Shooting stars (23/4/14)

Ryan had left by the time I got up today so I ate breakfast with Lauren before packing up my bits to put on the bike. Unfortunately the clothes I had washed yesterday hadn't quite dried properly so I had to put them in my rucksack slightly damp and hoped they wouldn't smell bad by the time I got to my destination. I had pressed snooze on my alarm a couple of times so was late getting up and therefore late leaving so didn't get away till about 9.30 am. I said goodbye to Lauren, thanking her again for the amazing hospitality, and made her promise that if ever her and Ryan were in London then they would call in the favour they'd done me and come and stay. After filling up with fuel and buying some supplies to last me a day or so I eventually got out of town about 10 am. My destination today was Karijini National Park as I'd heard some great things about it. There's a company that organises trips through the park but unlike ordinary tours this one takes you literally through it. Jumping off waterfalls, swimming through pools, climbing rock faces, riding an inner tube down the rivers, crawling along narrow ravines, it sounded awesome but unfortunately when I'd tried to arrange this whilst in Broome I'd been told they were fully booked for about two weeks and they are the only company doing it. It was a real shame but I found out that some of the national park has sealed roads and therefore is accessible by motorbike and so I had to make do with visiting that part by my own means. There is a campsite nearby called Dales Camp Ground, which is basically wild except for a couple of long drop toilets, a large water tank which they advise boiling the water from, and a warden occupied tent, and it operates on a first come first served basis so this was where I was heading with my fingers crossed hoping they wouldn't fill up before I got there. After about 3 hours of riding I approached the outskirts of the national park and the scenery started to turn from the usual flat open terrain everywhere into flat and less open terrain with giant rocky hills and mountains rising out of the landscape in the distance. The closer I got, the more the landscape changed. The lonely rocky outcrops became short ranges of mountains and the sun lit up their horizontal layers highlighting the variation in colours and making them glow a deep brick red against the brilliant blue sky. The road changed from being straight and boring to winding it's way slowly between the majestic banded ragged formations with the next section being hidden from view and heightening my anticipation for what the next explosive scene might be. It couldn't be more different from the boredom of the roads previously. I stopped at Auski Village Roadhouse to fill up with fuel as I was nearly running out and had a quick bite to eat on one of the benches in the shade from the lunch I'd prepared this morning. After my short stop I changed the battery in my action camera, as I couldn't stop pressing record, and carried on my journey. There were a few large trucks to overtake and the winding roads made it more difficult but they didn't hinder my progress that much. After about another 40 km into the park I turned off the Great Northern Highway onto Karijini Drive and rode the last section of my journey to the park entrance, the scenery becoming no less stunning. I entered the park, stopping only briefly at the self serving payment station to make sure the park pass that I'd purchased at The Pinnacles (try saying that quickly) would cover me, and continued down the road to the visitor centre. At the visitor centre I asked the woman behind the desk for her personal opinion on what I could see and do on my own and she confirmed what I'd already found out, which was that I would only be able to visit Dales Gorge which was just a short way further down the road and Dales Camp Ground was the only place to stay, and that they did have space, plenty in fact. Whilst there I bought a book of Karijini which was filled with photos of all the gorges, as I knew I wouldn't get to see most of them, and they were great photo's, much better than I could have taken. I walked back to my bike and rode a little further on to the camp ground and stopped at the wardens tent to find out what site I'd be in and to pay my fees. It was about $10 a night which was a bargain and the site I was directed to was near the toilets so I wouldn't have to travel far in the dark should I need to. Whilst there the warden gave me more details of where to go to see the gorge and how long the walk would take to see all the pools. He said if I started early tomorrow I would be able to see them all before I left but my plan was to do them this afternoon which he said was going to be close but not impossible before the sun set. He recommended that I allow about 3 hours for the entire walk, not including swimming, or the walk to the gorge from the campsite. He informed me that the first two of the pools I'd get to would be a reasonable temperature but that the last one would be much colder but still bearable and that swimming in them was definitely worth doing. One of the pools is regarded as sacred by the local Aboriginals so I was told not to jump in and make loads of noise but to get in gently and enjoy the peace. I thanked him for his advice and left. It was about 2.30 pm now so I still had plenty of daylight left even after I'd put up my tent so I went back to my bike to ride to the site I'd been given. I found it with no problems and quickly put the tent up trying my best to find a position which wasn't across one of the many ant trails that were around. The site next to me which was separated by a couple of trees had a couple of tents on but no-one was around and the site the other side was about 10 metres away and blocked from view by some bushes. It was very hot and quiet here with not much activity so I figured everyone was out enjoying the scenery and swimming in the pools. Once all my bits were inside the tent and I'd changed into swim shorts and T-shirt I strung a clothes line up between the trees using my luggage straps and took advantage of the hot sun by hanging my still damp clothes up. Fortunately they didn't smell yet so I wouldn't have to re-wash them before wearing them. Whilst hanging my clothes up a couple of blokes and a girl arrived back at the two tented site next to me so we introduced ourselves to each other. We chatted briefly and I told them where I was heading off to this afternoon just so someone knew where I would be in case anything happened. With my towel, camera, and water bottle in hand I started the walk to the gorge. I was the only one along the footpath