1^st Aug: Munjina

Hannah's 5^th Birthday today. We had a 15 minute skype session at 5.00 am this morning. Very nice. She was excitedly opening her presents clutching a Peppa Pig that her friend from school, Harry, had given her. A dinner at McDonalds and a trip to Movie World was in store for her.

We are at the Auski Roadhouse – the busiest roadhouse in the West! Roadtrains stop all day and night, in great clouds of dust and release of air-brakes! We are actually camping on grass!

The trip down here became more interesting as we went on. The geomorphology of this area is fascinating – well to me anyway! The granites and then the banded iron formations create amazing scenery. The road was great, the advantage of all those road trains. There were so many – four or five following each other closely. One travels at their speed – just under 100 kph which is comfortable on these roads.

Once we settled in we went for a drive – about 400 kms! Turning left just outside the roadhouse we drove across the front of the Hammersley Range on a good dirt road. It is an interesting sight - all banded iron formation standing up abruptly on the Fortescue River alluvial plains. We gave Wittenoon a miss as there are warnings everywhere about the asbestos fibres in the air from the tailings. When I think of the fact that 37 yrs ago, we camped there and went into the gorge and even into a mine, I'm horrified! I just wasn't going to risk it again. Wittenoon is opn the map but the houses are empty and no-one is there.

So we went on to Hammersley Gorge. There was an amazing winding road through a very narrow gorge. (Rio Tinto Gorge I think it was) I'm glad we didn't meet a road train there. We had the CB on 40 as trucks are supposed to call up to warn of their approach. But a sealed road took us into Hammersley. I can't think that we ever went there before because I can't remember it and I would! I was so excited to see the fantastic folded and contorted bands of mineralised rock there. The gorge was lovely, a little river tumbling over rocks into big pools lined with river gums between the narrow walls of the gorge.. But the rock formations blew me away! I have never seen anything like it – only in books! Red, purple and black bands folded and twisted, laid down as sediments 3,500 miollion years ago from iron rich lava from the centre of the earth. Amazing!! No wonder this place is full of iron ore mines!

We then drove to Tom Price. We couldn't seee the mine – no time as night was approaching and we still had 150 kms to go home through more amazing country.

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm raving on but I just love this place. I did last time. Roads are better, there are many more people but the range and the gorges are just the same. There will be more ravings!!