Tom Price
Trip Start
Dec 23, 2007
1
19
47
Trip End
May 30, 2008
Tom Price,
Australia
Friday, March 21, 2008
Tom Price is located in the heart of the Pilbara. It is an iron ore town built in 1962 and is named after a mining expert, Thomas Moore Price. It is really a little oasis after hours of driving inland and seeing nothing! The town is situated close to the Karijini National Park which is the real reason I am here.
Just after I checked into the Tom Price Tourist Park a massive cyclonic storm hit the town, lasting just 30 minutes, however, dumping more water than I've seen in some time. There was rolling thunder, amazing lightening, huge winds and heavy rain. At the eye of the storm, it was perfectly still, apart from rain falling directly downward. The second stage of the storm it, swinging the rain in the opposite direction and causing havoc to the local area. It seemed as quickly as the storm arrived, it was gone, leaving sunshine and a light breeze
View from Oxer Lookout
. An hour or so later I thought I'd head into town to get something for tea. Not likely. After driving 20 meters down the driveway I turned back as a torrent of water was as far as the eye could see. There was no way I was going anywhere! The next day, most water was gone, leaving behind rocks and debris all over the place.
I headed out to the Karijini National Park the following day. About 45km to the park turn off I headed onto dirt road to get to my first lookout point the Oxer Lookout, where you have a view of where 5 gorges join. It was spectacular to say the least. While there, a woman who happened to be from Crystal Brook in South Australia, came up to me telling me I had a hissing sound coming from my rear tyre. They were parked right next to me and were just about to leave, but offered to help me change the tyre first. It was my lucky day as the two couples, aged about 45, basically did it all for me! I had to of course unload all the gear from the back of the car to get to the spare, all the while hoping like hell that the guys at Bob Jane had checked the spare like I'd asked them to before I left home. Fortunately all was well and we put on the brand new tyre, actually in better condition than the other 3! The blokes dug out the sharp stone which had wedged its way into the flat tyre and proudly gave me the stone as memorabilia! Using their own tools and equipment they plugged the hole with rubber and pumped up the tyre with an air compressor, checking for further leaks. With a little luck, the tyres I have on now will last till I get to Broome because it's Easter long weekend and nothing is open so I can't get it fixed! I'll just keep my fingers and toes crossed, stay on sealed roads and I should be able to keep out of trouble until I get to Broome
Fern Pool
.I hesitantly took off again, dropping in on the Karijini's visitors center, then headed .... on a sealed road! .... to Circular Pool lookout then Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool. The falls and Fern Pool were at the bottom of a massive gorge. It's not so bad going down, but by hell, it's hard work coming back up! I can't remember the last time I was so rooted! The muscles in my legs the following day were killing me.
Fern Pool was an absolute highlight. It was hot, although storms were rumbling overhead and rain occasionally fell upon me. I swam for a while in the pool, standing under the waterfalls at the end of the pool. It was spectacular, beautiful, relaxing and I didn't want to leave. It was unfortunate that I knew the trek up the gorge was ahead of me!
The entire Hamersley Range of the Karijini National Park was sensational. Amazing colours, splendid landscapes. Apart from the punctured tyre and the exhausting walk up the gorge from Fern Pool, the scenery at the National Park has been a highlight of my trip so far.
