For a true insight to the ancient geological landscapes (and red dirt) of the PIlbara region, a visit to Karijini National Park is a “must do”. Whilst it is extremely remote, Karijini is quite a well run national park and has some really striking landscape to see. It is well worth a visit as these photos below will attest.

It is also quite a special experience having a refreshing swim in some of the waterholes after completing a dusty hike. Look around at the geology whilst floating in the water and ponder how minute and tiny our lifespans are when compared with geological time.

The Pilbara, a large region in the north of Western Australia is the resource heart of the state. It contains vast natural resources such as iron ore and natural gas. It is also distinguished by it’s ancient landscapes and red earth.

It is refreshing to be able to see evidence of the resource industry when passing through both Port Hedland and Karratha. You can see the iron ore ships and the piles of salt when driving through Port Hedland.

When in Karratha, it is an absolute must to drive out to the Woodside Karratha Gas Plant. This is 5 train Liquified Natural Gas Plant. On the drive out there, you will pass by the Pluto Gas Plant. There is a good view of the Karratha Gas Plant from the lookout at the visitor’s center. Despite the pitiful opening hours of the visitor’s center, it is still worth the drive out as there are plenty of informative signage and a great view of the gas plant. It is important to understand and celebrate the various industries and resources that make Australia a prosperous country.

Interestingly, due to Covid, both Karratha and Port Hedland were very busy. The caravan parks were fully booked out in both locations. This was unexpected as these towns are not usually a tourist hotspot. The influx of people was due to the restriction on international and interstate travel. More Western Australians than usual had migrated to these northern towns to escape the winter temperatures in the south. In Port Hedland, we had to utilize the overflow camping area provided by the council at the local golf course.

In the last decade, Karratha has changed a lot. A local beach, Hearson’s Cove is now part of Murujuga National Park and the gravel road to the beach has been sealed. The “city” skyline has also changed with the additional of several apartment buildings and a number of more “fancy” restaurants and cafes.

Although not part of the Pilbara region, Eighty Mile Beach is worthy of a mention. This is a 220km stretch of stunning beach about halfway between Broome and Port Hedland, in the north of Western Australia. There is a very well managed caravan park there. During low tide, the beach is expansive and perfect for a walk and/or shell collecting. Swimming is not recommended as sharks can often be seen swimming around the murky water close to shore. We saw a number of fins only about 2 meters from shore near where the waves were breaking.

In contrast, at high tide, this beach becomes a paradise for avid recreational fishing hobbyist. They line the shore, evenly spaced out and cast out with their extremely long fishing rods in the hopes of pulling in some threadfin salmon or other species.

The Kimberley is a massive area encompassing the northern part of Western Australia. It includes the towns of Kununurra, Broome, Derby, Wyndham, Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and some other smaller places. The most visited town in this region would be the touristy Broome but there are interesting sights in Kununurra that warrants a look. This region is marked by spectacular red rock formations that rise up from the Earth, long stretches of remote, dusty outback and boab trees. To orient yourself in Kununurra, hike up Kelly’s Knob to the lookout.

The best way to see the countryside and to get an understanding of the scale of how humans have changed it, a scenic flight is recommended. These are however very expensive. On this lucky occasion, the cost was offset by some vouchers offered by WA Tourism to stimulate this part of the country. We flew in a 14 person Cessna over the agricultural lands opened up by the building of dams, Lake Argyle, the Bungle Bungles and the now closed Argyle Diamond Mines. Due to the small size of the aircraft and the pilot flying quite low to give the best vantage of the sights, the flight was quite bumpy and jerky at times. Best to take some motion sickness pills if you are prone to it.

After flying over the Bungle Bungles, it’s worth the short trip to Mirima National Park. This is in the outskirts of Kununurra and allows a close-up view of similar rock formations as the Bungle Bungles.

Venturing out from Kununurra, it is worth making a day trip to Emma Gorge. This is the only site in the El Questro area readily accessible to 2WD. The hike to the waterhole takes about an hour and is quite rugged in parts. It’s worth it for the spectacular landscape on the way as well as the magical, cool, waterhole. Coming upon this beautiful waterhole at Emma Gorge makes the sweaty hike worthwhile. Swimming is OK in the cool, refreshing waters of the waterhole but beware a resident freshwater crocodile! To the right most side of the waterhole is a small thermal spring which is lovely if the water is getting too cold for you.

For a closer look at Lake Argyle and the dam, head to Lake Argyle Resort. Bear in mind, despite the vastness of the lake from the various vantage points in this area, the actual lake is much, much bigger and cannot be seen in it’s totality from the ground.

On the way to Wyndham, a “must see” stop is The Grotto. There is a hike down of 144 steps to get to a gorgeous, refreshing swimming hole. This is really a special place!

When in Wyndham, after passing the big croc (because every Australian town must have a big statue as it’s claim to fame!), head up to the Five Rivers Lookout. This is where 5 Kimberley rivers meet and flow out to the ocean.

It’s a long drive from Wyndham to Derby, passing the towns of Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing on the way. Stop for a quick walk at Geikie Gorge about 20km from Fitzroy Crossing. This is pretty but probably not worth the detour.

Just before you get to Derby, pull off to see the Prison Boab Tree. Head through town to the original old Derby where the jetty is. Derby has massive 12m tide ranges hence the massive pylons at the jetty.

After days of adventuring in the Kimberley outback, we headed to Broome for some civilization. Broome is a lovely touristy town with great restaurants, shops and a pearling history. Re-group for onward adventures at the Matso’s Brewery, a Broome institution. Their mango beer has a beautiful fruity fragrance and their chilli beer packs a spicy punch! Swim at the famous Cable Beach! Whilst there could be saltwater crocodiles at this beach, it is considered relatively low risk as the lifeguard is watching for them and numerous scenic flights go up and down the beach daily. As the aqua ocean waters are clear, crocs are easy to spot from the air. Any croc sightings are reported and the beach gets closed.

