Text and photosIan Smith

Karijini gorge

For me, it was a magnet more than all the other attractions. Situated hundreds of kilometres inland, Karijini is the formerly named Hamersley Ranges National Park in Western Australia. The images people had shown me, the stories I had heard, and what the internet had thrown up indicated that this is a place with unique features.

10 | Bushwalk October 2022

Karijini gorge

We had left Coral Bay late in the afternoon and managed to put about 270 kilometres of the trip behind us, making for an easy run the next day to soak up the last 300 kilometres. Of course, that was fine in theory. The only problem was that the two people in the motorhome were both keen on taking a few snaps and the reality was that we averaged around 20 kilometres/hour. For the first five hours, such were the vibrant stark reds of the small outcrops we kept coming across. That, and a few flowers and a perenti lizard that I stalked while he checked me out before he went chasing a disturbed bird at

amazing speed, though he fell just short of his goal and the pigeon escaped. Now, that would have been a shot!

Karijini is rapidly becoming a major attraction in WA. Most caravanners and motorhomers we spoke to were going there at some stage. For once in my life, I opted to take the sealed road via Paraburdoo and then Tom Price instead of the shorter dirt track. I’m so over corrugations!

On our first full day we chose Weano Gorge lookout as our base though this is where four gorges intersect. The views are breathtaking

Patterns in stone

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and the red canyons are magnificent. It wasn’t long before we were packed and ready to descend into Hancock Gorge, probably one of the most popular canyon walks. We were the first down there that day and the walks here are all rated. The start of proceedings is graded four; that gets you, via a ladder at the last stage, to the floor of the canyon. Then it becomes a five, that’s where you have to take your shoes and socks off and wade thigh-deep through a 50-metre pool before balancing on rocks on a narrow unmade path past the next pool.

That gets you to the impressive Amphitheatre where there used to be a resident four-metre python that was part of the scene. That was until he slid silently up to a lady who was sitting, enjoying herself and wrapped around her leg. Understandably she became a little agitated when she realised what was happening, and so the snake latched onto her leg with his teeth before someone, unfortunately, smashed its head in with a rock.

After the Amphitheatre it gets worse, but I saw worse and decided against it. That’s where it enters the Spider Walk where you

have to balance with one leg either side of the narrow section before you reach Kermits Pool. Then you have to jump into the very cold water. From then on you require abseiling gear, that’s rated a definite six! Still, the scenery is stunning. The rated one and a half hour walk took Bob and me around four hours, such is its magnetism.

We tarried at the Amphitheatre and met yet another German couple to add to the two on bikes going around the world (they’d done Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia etc. already) we saw earlier and the ones who’d passed us in Hancock Gorge some time ago. After coming across so many in Tassie earlier in the year, it’s a wonder any of them are left in their homeland. None of them knew of each other’s presence, and Bob had a wonderful time practising his school German on them, much to their amusement.

We returned to the motorhome for lunch and drove to Knox Gorge, some 20 kilometres away. This too was special, and I learned that it actually links up with where we were earlier in the day. You can do an eight hour trek from here and come up the ladder at Hancock Gorge. That would be one heck of a day!

Karijini gorge

Ian on the ladder at Hancock Gorge

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