Kangaroos on the way to the bathroom in the morning. At 7.30 the bus and driver from Pilbara Gorge Tours turned up to take us on the tour. We were the youngest on the tour (by a long way!). It took at least an hour to get the park. First stop was Dales Gorge, where we had a look down at Circular Pool from the lookout before moving onto Fortesque Falls,where we climbed down to the falls and on to Fern Pool. There we had a chance to swim in the pool and under the waterfalls. The water was very clear and refreshing, although not the warmest. Matt impressed us all with his diving skills ;-).After that, we dried off and got back on the bus to head to the visitor centre. There we had morning tea and a toilet stop. Next we stopped off at Joffre Gorge, where there is a 70 metre waterfall. There wasn't much water there today, but in the rainy season it can be very impressive. Before lunch we went to another couple of lookouts, including Oxer Lookout, the junction of 4 mighty gorges - Red, Weano, Joffre and Hancock. There we heard stories of the dangers of flash flooding in the gorges and the fatalities which have occured over the years.
After a picnic lunch, we moved on the Weano Gorge.
This was the most exciting part of the tour, as we climbed down into the gorge through the water to the handrailpool, which is a pool surrounded by 20 metre rock walls. It wasn't a difficult walk though the guide was overly cautious in making sure we all got there safely. We had to climb down to the handrail pool using a rope, but that was the most challenging bit, and easily done. The scenary was truly spectacular -- bright blue skies, contrasted against the red earth and the green leave. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Back at the tourist park that evening we were both pretty worn out. We picked up a pizza in town for dinner and then just chilled out. The next couple of days will be mostly driving as we head back to Perth.
