Karijini National Park — Attraction in Karijini

Couple in their early 30s travelled to Karijini from Exmouth in a campervan. Stayed late May 2021. Day 1: Drove to Dales Campground from Exmouth taking 7.5hrs. Refuel at Nanaturra and then again at Paraburdoo. We were told our campervan probably would not be able to manage the road via Tom Price as it's unsealed and challenging, therefore we went via Paraburdoo. Dales Campground cost $22 per night for an unpowered site with drop toilets, no showers and no cooking facilities. We did drive 5mins away to use the BBQs at the Dales Picnic Area at times. For all the Gorge walking and swimming we wore reef shoes (these are a must) and our bathers most of the time. No need to pack lunch unless you wanted to stay out for the whole day swimming. We came back up to the top to our van for lunch and just carried a snack and water with us. We also always had a compression bandage with us at all times as snakes and bites do happen at Karijini. Sunscreen and a hat is a must! As was a waterproof bag for our phone so we could take some photos!

Day 2: Dales Gorge round trip. Circular Pool. Fortescue Falls. Fern Pool. 300m from the Falls is Fern Pool. Back up the metal staircase to the Fortescue Falls Lookout. We then drove to the Visitor Centre which is closer to Dales then the Eco Retreat. We would have liked to do the Remtrek Astronomy tour with Phill this night, however he was still in Perth. Do give him a ring prior/text to check availability while you have reception- Optus only around all Karijini. Slept at Dales this night.

Day 3: Hamersley Gorge This Gorge takes a while to get to but we thought it was worth it! You will need more fuel so we had to travel out to Tom Price via the sealed road to fill up (or take a large jerry can with you). We slept at Dales this night however, it's closer to stay at the Eco Retreat. In hindsight we would have stayed at the Eco Retreat for this night.

Day 4: All the other Gorges!! We left early and drove to the Weano Gorge Picnic Area. Very corrugated drive. Worse than the drive to Hamersley. However quicker.

1: Oxer Lookout. 2: Weano Gorge Loop Walk 3: Hancock Gorge. The biggie and our favourite! Handrail Pool was also closed that day due to recent rock falls. Lunch at Weano Picnic Area. 4: Knox Gorge- the most challenging of all (in our opinion). 5: Joffre Gorge Another Gorge in this area is Kalamina Gorge, however it is recommended to have a 4WD to get there so we passed on this one. This night we stayed at the Eco Retreat Camping sites. Slightly more expensive than Dales at around $44 per night, however there are great facilities. Flushing toilets, hot showers and BBQs. The Restaurant with Information Centre is fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed at the quality of the restaurant. Most mains were around $40 however it was worth it. I had the kangaroo dish and my husband had the sirloin steak. The sides were great, garlic bread was a highlight too. 5 star food at great prices and in the middle of nowhere- incredible! Reservations are recommended well in advance. Well deserved and enjoyed after an active day! For those not keen on the restaurant there's a takeaway burger bar as well with choice of 4 burgers at around $18 I think. Plenty of seating space outside to have drinks from the bar and a burger and play a boardgame from the Retreat's collection. Day 5: Drive back to Exmouth via Paraburdoo. We just made it with fuel to Paraburdoo!!! Refueled at Paraburdoo and Nanutarra.

I hope this was helpful, wish I'd read something like this when we were planning our trip. Enjoy this once in a lifetime...

While the Karijini national park is really interesting and well worth a visit, I would NOT recommend staying in the so-called "glamping" accommodation at the so-called "Eco Resort ". The 'tents' are in poor condition and not clean, and WAY, WAY overpriced for what they offer. This is because of some serious design faults. The walls are made of heavey canvas, as expected, but they have a lateral movement of about half a metre. That is, in windy conditions, the walls have a 'flap' (or what sailors call 'luffing ') range which results in a load "whump" sound. A very loud sound throughout the night, further resulting in poor sleep. The walls desperately need support, like a standard or normal tent has, using guide ropes to stabilize and secure the walls. Karijini has lots of strong winds throughout the year. The canvas walls have been subject to these winds since the units were built, meaning they have lost any rigidity they may have once had. Additionally, the unit we were allocated had the internal floor boards installed upside down. The grooves were on the 'up' side, meaning they collected all the dust that seeps in to the unit; the units are not vacuumed, which means the dust is easily spread to bed linen and clothes. The unit we were in had a broken rear 'door' (another design fault; they are zippered sections of the walls and are difficult to access, plus the zips all seemed to need servicing) zip and despite asking for this to be fixed 3 times, it wasn't until we asked somewhat assertively that anyone turned up to fix it. These so-called glamping units are definitely not worth the money they are charged out for. As for the so-called "eco" aspect of the the resort, when we were there the filthy so-called "camp kitchen" had no plugs for the sinks, meaning people were washing their dishes using cold running water. These are the same stainless steel sinks that people use to wash their hands in after using the attached toilet facilities. See the photos attached. We spoke to other people who were staying there when we were, and they all were in complete agreement that the place is not good enough for the...

Karijini National Park was an absolute wonder of Australia and I am very humbled and privileged to have experienced them. The hikes were signed well and in more difficult and dangerous hikes, there were rangers there to ensure safety for all who had visited, which was exceptional. Plenty of free camping sites that had wonderful views, rather than being in a plot without any scenery.

I would have given 5 stars and honestly it does deserve 5 but my only gripe would have been the lack of information and history of each gorge and the significance each place has for the aboriginal people of the land. The Karijini Visitor centre had this. I personally would like to have seen info at each sight. The significance of each site in the geological and spiritual sense. This information would have been valuable to ensure I could offer the respect each place deserved, spiritually and mentally.

For example, I swam in Fern Pool and Foertescue falls before visiting the Visitors centre. At the centre it mentioned that the aboriginal people greet the water and thank the water and spirits of the place before taking what can be given from the water, even if it just leisure. I would have liked to know this before having had swam in the water prior. From that point on, any water I entered, I quietly said hello, my name, where I am from (NZ) and thanked the water for allowing me to experience the water which made me happy, in a sign of respect. Being from NZ, where many of our spiritual sites to the Maori people are told before entering, it is in my nature to care about these things in a sign of respect for the place and the people of that land.

If anyone who sees this can look at providing this information at each site, rather than only providing the length and class of the hike itself, I think it would be extremely valuable to add this information for future generations to really understand and show respect from the very start of their journey through the wonders of Karijini.

Thanks, from a lil Kiwi calling...