When driving between the Northern Territory and Western Australia along the Victoria Highway, it’s worth making a stop at Judbarra National Park. This was previously known as Gregory National Park. We stopped for a stretch break and was pleasantly surprised by the magnificence of this area. There is something spectacular about these ancient rock formations rising up, set against the green landscape and vast blue skies. Boab trees and livistona palms dot the landscape in these parts.

If you want to see a terrifying number of crocodiles lurking at a barramundi buffet, you need to see Cahill’s crossing at high tide! This is a water crossing for cars which crosses over the East Alligator River. It allows vehicles to go into Arnhem land. Cahill’s Crossing is located in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia. Before heading to this remote location, check the tide times to ensure you will arrive there just before high tide. You will be able to see the water change direction on the river, vehicles doing the water crossing despite the water being at a scarily high level, birds of prey swooping down for fish, large fish leaping out of the water and of course, lots of crocs!

As the water changes direction, fish are swept towards the crowd of waiting crocodiles. On the day we were there, there were about 30 crocodiles in the small stretch of river. Many of these managed to snare a large fish to eat. To be able to watch a large croc, maneuver a fish in its mouth to orient it for easier swallowing is a real privilege. There is a lookout over Cahill’s crossing that allow visitors to view the natural spectacle! It gets quite crowded and there were a number of people including children and fishermen down on the road by the water’s edge. Considering that crocodiles can both move and jump with deadly accuracy and speed, this seems extremely foolish.

When visiting Cahill’s Crossing, it is worth doing the walk from the crossing to Merl Campground. There are so many interesting rock formations to see on this walk.

When visiting Kakadu National Park, doing the Yellow Water Cruise is essential. There is a so much animal and bird life that live on or close to the water. There is a cruise both at sunrise and sunset. Both are excellent. This time, we did the sunset cruise. The start of this cruise is at 4:30pm and it is searingly hot. Bring cool water and a hat and be prepared to be very hot!

During the cruise, we saw a lot of crocodiles, including a very large male croc, called Boofhead. We also witnessed a large herd of feral buffalo damaging the soft riverbank. They are both dangerous to humans in the park as well as extremely destructive to the park ecosystem. They were not easy to photograph as they stayed back from the river bank. Culling these feral buffaloes is not an easy task as the large carcasses will need to be disposed off. There are actually a lot of feral animals in Kakadu National Park. These pigs, horses, buffalo, etc are not native and alter the ecosystem by living there. There may even be some feral chickens in the park as I awoke in the morning by the crowing of a rooster!

There were birds aplenty to see during the Yellow Water Cruise. We saw elegant, white, egrets, Nankeen Night Herons hunting at the waters edge, Australasian Darters and Whistling Kites. There were large groups of Plumed Whistling Ducks squawking noisily at each other. The most memorable is the stunning tiny Azure Kingfisher darting from a riverbank tree to the water’s surface to hunt. The kingfisher is a deep blue and orange colour and it was so tiny and fast!

As the light changed and the searing heat eased, the tour guide ensured that we got to experience the sunset at a magical floodplain location. Those with expensive camera lenses could take lowlight sunset photos with a saltwater crocodile, native Jabiru bird and gorgeous sunset in the frame!

A 45 minute drive, 65km north-east from Hughenden is the enchanting Porcupine Gorge National Park. Overnight camping available at Pyramid Campground. An easily accessible lookout provides a view from the top of the gorge but the hike down to the bottom of the gorge is worth doing. The landscape at the bottom is varied and geologically interesting. Cool off with a swim at the waterhole at the bottom or just relax. Then walk around the bottom of the gorge to look at the bizarre rock formations and the many colours in the rock.

When passing through Hughenden, either to or from Porcupine Gorge, stop for a break at the historic Coolabah tree. This tree is part of the Burke and Wills story. These explorers were the first to traverse from the bottom of Australia to the top but died trying to head south for home. This tree was “blazed” i.e. marked by a couple of the rescue expeditions sent to find Burke and Wills. Their deaths were not in vain because the detailed notes Wills took along the journey which contributed to an understanding of what grazing land was available and assisted in opening up the country.

Around 100 to 115 million years ago, current day outback Queenland, was dominated by a vast inland sea teeming with life. It seems quite improbable when looking at the sparse, dusty landscape in the area today. In Richmond, a tiny town of only 650 residents, there is a fabulous museum called Kronosaurus Korner. Despite being only a small town museum, most of the fossils are world class! Upon entering the museum, you are introduced to the world as it was 100 million years ago with an animated video showing the strange and wonderful creatures that lived in the water at the time. This video really helped contextualise the fossil displays and brought these amazing animals to life!

Another marvelous aspect of this museum is that they allow ordinary people to purchase permits, at only $5, to dig for fossils at a couple of nearby sites. It is easy to assume that this is a tourism gimmick until you peruse the museum and see that a number of the most complete and interesting fossils have come in recent years from the free dig site and were found by ordinary people and tourists having a go!

The highlight of Richmond, Queensland is undoubtedly, Kronosaurus Korner. Despite that, do not leave without an easy stroll around the artifical Lake Fred Tritton. The path around the lake is well lit at night and wheelchair accessible. If you circumnavigate the lake clockwise, you will come across small brass plaques set into the walking path detailing the history of Richmond in chronological order. A lovely touch for visitors and a beautiful example of Richmond community pride. The lake is also stocked with fish for recreational fishing.