The thermometer is already striking 34 degrees, and the hot season hasn’t really started yet. So reluctantly we left the comfort of the Tom Price Caravan Park and headed for Dales Camping Area which except of friendly rangers and volunteers only offers the usual bush toilets. 
However the vicinity to one of the prettiest gorges and waterfalls makes it a popular stay.
The topography of the park was shaped by colliding teutonic plates pushing the ancient seabed upwards. This created an undulating surface of hillocks and dells scared by a multitude of cracks. 
Over time these cracks have been eroded by water and wind into beautiful gorges. Here in Karijini National Park one can “gorge" oneself on gorges. Some are tricky to descend into, others more accessible and most have waterfalls and rock pools to cool down in. 
Near our camp, Dales Gorge has the Fortescue Waterfall with a beautiful basin surrounded by amphitheater like stone steps. These steps are not only ideal to step down on to the water, but also offer a space for resting on a towel as they are perfectly flat and smooth. A little further on is Fern Pool, a very sought after place for a dip on the hot afternoon we arrived. While sitting at the edge deciding whether to plunge into the cool water, little fish nibble away the unwanted calluses on your feet - all free of charge! On the markets in Malaysia you pay probably $15 for dipping your feet in a small pool with these “pedicure" fish. This time Austin did get wet and made a special friend too.
After reducing the tire pressure our car, also called “The Beast”, took us easily over heavily corrugated dirt roads to some of the other awe inspiring gorges. One of the lookouts lays directly above the 4 gorges junction of Weano, Joffre, Red and Hancock Gorge.
One of our favourites and very accessible was Kalamina Gorge which ends in a pretty walled pool. Unfortunately, it being the end of the dry season, the waterfalls are not as powerful, but at least when sitting underneath they can give you a decent back and head massage.
On the way back over a “do not attempt” dirt track which, of course was like an invitation to Austin, we stopped off at the Parks visitors centre to join a gathering of people taking advantage of the only place far and wide with some internet. How strange life has become that being without the net for longer than 24 hours causes withdrawal symptoms or anxiety!
The most beautiful times in the outback are the early morning hours or dusk. That’s when the colours are deepening, the reds are glowing and the wildlife emerges. At the Dales Camping Ground on dusk, an astronomer starts a special tour to watch the night sky through his telescopes. We were lucky to catch a special free opportunity to look at the moon and take photos with our phones.
On our last day we did the walk along Dales Gorge from Fortescue Falls to the circular pool at the very end. Just magic! The rocks on either side look like giants pieces of millefeuille with the odd snappy gum standing abandoned on ledges. The water now in the dry season is in parts a mere creek trickling in tiny waterfalls through rocks and ferns. 
Early in the morning there was still plenty of shade, but it was a little hotter on the way back.
There fore we didn’t mind getting our feet wet during some of the stepping stones water crossings. And there was the obligatory swim in Fern Pool before ascending the 287 steps to our camping ground.
We decided to leave in the afternoon and stop on the way to Port Hedland at one of the rest stops. Huge mining trucks thunder up and down the North-Western highway all day and all night. After discovering that most of the rest stops from Wiki camps were truck stops, we finally found one where we could tuck in between the asphalt and vegetation, not keen of having one of the giants come upon us at night. The constant drone of heavy vehicles can be a quite sleep inducing melody!