Australia 2014: Beasley River to Karijini National Park

Day 17 – August 5, 2014 – Beasley River to Karijini National Park - distance travelled: 231 kms - 24^oC high; 12^oC low. Late morning we pulled into Tom Price, one of two company built mining towns in the area. It had a Coles (hooray!) where we got some supplies and then we continued on to Karijini National Park where we set up camp at the Dales campground within the park. At $36.60 per night much better deal than the private campground, however, the only facility provided was washrooms. No drinking water, no garbage bins and certainly no showers. We drove to Dales Gorge close to where we camped and walked down to Fortsecue Falls, which was nice, and on to Fern Pool. Quite a few people we met on the way had recommended fern Pool as a good place to go for a swim so that is what we did. It took some of us longer than others to get into the water as it was not the warmest, but once you were in it was pleasant and refreshing. On the far side of the pool were some small waterfalls to which we swam. Very nice spot. Of course, in this day and age, Karijini is a popular and very accessible park and there were quite a few people on the trail to and from Fern Pool. Only two other people were in the water with us, which was nice. Strung up some laundry lines for our wet stuff and let it dry overnight; again, by the time we had finished breakfast the next morning everything was dry. We have not had any dew for probably the last week, so neither laundry nor tents get wet(ter) overnight.