauffeured only 6.



Pilbara Mine Roads
[Map]

Road Train Dust
[Map]

Any one for Boules, Garden Pool Nullagine
[Map]



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Saturday, 26 May 2012

Table Mt - Millie Millie



Day 3 - Mt Meharry 1248 Mtrs

Mt meharry

Friday, 25 May 2012

A chilly start, so on the road quickly to ascend Meharry. Not sure if we can drive all the way to the top. We were passed the "minefield" and out of the awful bull dust. Soon started climbing, oh oh, was my stomach going to handle this? Not long before we hit a track closure, but soon found the detour. The entry to the creek bed was a cliff, but less steep further on. The incline was increasing, very loose large rocks. Maxxie was in 4L and just steadily rock climbing. Carefully so as to not send them tumbling down on to Michael. Chauffeur has described it as "challenging, slippy and fun". The views at the top were incredible, top of the world stuff.

A well deserved breakfast, and a quick phone call as we had coverage.

It always amazes me how the reverse trip (coming back down) offers up a completely different Perspective. Back down to traverse the minesite.

On to Wanna Munna Rock Pool. I am so glad I have a bum cushion, sure do need it on these rough tracks. Another one of those WOW settings. A quick walk before lunch. Just past the pool and up into the gorge and we discovered we were in an art gallery, petroglyphs galore. Now these really did look old. Somehow Michael had walked straight passed them. Many photos later we sat down to a bite to eat.

Next place to discover was Weeli Wooli Hot Springs. After seeing Troy's photos at the club meeting we were drooling at the thought of a hot soak. Took a bit of finding as there was a tree across the track, so we had to find the detour through a creek bed. But make it we did and set up nearby. No fire again, but as there was no wind Michael entertained us with a video - 4x4 action, Roothy style(boy stuff, but I was content as I had the other end of Michael's blanket over my knees :)



Summit of Meharry 1248 Mtrs
[Map]

Overlooking the Pilbara from Meharry
[Map]

The descent!
[Map]

Wanna Munna Rock Pool
[Map]

Petroglyphs
[Map]

Rock Art
[Map]

Weeli Wolli Hot Spring
[Map]

Day 4 - Weeli Wolli, Eagle Rock, Three Pools



Saturday, 26 May 2012

After a quick last skimpy dip in the warm pool, we decamped, the boys had to drive through the creek (just because it was there!). Looked at bit deep in places so I refused to go across with my chauffeur, but after filming him cross, I decided it wasn't so bad and crossed with Michael. Couldn't find a track up the hill we wanted to climb and tramping through virgin spinifex wasn't appealing so we recrossed the creek. We found our way to Eagle Rock Falls. The track came in to the top of the gorge and it was an interesting climb down. We scampered around like rock wallabies for a while before tummies demanded to be fed.

This whole area is like a network of mining roads! A few mine workers around sticky beaking on R & R. Trying to discern mine roads from tracks which lead to scenic pools was challenging, but we eventually found Three springs and we decided to have some R &R ourselves and set up camp early. Huh, what R &R! Other than an Epsom Salts foot soak, and even then I used the time to alter my gaiters for the 4th time!, we were busy washing half of the Pilbara dust out of our clothes. Cooked up a yummy pumpkin, quinoa and brown rice curry that caused some interesting sound effects later that night :)



Eagle Rock Falls
[Map]

Rock Petroglyphs
[Map]

Weeli Wolli
[Map]

Dawn at Weeli Wolli
[Map]

Three Pools
[Map]

Camp at Three Pools
[Map]



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Millie Millie to Meharry



Day 2 -



Thursday, 24 May 2012


Millie Millie Area
[Map]

Coppin Pool
[Map]

Lion Country?
[Map]



