Millstream Chichester National Park 14-15 July

This national park, about 90 minutes drive from Karratha used to be 2 parks, and previously they had been grazing properties. On the way here the hills looked very green, but the closer we came to them it was apparent the the greenness was clumps of spinifex which obviously has great colonising properties as some of the land was very stony.

The beginning of the wildflowers

Green hills covered with spinifex

 The first place we visited was Python Pool. It is located in very steep and arid country, but the  road was lined with wildflowers in many places, particularly the Sturt's Desert Pea, which we also-ran a lot of around Dampier. Python Pool is located at the base of a steep gorge. It is a very popular spot, and was sheltered from the wind which has been blown g steadily for a few days. David decided to have a swim, but as it wasn't that hot I decided against it. I have never seen him move so fast in the water, you would have thought something was chasing him. However it was only the cold he was escaping from, and he was out of the water very quickly. I tried to get some good sunset photos late in the day, but although I took heaps, most didn't do the brilliant sunset justice.

The next morning we visited the Homestead cum Visitors Centre which had some excellent displays of artifacts and memorabilia. The Homestead Walk started from there and followed a wetlands trail along Millstream Creek. It was a beautiful walk along a creek lined with date palms and paperbark trees. Some of the pools were covered with waterlilies. The ranger visited our campground later in he day and told us that both waterlilies and date palms are pests and eradication programs are in place. Thousands of date palm have been removed already. Some are in the shopping mall in Rockingham in WA. The remaining palms, which have historic value, have been controlled by removing the female trees.

After the walk we did the Snappy Gum drive of about 40 km around the park. This took us, strangely, past a water pipe, probably taking water to a mine somewhere, across the Fortescue River and through some quite arid areas. Stunning scenery though.

Next stop was Deep Reach,  a massive swimming area used a lot by locals on day trips.  Ther were a range of different wildflowers here and a massive flock of cockatoos which inhabit the trees on the far bank of the river. The clifftop walk and lookout gave us another view of this massive river, one of the longest in WA.

Views from the lookout

Millstream Chichester NP has a few longer and much more strenuous trails which we chose not to do, saving our energies for Karijini NP which is our next destination.