We have based ourselves in Karatha for a bit and have explored the area, as I said last time Red Dog was filmed here and I loved the movie. The area has salt flats on the side of the main drag through town and we got to attend the Karatha Baptist Church while we were there. It was Easter on Good Friday and they put 3 crosses out on the mud flats as the sun rose. We Loved the Sunday message and it was a great encouragement as to how we listen and observe.
After the weekend we decide to go and see the Millstream National Park as we had heard it was a great area for photography and some good 4wd areas. It certainly didn’t disappoint as we spent a lot of time driving in and through the gorge areas seeing some great geography and a lot of dust and corrugations. The one thing that stands out in this area is the contrast in colours from grass and dirt to sky, and the rock formations that seem to be almost man made. The following is a blurb from WA parks and wildlife about the area.
Millstream Chichester National Park is highly diverse within the Pilbara region due to the presence of permanent water and associated wetlands. Over 120 species of bird, 30 species of mammal, 150 species of reptile and 500 species of plants can be found in the park. This includes spectacular riparian birds such as the Rainbow Bee-eater, Sacred Kingfisher and Blue-winged Kookaburra as well as desert adapted species such as Spinifex Pigeons and the impressive Bustard. Twelve species of Raptor live in the park and can be seen flying high over the arid plains and on the margins of waterways. Interesting mammals include Euros (Hills Kangaroos) and the endangered Northern Quoll as well as Ghost Bats and a suite of marsupial “mice” are found in the park. Pilbara Dragons are often seen darting up trees and several species of Goanna are regularly seen, as well as Stimson’s Pythons and the impressive Olive Python, which frequents rocky cliff faces along the Fortescue River.
Beyond this they have 50 bajillion flies all who really want to get right in your mouth all the time, I mean there are a lot of flies and they love bushmans, aeroguard , rid, and tailswat. I supplemented our meals with these wonderful little treats YUCK. We visited an amazing swimming area known as Python Pools and it is a natural waterway that cascades down a rock face into a large pool at the base that has been dug out by the water over time. During our trip there had not been rain for a while so the park was dry but there was water in the pool.
Python Pool
After spending the day exploring we went to Hearsons Cove to experience the staircase to the moon but due to the clouds we missed it, but it didn’t stop us from experiencing a great sunset and recording it for our memories. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as we have been recording them to share with you. It was a nice night to just sit and snuggle up enjoying the natural beauty of this wonderful place. Next after some rest it was on to our next stop and yet another adventure.
Sunset at Hearsons Bay