Saturday 3 July 2021 –
Millstream Chichester NP
It was cold enough this morning for a bowl of porridge which warmed us up nicely.
We wandered up to the Millstream homestead and had a look around. Interesting that it was still lived in until the 1960’s and then spent about 20 years as a tavern with the master bedroom turned into the bar and the main living area turned into a dining area. Since the mid 1980’s it became part of the NP and has served as an information centre and now as a museum piece. I liked the fact that you were actually allowed to sit in the ‘radio rocker’ chairs that are still in the living area – usually items like those have big ‘don’t sit and don’t touch’ signs on them!
Out the back of the homestead was the old kitchen area with a giant wood stove/oven/incinerator. Have taken photos of it and will ask Mum to explain how such a beast would have been operated. The heat coming from it would have been phenomenal.
We walked up to the Ranger Station and found Prince Harry who confirmed that the bitumen road heading north up to Karratha is indeed now part of a highway running between Karratha and Tom Price and is no longer a private Rio Tinto road for which you need a permit. Knowing that we don’t have to take the gravel road that heads north-east and goes to Karratha via Roeburne meant that we decided to go to Python Pool today instead of on the way tomorrow with the vans.
Firstly we tried to do the scenic wetland walk to Jirndawurrunha Pool which H&M remembered from their visit 10 years ago as being very pretty. Unfortunately Cyclone Damien cut its way through here a few months ago and severely damaged that area and they are still waiting to repair it in consultation with the local indigenous community so it was closed until further notice.
Our turn to drive today so when we were all ready we hopped into the Jeep and drove north. We turned onto the Roeburne Wittenoom road which was pretty badly corrugated and very windy. We decided we were quite glad not to bring the vans this way tomorrow. The road wound up through the hills and provided very long and spectacular vistas in all directions. Pretty sure I could see Pyramid Station off to the north-east as that rock formation is pretty identifiable. Stopped a couple of times for photos at various lookouts but headed pretty promptly to Python Pool. There were already quite a few cars in the carpark and we thought briefly about taking towels etc for a swim but the temperature (it being about 10ish in the morning) didn’t really encourage the idea of getting wet. We walked down to the pool which was in the shade and although it looked pretty and swimmable we just enjoyed its beauty from the dryness of the shore instead. We stayed awhile enjoying the outlook and then headed back to the car and drove back to Mt Herbert lookout. Jenny, Larry and H climbed to the summit for even more panoramic views while Miranda, who was not feeling 100%, kept the Jeep company. Cyclone Damien has also obviously had an effect on Mt Herbert and must have washed away the steep path as there was a new path with lots of nice flat rock steps set into new grey concrete (obviously new because it hasn’t had a chance to turn red yet!) Larry sent the drone up for some shots but it was a bit too windy for a long flight – we were worried it would blow off to the south and not be able to fight the wind to get back again before the battery ran out!
Drove back to base camp and it was time for some lunch and then a bit of a nap before reconvening at 2pm for some more activity. We drove down to Deep Reach Pool which is a big wide stretch of the Fortescue River. This area was very well set up with a big toilet block, loads of picnic tables, gas barbeques and two different pool entry areas where there were big metal staircases down into the water.
We all decided to be brave and have a swim and the water, while cool, was not the coldest we have been in and the swim was actually very nice although there was a bit of a current you had to keep an eye on so that you didn’t float too far downstream from the steps. Larry got out and sent the drone up for some footage and had to deal with one grumpy boomer telling him he shouldn’t be flying it. We explained that we always obey the signs about drone usage and there wasn’t any signs telling us not to (unlike in Karijini) nor anything saying not to in the information brochure and that we always check with anyone around that they are okay for us to do it but they hadn’t been there when we launched it.
After she left we packed up and headed back to the car and then drove back to have a look at the Cliff Top Walk which connects three vantage points from which you can view teh Fortescue River and distant Hamersley Ranges. We watched a hawk or kite circling above the river for ages obviously with an eye on his evening meal but soon it was time to think about organising our own and we headed back to the vans.
Our turn to cook tonight and our version of chicken and rice with sliced up schnitzels on rice topped with tonkatsu sauce and kewpie mayo. We finished off all our cheese and crackers for dessert but that’s okay as we hit the shops in Karratha tomorrow for a restock.
No comments:
Post a Comment