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Ashburton Station-Tom Price



Wednesday 23rd May

Awoke to a glorious sunrise and continued along the Ashburton Downs Rd. Not quite as picturesque as yesterday. A herd of horses as we passed the station. Michael got left behind, as he found plenty of vistas to enjoy. Whilst waiting for him at the junction of the road into Tom Price we were trying to call him up on the radio and got a homestead replying to us, in hindsight we could have saved ourselves a lot time. However, convoy in tact again we turned east for a short while before turning off again to go to Woongarra Pool. Just a short distance along was a closed gate, signed with Private Property and to call or radio (UHF 25! Our station) the Cheela Plains Homestead before entering. No phone signal, and no answer on the radio. Coninced it was the same such homestead we had inadvertently spoken to earlier whilst waiting for Michael, we headed back to that junction to try and raise them from there. Half an hour later we had permission and proceeded up to the pool. It was worth the effort, so we rewarded ourselves with lunch. Next was Mt Nameless. This was "unfinished business" last time we were here, traveling in Pedro, it didn't happen, and it was going to happen this time. Quite an easy track, but very steep, but even with all our load, Maxxie chugged us up there. Extremely windy at the top and at 1016 meters it is the tallest mountain in WA that you can drive up. Looking down on Tom Price it was very green and tidy looking. 180 deg the other way have the mountain had been cleared away from the mining. Back down to fuel up, a quick diversion to Coles for treats, then out to find Millie Millie Springs for the night. It is what I think of as Lion Country. The spinifex is in flower and the stalks are so tall, blowing in the breeze, a bit like wheat fields, in a wild way. There are mountain ranges on several horizons and the lighting is very dramatic. Eventually parked up, and enjoyed home made fish and chips, camp style :) All very surprised and delighted to see we had Internet coverage. Eventually, with much appreciated help from my IT tutor, sorted out my blog. I am such a Wally, forgot that last lesson Michael had convinced me to continue using the old blog!!!! Duh, I had been trying to upload to the 'new' and 'experimental' blog. Oh well, hopefully there will be no stopping me. Went to bed a happy camper, although the wind 'flapped' every loose bit of canvas!

Thursday Millie Millie to Mt Meharry Base 24th May

Off we went to explore this area according to the 4x4 2006 Pilbara Book. Michael wanted to see Karajini again so we arranged to rendez-vous later. Chauffeur had plotted in all the waypoints from The Book, fortunately as he forgot to bring the book, however, tracks change drastically every season, so we soon found it hard going, but not being of the nature to "give in" chauffeur pushed on. Coppin's Pool was large, many reeds and the remains (tin hut style) of a homestead complete with watertank and springs of a mattress. Further on a large dry creek bed, track definitely went in so we followed only to come to a dead end a few hundred meters along. Got out to recce on foot. Found another track leading out that we had missed due to it being quite overgrown so onwards again. Some places track quite obvious, other places it seemed to disappear and it felt like we were driving in circles "hunting spoor". Should have brought a pith helmet! Another creek crossing, similar story, chauffeur not giving in yet. We were not getting anywhere fast, and when chauffeur zoomed out on the Ozi Explore and saw how much further we had to go it was duly decided that as we had a commitment to a rendez-vous we had better turn back, knowing that one of the exits from the creek was going to be a challenge.

There were lots of trees, so we could always get the winch out if necessary. It proved to be just as difficult retracing our tracks and once again we were out on foot "spoor hunting" - I was beginning to really enjoy this. After letting the tyres down a tad more and finding a better line out of the creek, the winch wasn't needed and a couple of hours later we were back on the Tarmac. Rendez-vous completed our next challenge was to find a camping spot near the base of Mt Meharry, the highest mountain in WA at 1248 meters. And challenge it was. The mining companies have taken over the Pilbara! Battling through "minefields" and bull dust we eventually pulled off onto a not too heavily spinifexed level spot behind some bushes. The wind was blowing a gale, it was cold and there was no way we could light a fire. So after dinner we hit the sack.



Day 1 - Ashburton Station-Tom Price



Wednesday, 23 May 2012


Brumby at Ashburton Station
[Map]

Woongarra Pool
[Map]

View from Mt Nameless
[Map]

Mining Donga's nr Tom Price
[Map]



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Wednesday, 23 May 2012

The Second Trip - Day 1 to 4



After a few false starts (3 complete reopenings and 5 hours ) to fix a water leak! We were off, just a short trip to spend the evening with birthday boy Chris and Melissa.

