We returned to Karratha after our day trip to Millstream and stayed at the Best Western Ranges Motel where we could fully charge the car overnight before heading for Onslow the next day.

Onslow has seen many changes over the years including relocation of the township to near an improved port facility at Beadon Creek following increased demand for shipping wool from burgeoning sheep numbers in the region. Wool exports collapsed after a series of droughts and today gas and salt operations are paramount. The huge Chevron Wheatstone LNG plant and nearby salt works dominate the landscape on the way into town. Nevertheless, Onslow is quite unique. It is beautifully situated right on the foreshore and is popular with tourists and includes a fascinating community run museum. In 1956 it became the centre of world attention when the British tested their first atom bomb in Australia on Montebello Island to the north of the township. Onslow housed a large contingent of military and scientific personnel responsible for the tests that were kept secret until the final days before detonation. Now there is a very odd statue on the foreshore of human figures with the heads of dogs, cameras at the ready peering out to sea, presumably in the direction of the explosion.

After a couple of nights in town and a full charge on single phase, we took up the challenge of heading inland to the east, deep into the Pilbara 400 km away, passing through Nanutarra Roadhouse for a top up on 3 phase and onto Paraburdoo, Tom Price and finally Karijini National Park where we spent four nights. The scenery gradually changed from west to east. The flat expanse of pastel browns, blue-greens, yellows and grey against an often bleached blue sky became a rugged landscape of vibrant green spinifex and stark red and black layered rocks, pointing and lying in all directions and tormented by ageless forces that continue to lift the Pilbara forever upwards. Meanwhile, erosion from heavy, orographic rains that are lacking closer to the coast, is forging the many extraordinary gorges, emblematic of the Pilbara.

Fortunately (as the National Park sites were booked out) the helpful visitor centre staff in Tom Price found us a campsite at the aboriginal owned Karijini Eco Retreat. Our "Sea to Summit" inflatable mats withstood the red pebble substrate admirably and we spent the next three days exploring the magnificent and magical gorges for which this Park is famous. The desert flowering continues, thanks apparently to some August rain and includes vast swathes of purple Mullah Mullahs (Ptilotus) and yellow butterfly bush (Cassia). Weano Gorge was our introduction, followed by Hancock where Stephanie scaled and crept along the walls until forced into the cold turquoise waters.  From the start, Peter took the watery route into the canyon hoisting the backpack containing the essential (for driving Rosella) phones above his head as he paddled and walked his way through. It is a very popular place but everyone was enjoying the experience. However, not infrequently rescues are carried out in the gorges.

The gorges are cut deeply and sharply into a relatively flat terrain, so after a look from above at Joffre and Knox Gorges, we vowed to explore them more closely on our third day, keeping day two for an 160 km round trip to the Park visitor centre near Dales Gorge which contains Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool. The visitor centre deserves half a day to appreciate the breadth of Aboriginal, European and natural histories on display, and to enjoy the dramatic architecture of the building itself.  The structure is large curved sheets of thick, rusted iron, with floor to ceiling windows on each end where you can watch the finches, spinifex pigeons, corellas and doves helping themselves at the tiny outside pools in the crevices of the building.  At the entrance, slits are cut in decorative ironwork (perhaps reminiscent of Ned Kelly’s helmet) that dramatically frame vistas of the immediate surrounds: red and green topped by blue sky are the colours of the Karijini world. The four highest mountains of WA occur in the Pilbara, including Mt Nameless.   It is easy to empathise with traditional owners, the Eastern Guruma people, who point out that indeed it does have a name, Jarndunmunha.  Apparently the aboriginal name was "restored" by Ashburton Council in 2007,  however that is not apparent to the casual visitor to Tom Price.  Back near the Eco Retreat the next day and alone the whole time, we explored Knox Gorge, perhaps the most dramatic of all of them but they were all very different.

We met a couple, Bill and Beth and their daughter Lauren, at Karijini enjoying a driving holiday from Perth. Bill’s enthusiasm for his consulting role marrying up “waste” resource producers with businesses able to re-purpose waste materials was catching. On many levels we shared a lot in common. In summary, Karijini was a highlight, to be followed in quick succession by Ningaloo Reef.

The CEO of the Eco Retreat and a renewable energy consultant were on location while we were at Karijini, both excited about the prospect of ultimately attracting electric vehicles to visit when their new solar and battery system is installed. Unfortunately, they are currently operating off a diesel generator like most of the roadhouses and townships in the region. Nevertheless, the Eco Retreat was the only place near the Karijini NP where we could charge the car and we were given overnight access to a single phase outlet to power up after our initial arrival, after our 160 km round trip farther east, and before our departure.  Paraburdoo fortunately has 3 phase available at the oval so on our return to the coast we were able to get all the way to Exmouth in one, very long day with top ups at both Paraburdoo and Nanutarra Roadhouse, beside the Ashburton River. See the photo where the Tesla is on a 3 phase outlet and our laptop is on a single phase outlet at the Paraburdoo town oval!

After arriving in Exmouth late at night to set the tent in a crowded caravan park we once again were able to charge the car overnight on a 3 phase outlet. Ningaloo Reef was in our sights on the other side of North West Cape but once again the local township and its history proved interesting. It was where operation Jaywick was launched on 2nd September 1943 when 14 Australian commandos left for Singapore in a Malay fishing boat, the Krait, to create havoc behind enemy lines by successfully setting off mines despite the close presence of Japanese military. They managed to escape but another similar escapade later on was a failure. Also, there is a joint US-Australian VLF (very low frequency) radio transmitter on North West Cape, just north of Exmouth. It is used to communicate with submarines and uses 300 m high antennae to generate the very long wavelengths that are able to penetrate water depths sufficient to reach submarines. 

We were amazed to find that the whale sharks were still at Ningaloo, and luckily we were able to book on a launch with 20 other people the next day to try our luck at snorkeling beside a whale shark! Unfortunately, we had a rough night at the Yardie Homestead Caravan Park because we were camped beside two older businessmen from Perth who were gearing up for a night on the turps. Despite Stephanie’s entreaties to them and promises they would shut down by 10pm, they kept going late into the evening to the displeasure of a number of us campers.   It was however a case of “beggars can’t be choosers” as even a site for our tiny tent was at a premium, both in Exmouth and Yardie.  Nevertheless, we were to have a great day out, being collected from the camp site in a minibus by the tour company  and taken to the take off point, Tantabiddy Creek boat ramp. Before that amazing experience with a whale shark and snorkeling on the reef with the numerous species of fascinating coloured fish, we had spent some hours in the Visitor Centre at Exmouth, co-located with the Minderoo Foundation marine lab. The displays were fantastic, telling the story of the US/Australian military origins of Exmouth town in the early ’60’s, the natural history of the reef and protected waters (with aquarium).

We spent one more morning around Ningaloo visiting Yardie Creek Gorge, walked up the Gorge and spotted  Blank-flanked Rock Wallaby. There is evidence in a small cave at Mandu Mandu on the western slopes of Cape Range of human occupation 32,000 years ago. There is also an account of how in 1875, local Yinikurtira-West Thalanyji people saved the lives of two shipwrecked Croation sailors. The book, "The Wreck of the Barque Stefano off the North West Cape of Australia in 1875" describes aspects of pre-contact Aboriginal culture in detail.  The Vlamingh Head lighthouse had us driving up to the lookout at its base and there we met some fellow Tesla (Model S) owners. Of course the usual conversation ensued, comparing experiences and satisfaction levels!!

Later in the day we trusted to luck once more and headed for Bullara Station Campground and were pleasantly surprised.