but by the time I reached the dusty car park near the first pool, which was called Fortescue Falls, I saw a few more people and followed them to the start of the descent down into the gorge. One of them was carrying a body board and another was carrying an inner tube so figured they must be seasoned regulars. At the edge of the gorge I could look down right to the pool and was blown away by the beauty of it. A few people were in the water but most were on the rocks around the edge enjoying the coolness of the shade. I followed a few people down the descent looking forward to my swim and soon reached the edge of the pool. Whilst I was taking my trainers and T-shirt off and preparing my action camera I got chatting to a couple of women, who were probably in their 50's, about how wonderful the scenery was. We talked for a bit but I couldn't wait any longer for a swim to cool down and so made my way into the pool. Trying my best not to look a tit by slipping on the rocks I made it in without any incidents. The water was a little cloudy, which hid some of the rocks underneath, but beautifully refreshing. I made my way slowly over to the opposite side of the pool where the water was deeper, and took some photos of the spring fed waterfall that was cascading gently over the tiered rock formation underneath it. I spent about 10 minutes in the pool marvelling at the red, iron rich layers in the rocks surrounding me but knew I couldn't stay for much longer if I wanted to get round all the pools today. I swam back to the edge where my stuff was and got out and dried off. I got dressed, said goodbye to the two women who were still there, and started the walk to the second pool, called Fern Pool. The walk isn't far, and the well trodden path winds it's way through the woodland, around trees and rocks with some really twisted tree branches on the way and ends on a wooden platform next to the pool. This is the special Aboriginal pool and so there is a ladder off the platform to aid getting in and out quietly and the people there were all talking quietly so it was very peaceful. Just next to the pool were a few tall trees and when I arrived I saw a few people pointing up into them. When I looked up, dotted all through the trees were dark objects and, until one of them moved, I couldn't work out what they were. But when one flapped it's wings I realised they were large bats, hanging upside down in the shade of the tree leaves. I'd never seen bats this big before and was surprised by how large they were. After a few photos I stripped down to my shorts, took a running jump and bombed into the pool yelling at the top of my voice to the disbelief of everyone around me. Just kidding, lol. I got into the pool using the ladder as you're supposed to. The water was just as refreshing as the last pool but still as cloudy so I have no idea how deep it is. On the other side of the pool are two short waterfalls that flow gently into the pool below. Underneath each waterfall is a ledge that you can climb onto, where a few people were sitting, so I made my over there and found an empty space to sit for a while. The peace was really absorbing, but in the shade here it was very cool so after a while I got back in the water to warm up. I took a few photos before getting out, and dried off for my walk to Circular Pool at the other end of the gorge. The trail to Circular Pool starts back at Fortescue Falls so I retraced my steps back there and crossed the gorge to the other side using stepping stones that had been placed in a shallow section of the spring. The path follows the bottom of the gorge with white arrows pointing the best way to go. I was the only one walking this route, which worried me slightly, but there were some great things to see on the way and each turn unveiled a slightly different scene. You could really see how the waters had eroded the land and created the current path that the river took with jagged layers, and deep ravines surrounding you all the time. It was blissfully quiet except for the gentle trickle of the slow flowing water in the river nearby. I could have spent all day taking photos there but knew that I wouldn't be able to capture the beauty of it on a camera. I eventually heard some voices and looked up to see a group of five people walking towards me. We said hello as we passed and for me it was nice to see signs of life this far from the other busy pools. Towards the other end of the gorge as I neared Circular Pool I could hear voices from above and looked up to see a couple of viewing platforms, but knew the return path would take me to these on my way back to the campsite. After clambering up and over a few high rocks I finally reached Circular Pool and found myself alone there, the only sign of others visiting being an inner tube left at the side of the pool. The rock faces surrounding this pool were much higher and sheer and the water had carved out a large vertical semi-circular hole down through the rock, hence the name of the pool at the bottom. I checked the temperature of the water and it was definitely colder than the other two and still as cloudy. Being the only one there was a little disconcerting as I'd seen in movies that this is when people go missing, eaten by crocodiles, or snakes or something. The only sign would be my trainers, camera, towel, and water bottle at the side of the pool. I should have brought ID just so they knew who it was that was missing. I ridiculed the thought in my head as crocodiles would have a job getting here and got into the water. My god was it cold. Apparently, during the rigt season, water falls from the top of the rock face and falls the huge height into the pool but at this time of year just a small amount flows out between the layers of the rocks. I climbed out the pool again underneath the waterfall to take some photos and while I was there a couple walked down to the edge of the pool. We said hello and I was relieved there would at least be witnesses to me being dragged away by a snake. I got back into the water and swam to the other side to chat with them. The bloke was from Italy and the woman was from London. We spent the next 20 minutes or so chatting while I dried off and got dressed and by the time I was ready to leave they were leaving too. So we walked back along the gorge together and climbed the steep ascent out to the top. I found out they were staying at Dales camp ground too so invited them to wander over to where I was if they got bored. They had driven down to this end of the gorge and offered me a lift back but I wanted to finish the walk so I left them and carried on. The walk along the top gave way to some magnificent views and at one