Through the Outback
We first arrived in the outback which consisted of the small (tiny) town of Broome and then through Karijini National Park…
Broome
Our arrival in Broome provided our first of many “We’re not in Sydney anymore” moments. Due to baggage limitations, we decided to purchase our camping equipment in Broome and then leave whatever we couldn’t bring back in Perth once we were finished. The only problem with that plan was the failure to consider the limited shopping options available in Broome. We stopped at the information centre to figure out where the nearest Big W (loose equivalent to Wal-Mart in the US) was located only to receive an outburst of laughter by the lady on the other side of the counter. Once she composed herself, she kindly let us know that the nearest Big W was in Perth or roughly 4,500 kms away and unfortunately the town camping store was only open Monday to Friday… it was Saturday.
Our stop at the information centre wasn’t a total loss though as there were two seats left on the Cable Beach sunset camel ride, which we decided to jump on and provide us a few more hours to figure out where we were going to rest our heads for the night. The camel ride turned out to be a highlight as the sunset that night was one of the best we have seen. After the camel ride, we made our way into town to catch a movie under the stars at the longest standing operating outdoor theatre in the world complete with our own set of deck chairs. Then we capped off the night on the verandah at the local brewery (Matzo’s) for dinner and a few mango beers.
Luck appeared to be on our side the next day as the camping store opened on Sunday due to the Monday holiday, so we were able to get a tent and a cooler (what most would define as camping essentials). After stocking up on water, food, and petrol; we were on our way across the Outback. It didn’t take long (about 10kms outside of town) before we completely lost our cell phone signals for days to come.
Karijini
While this is supposed to be one of the highlights and a gem of the outback…which I am sure it is with its cool canyons and crystal clear waterfalls….I think we were a bit tired of all the red dirt even before we reached the national park. We managed two days of hiking but in the warm winter weather the bone chilling waterfalls didn’t seem so pleasant either. I can see if it were sweltering why you would gladly jump in. But the waterfalls were beautiful as always. We do have to say that the hidden canyons were amazing. We were driving along looking for these steep canyons and mystified to just drive up on one almost like the movies where the cattle just run right off the cliffs. The trek down the canyons was absolutely magnificent too. In true Aussie fashion, the path is a bit steep and challenging with no guardrails or steps built in. Although, we should all learn from this experience never to follow Jared’s path…it isnt a path at all and always is the worst way to go.
Broome
Our arrival in Broome provided our first of many “We’re not in Sydney anymore” moments. Due to baggage limitations, we decided to purchase our camping equipment in Broome and then leave whatever we couldn’t bring back in Perth once we were finished. The only problem with that plan was the failure to consider the limited shopping options available in Broome. We stopped at the information centre to figure out where the nearest Big W (loose equivalent to Wal-Mart in the US) was located only to receive an outburst of laughter by the lady on the other side of the counter. Once she composed herself, she kindly let us know that the nearest Big W was in Perth or roughly 4,500 kms away and unfortunately the town camping store was only open Monday to Friday… it was Saturday.
Our stop at the information centre wasn’t a total loss though as there were two seats left on the Cable Beach sunset camel ride, which we decided to jump on and provide us a few more hours to figure out where we were going to rest our heads for the night. The camel ride turned out to be a highlight as the sunset that night was one of the best we have seen. After the camel ride, we made our way into town to catch a movie under the stars at the longest standing operating outdoor theatre in the world complete with our own set of deck chairs. Then we capped off the night on the verandah at the local brewery (Matzo’s) for dinner and a few mango beers.
Luck appeared to be on our side the next day as the camping store opened on Sunday due to the Monday holiday, so we were able to get a tent and a cooler (what most would define as camping essentials). After stocking up on water, food, and petrol; we were on our way across the Outback. It didn’t take long (about 10kms outside of town) before we completely lost our cell phone signals for days to come.
Karijini
While this is supposed to be one of the highlights and a gem of the outback…which I am sure it is with its cool canyons and crystal clear waterfalls….I think we were a bit tired of all the red dirt even before we reached the national park. We managed two days of hiking but in the warm winter weather the bone chilling waterfalls didn’t seem so pleasant either. I can see if it were sweltering why you would gladly jump in. But the waterfalls were beautiful as always. We do have to say that the hidden canyons were amazing. We were driving along looking for these steep canyons and mystified to just drive up on one almost like the movies where the cattle just run right off the cliffs. The trek down the canyons was absolutely magnificent too. In true Aussie fashion, the path is a bit steep and challenging with no guardrails or steps built in. Although, we should all learn from this experience never to follow Jared’s path…it isnt a path at all and always is the worst way to go.
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