This morning started cold 5.5 degs at 7.00am but it soon warmed up to be a very pleasant day, a bit windy at times but not too bad. After breaky we decided that seeing the park was so big that we should start at the far end and work our way back. Good idea in theory. So off we went knowing that it was all dirt roads. Well!!!!! The first 20 kms wasn’t too bad, you could sit on around 65 to 70kms and you just road over the corrugations, then the rough stuff started at times we were down to 10kms and just bouncing from one corrugation to the next. They were about 350mm from top to top and about 120mm deep. So after a total of 55kms we arrived at the first point of interest which was “Weano Gorge” magnificent views, and if you were into walking you could walk right down into the gorge. From there we went to “Joffre Falls” again magnificent views and lots of walking, and then a little further along the same road we called in at “Knox Gorge” We then headed for home again over “THIS ROAD” After a bone shattering 40 odd kms we made it back to the information centre, actually on sealed road, from there it was only about 9kms back to the van. However there was still one more Gorge to look at, it is “Dales Gorge” where there is 3 different gorges meet at a common point. So we went to “Circular Pool” and then “Fortescue Falls” they all have some magnificent scenery and well worth the effort to go. You are much (we found out later ) better to start at one end and work your way to the other and go out the other end of the park and then drive back along the main highway which goes to “Tom Price”
The camping facilities in the camping area consisted of a long drop toilet and a big BBQ in each area, there are no showers or water. Only in certain area’s are you allowed to use a generator, so you don’t get a lot for your camp fees. But then your camp fee are only $5.00 each per night.
So all in all it was a great day but it was a very rough road we finished up doing 128kms nearly all on dirt.