DAY 37 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip
PORT HEADLAND - CAPE KERAUDREN via MARBLE BAR
What a day today!
First of all the charger we bought stopped working during the night. So in the morning we headed back into town and exchanged it. When they tested it, it was dead. What a waste getting a powered site in the caravan park!
We then headed to Marble Bar with the intention of spending at least a night here if not two or three. As usual we checked in with our daughter to let her know our intentions.
The very distant ranges were very unusual. They were too far to capture them on film. They looked jagged.
They were a mixture of steep triangle like structures with a pimple on top, a two hump camel back to vertically straight sides with a flat top. It looked very peculiar. Then after the turn off to Marble Bar for a while the land was flat as a pancake except for the odd rocky outcrop. Then you got some ranges again but they looked very weathered and had no trees or few trees on them.
As we were driving along the electrics were really annoying hubby. He believed he was getting incorrect readings of oil, voltage and temperature.
Anyway getting back to the trip. We crossed the Coongan River. I was very glad it was dry as it would not have been fun crossing it if the water was flowing. The landscape is just unreal. There is no shade. The countryside is stark, dramatic. In a way I could see parallels between here and north Alaska. Both places have extremes of temperature, the country side adapting to the extreme conditions. Survival of the fittest – in the tundra trees that are hundreds of years old are small with narrow trunks providing no shelter. Trees here are small with narrow trunks, offering no shade. As we got closer to Marble Bar ranges appeared again.
As we drove into Marble Bar our expectations grew as there was a lovely series of sculptures welcoming you to the biggest shire in the world – the East Pilbara Shire.
There was a very well maintained race track and then we hit the town before midday and . . . and. . . only a tiny little corner shop was open and the proprietor was looking at the clock and said “20 minutes and I am out of here”. Nothing! One local suggested we head out to Comet Mine and they will provide information on the area. And guess what – it hit 41 – AGAIN!!!!
So we headed to Comet Mine. It is no longer a working mine but they had a very interesting display of rocks of the area and some jewellery for sale. They were also the de facto information centre for the area. After spending some time here we headed for the Jasper deposit. It was an interesting track to get there.
We headed for Marble Pool. The water was not inviting but the rocks were stunning if you splashed water on them. Just like in the brochures.
But, how long is one prepared to keep splashing the water in this heat. To get into the water proper you would have had to make your way over some very, very slippery rocks.
Met a lovely young family from Cooma here – they moved to Pt Headland for work. Chinaman’s Pool was our next stop. It was a beautiful area. A pity you cannot camp here.
Marble Pool and Chinaman’s Pool are in actual Marble Bar. We looked at each other and decided not to stay here. We had been given a mud map of the best way to get to Cape Keraudren so we decide to go back part of the way and then take the turn off to Bamboo Creek and follow the track via the Muccan Shay Gap Rd. The scenery was stunning!!! It made our day.
The road was good but unsealed.
We crossed the De-Grey River – a very wide river crossing.
We both considered whether we should check the depth by wadding through it. We were in salty croc country according to some. We later heard they were definitely here. Hubby examined the flow and said it is not deep because . . .
So we crossed it. Then before we knew there was a railway line parallel to the road. Apparently this part of the road is a private BHP road to Yarrie Mine.
We were met at the entrance to Cape Keraudren by the ranger and birds in the tree. I am sorry but I could not get the picture to be rotate correctly on the blog.
After some discussion we moved on to find a campsite for the night with million dollar views. We were not disappointed.
And . . . another beautiful sunset.
Something I have been meaning to mention in the blog and then slips my mind is the fashions out here in the west. From Kalgoorlie all the way up the Pilbara one constantly sees the orange, yellow, blue outfits with reflective stripes. Caravan clothes lines are full of them. And you see them all behind the wheel of a ute, covered in Pilbara red, with an orange flag and a blinking orange light.
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