7 amazing things to do on the WARLU WAY
From the OCEAN to the red DESERT, the Pilbara region offers an abundance of ADVENTURES for every traveller.
LOSE YOURSELF in the magnificent sights and stories along the Warlu Way, a 3000-kilometre route that follows the path of the Warlu Dreamtime serpent through ancient Pilbara landscapes. Tackle it in its entirety, or break it into its four sections: the Coastal, Inland, Manuwarra Red Dog Highway and East Pilbara Geoheritage Routes. Select your road trip snacks, pack the car and prioritise these stops.
1. Gorge hop in Karijini
INLAND ROUTE / 70KM FROM TOM PRICE is a park of contrasts. Mountains KARIJINI rise from valleys, fertile waterways course their way through the semi-desert landscapes, and endless plateaus are divided by gaping gorges. Descend into their depths where you’ll find deep, cool pools to plunge into after a challenging climb down. KALAMINA is the shallowest and easiest to access, GORGE and for the more adventurous, there’s GORGE’s POOL, a class 5 WEANO HANDRAIL boulder scramble and one of the most challenging hikes.
2. FOLLOW RED DOG’S TRAIL AROUND DAMPIER
COASTAL ROUTE / 20KM FROM KARRATHA Do as its most famed resident did DAMPIER on the 10-kilometre TRAIL. It’s an RED DOG easy, grade 2 walk and the best way to see all that Dampier offers. Follow the signs through town to stop by the swaying palms on the foreshore, and SHARK CAGE BEACH BOAT – the latter two are the locals’ RAMP BEACH preferred swimming spots. The trail starts just out of town and is marked by a statue of the Pilbara-travelling kelpie/cattle dog cross, Red Dog.
3. Ogle at Murujuga National Park’s ancient art
COASTAL ROUTE / 34KM FROM KARRATHA When it comes to ancient Aboriginal rock art, the Ngarda-Ngarli collection at MURUJUGA on the NATIONAL PARK BURRUP PENINSULA delivers on all fronts – it’s the world’s largest, densest and most diverse. There are more than one million petroglyphs around the park, each telling a story of life as far back as 47,000 years ago. Take the 700-metre elevated boardwalk at through the rock piles and NGAJARLI mudflats to find them, stopping to read their stories at the interpretive signs along the way.
4. HOOK A BIG ONE OFF THE MACKEREL ISLANDS
COASTAL ROUTE / 303KM (PLUS A FERRY RIDE) FROM KARRATHA One visit to the off MACKEREL ISLANDS Onslow and there will be “it was this big” stories to last you a lifetime. The islands are a fisher’s haven with red emperor, Spanish mackerel and sailfish among some of the larger game fish found in the deeper waters. Plenty more fish – of the viewing, not eating kind – can be seen darting about the colourful reefs closer to shore. Don a snorkel, paddle out and enjoy the kaleidoscopic display.
5. Cool off at Millstream Chichester’s Deep Reach Pool
MANUWARRA RED DOG HIGHWAY ROUTE / 121KM FROM KARRATHA Palm-studded wetlands are the last thing you expect to see in the Pilbara desert, but it’s not a mirage; it’s MILLSTREAM CHICHESTER PARK. Fed by an underground NATIONAL aquifer, the national park is a hidden inland oasis split by the Fortescue River and studded with magical natural pools. One of the most picturesque is (NHANGGANGUNHA), DEEP REACH the resting spot of the Yindjibarndi Dreaming Warlu serpent. The water here is cool, calm and deep, perfect for swimming and canoeing.
6. EXPLORE COSSACK, A LIVING GHOST TOWN
COASTAL ROUTE / 51KM FROM KARRATHA All that’s left of this once-thriving port town is a handful of heritage bluestone buildings and a chapter of colourful stories. played a vital COSSACK role in the growth of the Pilbara region as the original pearling port before the industry migrated to Broome. The opening of a jetty in a town nearby in 1910 dissolved Cossack, and by 1950 the town was abandoned. Uncover more of the town’s history on a visit to the COSSACK MUSEUM and along the TRAIL. COSSACK HERITAGE
7. Go for gold in Marble Bar
GEOHERITAGE ROUTE / 205KM FROM PORT HEDLAND A century ago, recorded 160 MARBLE BAR consecutive days over 37.7°C, earning it the title of Australia’s hottest town. But the heat isn’t its only claim to fame: seven kilometres out of town is the MINE, a relic COMET GOLD of Marble Bar’s former heyday as a bustling gold rush town. Tour the mine to see the southern hemisphere’s tallest smokestack and a colourful range of gemstones, rocks and minerals from the area. A big day of mining history deserves a celebratory beer, served ice cold at the HOTEL. IRONCLAD