Karijini National Park WA - an ancient & stunning land

"An amazing national park with stunning ancient gorges and beautiful secluded swimming holes"

Our group expedition to Karijini NP was part of our ‘Big Lap’ of Australia in 2024 named ‘Operation Big Sky’.

Karijini is Western Australia’s second largest national park and one of the greatest highlights of any visit to Western Australia. Even as you approach Karijini, you follow hundreds of kilometres of stunning unspoilt mountain ranges which seem to draw you in to this spectacular adventure playground.

In exploring the park the park you will find dramatic ancient gorges, enticing waterholes and  towering chasms which are over 2.5 billion years old.

This region is also the heart of Australia’s iron ore mining which is on a massive industrial scale.

The most central location for exploring the western gorges is Karijini Eco Retreat (3km of unsealed road). Western gorges include: Hancock Gorge, Weano Gorge (Weano & Hancock are a 4.3km loop), Kermit Pool (1.4km detour off Hancock Gorge walk), Knox Gorge, Joffre Falls Lookout,Handrail Pool & Oxer Lookout. If travelling from the west, Hamersley Gorge is 70km from Tom Price and is best visited before coming into the main section of the national park.

The most central location for exploring the eastern gorges is Dales Campground. Eastern gorges include: Dales Gorge & Gorge Rim Walk, Fortescue Falls, Fern Pool.

We stayed 2 days at Karijini Eco Retreat & 2 days at Dales Campground. At both camp sites, there is no drinking water, sites are unpowered and rubbish has to be taken out. There is a dump point at Dales Campground but not at the Eco Retreat.

Our purpose with this post is to give you just enough insight to spark your curiosity and enable you to plan your own expedition of discovery. Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.

Fern Pool - near Dales Campground. Access to this tropical oasis is down a long stair followed by a 300m walk

Vista on approach to Karijini NP

Section of Hamersley Gorge. We accessed hammersley as a day trip from our campsite in Tom Price before heading into Karijini NP to camp.

The closest mine to Karijini is Tom Price. The closest port to Karijini is Port Hedland which is one of the busiest ports in Australia and one that drives the nations economy. Two million tonnes of iron ore leave this port each day which is 600 million tonnes per annum. The sips are amongst the largest in the world & each ship can carry up to 270,000 tonnes which makes enough steel for 8 Sydney Harbour bridges. It takes 14 trains to fill a ship and it takes 4 tug boats to take a ship out & in. The trains are 3km long and are the biggest in the world.

Hamersley Gorge - one of WA's most incredible landscapes

Hamersley Gorge - the incredible surroundings of the gorge change from dawn to dusk

Fortescue Falls landscape

Circular Pool from lookout on the Gorge Rim Trail

Road trains that frequent the Pilbra can be up to 60m long

Stair system accessing Joffre Falls with a class 5 trail but only 1.5km return. There are lookouts on both sides of the gorge

Hamersley Gorge

Hamersley Gorge

Karijini Eco Retreat camp site - 100% Aboriginal owned

Jijingunha  (Joffre Falls)

 Jijingunha (Joffre Gorge) - a stunning natural amphitheatre

Fortescue Falls an all year round waterfall

View at Dales Campground

Stairs to Fortescue Falls & Fern Pool

Our campsite at Dales Campground

David & Rosemary Allan – the faces behind:

May adventure & discovery be your constant companions.

Reflection:

For me, a trip is memorable when I am enriched by a deeper sense of connection to a place which triggers an emotional or spiritual response. This comes from feelings of Awe when I feel part of something bigger. Such as, seeing dramatic landscapes, being caught up in the history and sensing the passion of the human spirit.

A memorable experience will cause me to day dream about the next trip even more than the last trip.

Remember: Your adventure begins the moment you decide to go.