Ohau Seal Colony, Sawcut Gorge

One of FAV brekkie, avocado + nutella on toast !

Good morning seals!

Here we are at Ohau Seal Colony.. The pups feeding on it's mummy..

Lovely

A nearby track to Ohau Stream is a must. Because there are seal pups playing in the waterfall pool =))

Llamas

Sawcut Gorge walk*****

We saw information of this track at Kaikoura's I-site and the information there tells us that this is a good track to go! But it can be dangerous as there are many river crossings, considering the weather is quite good for today, we went for this walk. Here's more info: http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/marlborough/south-marlborough/sawcut-gorge-isolated-hill-route/

Really, there are a lot of river crossing... the water is so cold... Angie fell down on the rocks twice getting a wet butt and pants. LOL

But the view is definitely worth it, and now we had experience river crossing at least =)

 The stream flows through this chasm, which is 150 metres deep, but in places, is only 2 metres wide. This marks the end of the Sawcut Gorge track and we head back the same way.


While driving out of the hilly roads to main highway, we got stuck in this sheepy jam for half an hour! Haha, what a sight, to see the farmer muster these cheeky sheeps with the assistance of his ever loyal doggies! And finally after half an hour of mustering, and some sheep trying to escape by runnning of the cliff, the farmer gets all his sheep back to the farm. YAY!

Karijini NP, Dales Gorge

Dales Gorge*****

Look carefully, then you will find out the top part of this picture is the world that we normally see, this gorge is like more than 100 metres drop down from the land where we standing. Simply amazing!!

After a hectic night in Port Hedland struggling to find accommodation, we head to Karijini National Park which is about 3.5 hours drive. The first place we stop by is the visitor center, which is really informative and explains a lot about this mining area. 

FACT from Department of Environment&Conservation: The rocks exposed at the gorges originated as fine grained sediment which accumulated on an ancient sea floor 2,500 million years ago. At this time, the atmosphere contained much less oxygen and the only forms of life were simple bacteria and algae. Many of these sediments laid down in the oceans were rich in iron and silica. Over hundreds of millions of years, the iron-rich deposits were transformed by the pressure of further sediments laid down over them, and they gradually turned into tough well-bedded rock. The gorges were eroded when a sharp drop in sea level caused the rivers to downcut rapidly -  a process enhanced by the onset of a more arid climate, which depleted the protective vegetation cover on the valley sides. 

A look from ground level... This is Circular Pool, a walking track provides access to this pool but this water is not where you want to swim in =P Cause its the coolest among the pools in Dales gorge...

At Dales Gorge, we took a steep walk down to this stunning waterfall. 

Fortescue Falls

Fortescue Falls

Had a dip in this water, but is quite cold too! Can't stay longer than 15 minutes. So a hot MILO after the dip is always heart warming =)

Can see the sediments layers in the rocks at Karijini.. Rich in iron (red layer) and silica (white layer) and algae (black layer)...

Simply amazing...

Beautiful spring flowers around the national park... Love the spring season! Pretty flowers blooming all around Western Australia.. 

We stayed at Dales Gorge camping ground for $7 a person with bush toilet and bbq facilities. There is also the Karijini Eco Retreat camping ground with more facilities and powered site but it's located on the way to Weano Gorge, about 30kms from the visitor center. So some people might explore around Dales Gorge and spend a night there then next day go to Weano Gorge and stay at the Eco Retreat. The park entrance fee is $11 per vehicle. 

NEXT: Extreme Hiking @ Hancock (Weano) Gorge

Canoeing@Kathrine Gorge, Nitmiluk National Park

We never did any canoeing in Oz and here comes our chance at the Kathrine Gorge @ Nitmiluk National Park*****. One of the best place to canoe in Oz. It is half an hour drive from the Town of Kathrine and consists of 13 natural gorges! We took the full day canoe for $45 per person on a double canoe (the brochure actually state $62 for full day pp, but the visitor centre wo help us with booking only charge $90 for both of us :)). We had to book early from the Kathrine Visitor Center since it is the peak season in the northern territory (april-sept). There is also an overnight canoe hire where you can canoe and camp at one of the bush camp.

1st gorge, had to change a new canoe at 2nd gorge

We started at 8am, paddled through the first gorge using an hour. Then we park our canoe and walk to the other side of the rapid, where the second canoe awaits. So we continue paddling using through the second gorge which is really beautiful, with very high sandstones. 

Natural shelter!

Not too long before we reach the end of 2nd gorge. So this time, instead of changing a new canoe, we had to carry it through the rapids. How very difficult to drag the canoe against the current with slippery rocks under yr feet. Actually we only realized that we're not supposed to drag the canoe between the rocks (but have to carry it over) until we saw the sign at the counter after the end of our trip. Oops.. Anyhow we manage to get it there and by 11am we reach the third gorge. This is as far as we can go on a full day. So time to relax and swim in the refreshing Kathrine river!

A perfect shelter to have lunch after the swim :)

At 1pm we head back the way we came. Mostly relaxing and gazing at the rocks while the current bring us back.

Crocodile trap! Yes, there are crocodiles in the river, but only freshies (freshwater crocodiles), the not so dangerous type. Any crocodiles sighted at the gorge would be removed immediately. So we are lucky to see one! 

We are lucky ain't we! Look at him, just resting on the sand with it's big mouth open, trying to regulate it's body temperature. Really, not as scary as the saltwater crocodile.

We managed to return the canoe exactly 4.30pm and boy was that tiring!!! The whole day tour is really adventurous to us, because you're not with any guide and you have to carry your canoe over the rapids then finding your own perfect place (away from the noisy cruise boat) to dip in the water while looking out for crocodiles at the same time!

There is camping at the Kathrine Gorge for $36 unpowered site. Very much more expensive compared to town's caravan park so we spent 3 nights at the Riverview motel and van park for $27(unpowered). It is just near the city and walking distance to Kathrine hot springs. The hot spring is really short compared to the Mataranka's Bitter Spring and not warm at all. But it is a good dip after a long drive :)