Sunday 20th May - Perth to Dalgaranga Crater

An early start at 5:30 for a rendezvous-vous with Michael at Gingers Roadhouse by 6:15. Next stop New Norcia. Pulling up near the hotel for breakfast, we noticed a few beautiful old jags so we went to investigate, (read drool). Turns out it was the Jaguar Car Club, they had stayed overnight on the way to the Gin Gin Classic Car Show. One poor chappy came out to find his XK150 had a flat tyre. Once he got the spare on ( with a not so pretty chrome wire rim, only painted) he discovered it only had 7 psi, but a few people were very impressed when chauffeur ran over to bring Maxxie closer and promptly got out the compressor hose. I heard a comment about how lucky a recovery vehicle should be so close by! On to Mt Magnet with a quick lunch stop at Paynes Find, where they did have fuel in their generators this time :). We were flagging by the time e his Mt Magnet for a refuel - Michael also needing to refuel with as Magnum. First camp at Dalgoranga Meteor Crater. This is Wa's smallest, only 5 meters deep, but it would have given the stockman who first discovered it a shock when he nearly rode into it at full gallop!

Monday 21st May - Crater to Bilyuin Pool

Lovely relaxed breakfast, this is the life, we are all happy at being off the Tarmac and in the bush again. Headed off to find Walga Rock. Bigger than we expected with lots of aboriginal paintings. The views from the top were up to the usual standard, and sitting down to absorb the beauty we discovered the thousands of goat poos were very hard and bounced down the rock quite well - I won in the "who can roll them down the furtherest" :). We were even more surprised at the next stop. Thought Big Bell would just be a couple of historical plaques. In 1954 there was a population of 850. The hotel (minus a roof) was huge but they weren't serving so we had to make our own lunch! Through Meekatharra and on to the night's campsite at Bilyiun Pool. Last time we stopped here, for lunch, the site was full of rubbish, so were pleasantly surprised to find it clean (2 bins provided and they weren't overflowing!) enough wood around so we enjoyed dinner around a fire. It cooled down pretty quick. Bilyiun is part of the Murchison River and there was plenty of water. My guess that that meant there would be plenty of birds around, therefore, a loud dawn chorus was correct!

Day 4 Tuesday 22nd May - Bilyiun Pool to Table Mountain

Leaving Bilyuin Pool and heading north up the Ashburton Downs Road. Hoping to get all the way up this road, but it is over 500kms. Started out ok, but soon hit the washouts. It would seem no sooner than you get into 4th gear than you have to slow down, read really slow down. These washouts seem to have a second very concealed mini rut. After a couple of very large dip-a-dee-doos, when I thought to myself, oh there go the eggs, Chauffeur had to slow right down. Despite this the Views were spectacular. I think Michael might be sprouting wings, he has mentioned several times he has become airborne :) Extremely varied vegetation, lots of flowers, many Mulla Mulla's. It is all the catchment, channel area of the Gascoigne and Ashburton rivers. Only passed one vehicle who stopped for a chat. Interesting road sign "Bulls live for heifer, if you hit one you might not!" Stopped for lunch under a shady tree beside a large dry creek bed. A well nearby with an overflowing water tank, so we all made use of "free" fresh water, Michael even filling his solar bag. How to then safely carry it over this rough terrain proved a bit challenging but adjustment 3 got it sorted. By 3:00, with another 200km to go we realised we didn't want to push on much further. By this time the landscape had changed yet again, rather flat and barren, so decided if we hadn't found a pretty camp spot by 4:00pm at the latest we would just pull off anyway. Off to the right we spied 2 flat topped hills (table mountain) and snuggled in at the base. It turned out the perfect setting for sunset and with the wood Michael had collected on route - that which hadn't been white anted - we had a great fire. Thinking about the bull sign I had seen earlier got me to thinking about burning cow pats (there was one closeby). I was surprised at the "grossed out" reaction from the boys when I kicked it on the fire. However, we were all impressed by its burning capacity, but they weren't too keen when I suggested I could cook something for them over it! What is wrong with them?



Day 1



Saturday, 19 May 2012


Where is that water leak?
[Map]

My Birthday boy!
[Map]

Day 2



Sunday, 20 May 2012


Dalgaranga Crater
[Map]

Jag - and flat tyre
[Map]

Day 3



Monday, 21 May 2012


Bilyuin Pool
[Map]

The gate keeper
[Map]

Walga Rock
[Map]

Rock Art
[Map]

Big bell Hotel
[Map]

The old bar
[Map]

Day 4



Tuesday, 22 May 2012


Sundowner time!
[Map]

Sunset!
[Map]

Ashburton River
[Map]



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