The Fortescue Falls and pool viewed form near the top of the canyon.

For today’s foray into the national park we chose to go to the Dales Gorge which at least meant we were on surfaced roads all the way. As we approached the park we saw a large animal that we at first thought was a large fox, crossing the roads in the distance. When we got to the spot the animal was stood just off the road looking back at us and was, in fact, our first Dingo sighting of the trip.
We stopped at the car park above the Fortescue Falls as that seemed to be a spot that is recommended for swimming and today we both wanted to go for a swim if safe/practical.

The Fortescue Falls

The climb down the side of the gorge was much steeper than yesterday’s climb with very tall steps cut into the rock and the occasional natural rocks that you had to clamber down. As we descended into the gorge you could clearly see the waterfall below and the pool below it which already had a good number of people swimming in it.
Once you’ve finished climbing down the man made steps you end up at the side of the pool, maybe 30 ft above it and then climb down the natural steps to the pool created by a combination of the rock’s natural bedding plains and water erosion.

Pam swimming below Fortescue Falls

The water wasn’t too cold after the initial shock and after the heat of the sun during the descent it was a welcome relief. The rock that wasn’t covered in water was almost too hot to stand on with bare feet ! We swam in the pool for a while and then sat under the waterfall before exiting and drying off in the sun, a very pleasant way to spend a morning 🙂
Circular Pool is about 3km further down the gorge and there is a “class 3” walking trail to it so after we’d dried out a bit we headed off down the gorge. There are a series of pools and waterfalls along the way that all looked tempting but most impressive were the rock formations. All worn smooth by the water when the gorge is in flood. There are also some huge boulders that have been carved away at the bottom, many with tree trunks forced underneath them. It’s not surprising there are warnings to leave the gorge if it starts to rain as the remnants of previous flows are visible about ten feet above us.

The water steps up to Circular Pool

Circular Pool was a bit of a disappointment in the end and was a bit of an anti climax after the trek along the gorge. We didn’t stay very long as a result and headed back to the Fortescue Falls along the gorge again.
One of the guide books mentioned Fern Pool and we’d not been able to find it on any map or on any of the signs. Once we returned to the falls and started to head up out of the gorge though I spotted a sign for it. As it had been recommended we put off the climb out of the gorge and decided to divert to have a look. It’s only about 500 metres from the falls and, as it turned out, well worth the diversion. It really is an amazing place, even the crowd of Germans shouting to each other across the pool couldn’t destroy the atmosphere of the place. There were some large fruit bats roosting in the trees above the pool, the first we’ve seen on this trip.

Fern Pool, a photograph doesn’t do it justice.

The walk out of the canyon wasn’t as painful as we’d expected and it didn’t seem to take as long as we’d expected, I think we only stopped three times for a drink of water. We’ve come to the conclusion that the water we picked up at Denham is desalinated water as it seems to leave a very slight salty taste behind. It’s OK but tends to leave you feeling slightly thirsty all the time. We’re going to empty that bottle out and refill if with the “town water” here. Glad we have 3 individual water containers rather than 1 large one or they’d all be tainted.
On returning to the camp site at Tom Price we headed to the swimming pool which we had to ourselves, all in all a very energetic day, certainly earned a couple of beers and a glass of red or two…
Tomorrow is still planned as a maintenance and replenishment day. The Gibb River Road looks to be opening in the next day or so and we’re about 3 days away from Broome so if we get the vehicle fettled and get our provisions sorted we’ll be ready to start the next stage of our little adventure with a trip northwards to Broome before turning east and saying goodbye to WA.