point, called three ways lookout, three gorges meet and you could look right down one of the gorges as it disappeared into the distance. From up here you could really appreciate the vastness of the gorges and national park and the beauty of it all. The sun was now getting low in the sky and while I was fascinated by how the colours of the rocks were changing from red to orange to brown, I was acutely aware that I didn't want to be out here on my own, without a torch, and without phone reception, after dark. So I continued along the path stopping only once to photograph a ring tailed dragon that had run across my path but froze to pose for a picture. I eventually got back to where I had descended down to Fortescue Falls and turned to find the path back to my camp site. When I got back I checked my watch to see how long it had taken. It was now 6pm and had actually only taken about 3 hours total time back to here so I must have been walking at a reasonable pace along the bottom of the gorge and again along the top to make up the time I'd spent at each pool. It was still light enough to arrange my bits inside my tent, and my clothes were now dry so I gathered them up and put them inside. The others from the site next door had left again so I relaxed for a while inside the tent, as the red dusty dirt outside made it impossible to sit on the ground outside, and left the door open to cool the tent down for tonight. After a while though, hunger started to set in and so I dug out my quick cook Chinese noodles from my bag and, after zipping up my tent to avoid intruders, went on the hunt to try and ponce some hot water from someone with which to cook them. Just metres from my site though I bumped into one of the women I'd been chatting to at the first pool so I asked her if she'd mind if I grabbed some hot water. She said it was no bother at all and took me two sites along from mine where they were staying. They had a very brand new looking caravan inside which was the other woman. They soon had a pot of boiling water on the hob and once my noodles were done they invited me to sit inside to eat them which I gladly accepted. Whilst their dinner was heating up we talked about what we were each doing here and I found out that their names were Atty and Jenny. Jenny was a dentist and Atty a dental nurse and they were both heading up to the Kimberley's to do some voluntary work helping the Aboriginals with their teeth. The reason for the brand new caravan was because someone had rolled the original one, that is usually used up in the Kimbereley's, in a road accident, and they were delivering the replacement. Once they'd eaten their dinner they insisted I stay for a glass of wine, which again I happily accepted, and so we all moved outside to enjoy the warm evening air. It was now dark and for the first time since being in oz I could really see the stars as there was no light pollution from the street lights. We sat talking some more outside and covered loads of subjects ranging from where we'd been in the world and Australia, to the mystery surrounding flight MH370 with all the theories, including our own, thrown in for good measure. I disappeared at one point to get my camera and tripod to try and photograph the stars and when I returned I found another glass of wine waiting for me. They were incredibly hospitable and friendly and no they weren't getting me drunk to have their wicked way with me in the bush! All I had to offer in return was some beef jerky that my cousin had made, but they weren't fans so I apologised for not having anything else to bring to the party in exchange but they said it was no problem at all. After a couple of hours though I felt it was probably polite to leave as I wasn't sure what time they wanted to get to bed and so wished them a good night, and headed back to my tent. The two blokes and girl from next door had now returned and when they saw my torch light they invited me over for a chat. I joined them round the table and sat down on their cool box and found out their names, which I think were Ling, Dave and Tim but I can't properly remember. They were all younger than me and knew each other in a round about way through work and Tim and Dave in their spare time were trying to start up a skate park design company. They'd already had one customer which was Fremantle Council and they'd had to design and build the latest skate park in Freo which was a pretty cool claim to fame. During our chat they offered me a relatively cold beer which was their last one but I felt guilty taking it so said no. But they assured me that they would only argue over it anyway and that I was welcome to it. So I accepted in the end but dashed back to my tent first to grab the jerky as I was sure they'd happily try it. They loved it and so we all sat there finishing off my jerky while I drank their last beer. After a while we moved our seats out from under the tree to get a better view of the sky and sat there in a row star gazing. Tim cracked open the Jack Daniels and coke and poured everyone a glass. While we drank, Ling and Tim spotted a shooting star but I missed it and so I put my glass down and changed my position to make sure I didn't miss the next one. Apparently there had been a few over the past few nights, since they had all been here, so I was hopeful. As I looked down to reach for my Jack and coke though I took my eyes off the sky. At that moment the others all shouted "whoa" at once and I looked up quickly to see what they were looking at. I spotted it straight away. It was the longest shooting star that I have EVER seen, and the others commented as such too. It had started behind us and continued across at least half the sky in front of us. Even after I looked up I still had time to actually focus on it and watch it as it carried on for another second or so which is a very long time for a shooting star. It was unbelievable. We were elated at what we'd just seen and what a place to have seen it in. This moment I would never forget. We all sat there for probably another hour hoping to see another one like it but only managed to catch glimpses out the corners of our eyes of a couple of smaller ones for a fraction of a second. At about midnight I was starting to feel pretty tired. It had been a very eventful day and I'd met some really friendly people. The others were all feeling tired too and so we moved the chairs back to the table and I thanked them for their drinks and wished them goodnight. I disappeared into the bush to unleash some of the alcohol I'd drunk hoping I wouldn't stand on a snake and then got into my tent. I was soon nodding off smiling about what I'd seen today. You don't get many like this.