DAY 17 - COBRA BENGEMALL INN – ROCKY POOL

16 March 2008

DAY 17 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip

COBRA BENGEMALL INN – ROCKY POOL

Couldn’t believe it but it did not hit the fourties today!!!!! Only 38 degrees. We went for a short walk to Mt Cobra, visited the grave site at the foot of the hill and then were on our way.

We had a ‘river crossing’ at Gifford Creek. I walked across to check its depth even though we knew we could drive straight across.

Not that far from Cobra the creeks were starting to get dry. Today we went through some desolate country. Dry creek beds, sparse vegetation, rocky terrain and hllly countryside. Although we were in what was known as pastoral country we saw no signs of cattle or sheep. Lots of crests today and as we approached each one we wandered what surprise was in store, what new vista will open up. We got some beautiful surprises. The Kennedy Ranges was one of them. It looked awesome at a distance.

The Kennedy Range is an eroded plateau and experiences a desert climate. It is a remnant of the earth’s surface that has eroded away every where else. It is about 75km long and between 12 and 25 km wide with red sand dunes on top according to the information we had. You cannot walk to the top but there are several walks into the gorges over a rough looking terrain. The photos in pamphlets, or the ones taken by us just don’t do it justice. It is awesome. Australia has such beautiful natural wanders but we just don’t appreciate what we have.

We came across the old cobbled road that was used on the mail runs. We drove a short distance on it and tried to imagine what it would have been like in early motorised vehicles let alone horse or camel drawn wagons.

We made our way past Gascoyne Junction to Rocky Pool as there were no campsites on the way. The Gascoyne River was flowing there at the junction and people were cooling off in it. The road to Carnavon was partly sealed – couldn’t believe it. Then we came to some road works – they were busy working on a Sunday. What a paradox – everything closes for the weekend but road works go ahead to seal another section of road.

There were clay pans along the road. Some had water, others were dry. Lots of wild goats along the way and occasional cattle.

Rocky Pool was another very beautiful spot that is listed in Camps 4. After a swim, dinner and a lovely sunset we went to bed.

So far we have camped in some very beautiful settings. Wander what it will be like as we keep going.