Pink hock flowers and purple mulla mulla decorated our travel from Karijini to Tom Price. On the advice of the girl in the Karijini visitor centre we had changed our plans about how we would get to Millstream.
At the Tom Price visitor centre we waited our turn to watch the 20 minute induction video about travelling on Rio Tinto’s private railway access road which would allow us to travel on the road. Having duly completed our training and with permit in hand we completed a loo stop, made a brief shopping visit to the Coles across the road, admired the animal statues and left our rubbish in the conveniently located bins. Then we drove to the local oval where we stopped for a cuppa before tackling the road.
Reportedly this road is much better than the public road. The locals use it for their travel to Karratha. The road speed limit is 80 for normal vehicles but much of it is reduced from that for various reasons ( worksites, intersections, curves, creek crossings etc). For all trucks the limit is 60 and they are restricted to only 2 trailers!!! If caught speeding twice drivers are banned (or “terminated” by Rio Tinto) and blood alcohol level allowed is 0.00 for all occupants of vehicles. They have their own speed detection, breath testing and road marshalls.
Naturally, the road is alongside the railway line and the trains are frequent and LONG. We counted the trucks on one as we slowly overtook it( just in time to cross the railway crossing before the level crossing activated). There were 233 trucks and 3 locos at the front pulling the whole lot. These trains are about 2 km long. The train was doing about 70km/hr and we were doing 80 ( except when restricted to lower). I had to count backwards a little bit when the train gained on us.
The road is gradually being replaced/upgraded by national roads with a new “Red Dog Highway” which will connect Karratha and Tom Price. Meanwhile sections are in poor repair. Some spots are like a flower garden on either side.
We were able to follow this road in for most of the way to the Millstream Chichester National Park and then turned on to corrugated dirt.
The rangers office is in behind the old Millstream Homestead. You could walk through the homestead and read what life was like in the past. They had a good map for using Morse code which really simplified it. If you have a dot take the right choice. If you have a dash take the left choice.
Millstream homestead has stacks of Sturt peas growing and flowering in profusion. What a sight!!! Stunning healthy specimens all over the place. In fact the park has offered us more views of Sturt Peas in the wild than ever before. Stunning. They just grow like weds along the roads and tracks, delighting us every time we see them.
We were looking forward to spotting birds along the wetland walk, but were disappointed to find it closed due to water damage. So we walked part of the Warrungunha trail looking for birds we could hear but not see. We didn’t see them!
The cliff top walk gave good views of how large the Fortescue river is, with various views down to the river flowing along below and beautiful sides of the hills down to the water covered with spinifex in flower and other flowers.
. The Deep Reach pool was actually a huge stretch of the river with steps going down to it in two different places and with numerous tables and bbqs.
We camped at Stargazers campground , where the volunteer campground host made us very welcome and made use of the bbq, hot plate and water provided.
Luvapuzzle 