Once we arrived at Weano Gorge we walked to the lookout where the 4 gorges meet. The Weano, Wittenoom, Knox and Joffre Gorges. The view was amazing looking straight down into the gorge.
We then did the Kermits pool walk. It started with us climbing down into the gorge via ladders that went straight down. Then we had to take our shoes off and walk thru knee high freezing cold water. The gorge was getting narrower and we decided to climb higher along ledges instead of walking thru the water. We reached the spider walk section of the walk and I said to Michael I didn't think I can go any further as you had to walk like a spider with your legs and hands holding yourself up above the running water and rocks below. It was a little scary and claustrophic. Michael gave me a pep talk and we all kept going, I'm so glad I did as it was a great experience. The boys loved the challenge and they even had a swim at the end in a freezing cold pool. You wouldn't get me in there if you paid me.
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After climbing back out of the gorge and the boys warming up we drove into Tom Price and headed straight to the hardware store to buy some new taps for the water tanks on the van.
Karijini was another highlight of our trip.
John, Sue, Tom and Emma arrived a short time after and we all drove up the 4x4 track to Mt Nameless which is the highest accessible mountain by vehicle in Australia. On the way up the cloud cover came over really quickly and by the time we got to the top we couldn't see anything, we were in the clouds. We couldn't believe it. As we drove down out of the clouds we could see the Rio Tinto mine in the distance. The view was great.
We headed back to the caravan and fixed the taps and had a quiet night all together.
In the morning we all decided to stay another night.
Michael cooked us bacon and eggs for breakfast and he got egg all thru his beard. So the day had come and he decided to shave his head and his beard off. My city slicker husband was back.
We then went on the Rio Tinto Mine Tour. It was a good tour and we got to look down into the big mine site and see the massive trucks. Unfortunately we didn't see any mining trucks driving around.
Then we all drove along the Rio Tinto access road again and didn't see or get pulled over by the Ranger and drove up to Mt Sheridan. The view was amazing as the cloud had lifted from the day before. The kids all had fun making rock piles at the top of the mountain.
The next stop was Hammersley Gorge back in the Karijini National Park. It was an easy walk in and Tom, Cooper, Mitch and Michael had a refreshing swim.
We had been told about Wittenoom which was approx. 100 klms from Tom Price and John and Michael were really keen to visit it. So that was our next stop on Michael's tour. The town had the only asbestos mine in Australia until it was shut down in 1966 due to unprofitability and health concerns. Only 3 people live in the town today. It was definately like a ghost town and felt like people had just walked away from their houses. We drove into the mine and were really surprised to find people camping in the bush near the mine.
John and Michael got out first and spoke to an elderly couple that where camping there. Curiosity got the better of Sue and I and we then got out and the couple told us to drive up the river bank and into the mine itself. The man had collected asbestos from the site and showed us what it looked like. We did this and had a good look. There was no way we were getting out of the car and the kids had their sleeves over their mouths and noses so they didn't breath anything in. You could see the asbestos in the side of the hill and along the river bed. We then drove home along dirt roads in the dark and rain.
It was a great day and very interesting.
"Blue Sky Mine"- Midnight Oil
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