Newman to Munjina Gorge
Monday 3rd October
Just a note to apologise for the quality of the videos but my editing software is on my desktop at home! I think you can turn the volume down!!
Friends John and Phyllis had recommended a spot called Munjina Gorge which is a couple of hundred ks from Newman, toward Port Headland, so we have decided to have a look in there today.
It is actually, not that well signposted and we nearly missed the entry road.
There is a fairly wide valley with a ridge up the middle and on the top of the ridge lots of camp sites have been graded out on either side of the ridge road. There are not many people here considering that it is still school holidays but of course there’s not much for the kids to do and there’s no internet signal!
We find ourselves a good spot and get ourselves set up by early afternoon. At last we’re getting some lovely sunshine but there’s also a nice breeze blowing up the gorge which makes it very pleasant.
Top Clockwise: Sites along the ridge; view through the kitchen window; view through dining room window; our spot on the ridge.
This is a magic place, very peaceful and it is easy to sit and look at the scenery. As we’ve said before the scenery changes colour constantly with the movement of the sun.
We went for a walk up the hill this afternoon and found where the campsites end. There is a stony track that goes on further but we decided a glass of wine was calling!
Tuesday 4th October
We got some neighbours today, Malcolm and Jane from country NSW. We have a chat in the afternoon and decide we’ll invite them to our fire tonight. They’re doing a tour round mainland Australia but have missed out QLD on this trip. They are very impressed with WA and have even done quite a few tours in and around Port Headland.
Wednesday 4th October
We took a walk down to the Lookout this morning. It overlooks the Great Northern Highway which goes through a man-made gap in the Munjina Range. From here there is a good view of the roadtrains hauling iron ore from the mines to the port. They weigh over 100 tonnes and as the road is quite steep they are required to descend in the lowest gear. We spoke to a couple of drivers a few years ago in Port Headland, they explained how they have to wear sensors that ensure that things like head movement, do not constitute a safety risk.
Most trucks will go down the pass slowly but if they’re empty they will travel a bit quicker.
Too windy to have a fire tonight but spotted five satellites during a half hour’s sky watch.
Thursday 5th October
We popped up to Auski Roadhouse today for a look round, pretty normal for a northern roadhouse but at least this one is being renovated and hopefully improved.
We have had an internet connection here and our emails are up to date.
Unfortunately, my father has had to go into hospital and we’re waiting to get an update from my brother.
On the way back we recorded our drive up the pass.
At 1min 16 secs, up to the left is the ridge where our camp site is situated.
We’ve decided to leave tomorrow but we really have enjoyed this place, it will go on our ‘must return to’ list! Thank you John & Phyllis.
Friday 7th October
We’re heading for Tom Price, another mining town, of course! They are all very much the same, dusty and tired mostly. This one has been tarted up a bit but is still uninteresting.
We do some shopping, check with the visitors centre that there is still fuel in Mt Augustus, have some lunch, top the tank up, because we have a longish run of a bit over 400ks with no fuel stations in between, and off we go to Mount Augustus.
About 70 ks out of TP we get on the dirt and Roger goes out to let the tyres down. He finds that one of the wheels is really very hot.
There is nowhere to pull off the track though it is fairly wide. We put out the warning triangle a 100m back up the road, the main problem is that the hot wheel is on the road side.
Having let the wheel, hopefully, cool down a bit the wheel is jacked up, but the wheel won’t turn. This is potentially bad news. We contemplate calling the caravan insurance company. Roger wants to take the hub off but is concerned that it may not go back on again.
Several people have stopped to see if we need help but there really isn’t much they can do. Then a couple of cockys (a man and a girl from Rocklea Station) come along and having explained the situation he agrees that we pull the hub off anyway. Roger feels better about it and these guys are local and won’t leave us in the lurch.
The hub actually comes off quite easily but what we find inside is amazing. Just about every piece braking componentry inside is mangled, melted or missing!
Although this looks pretty bad, we check out the bearings and they look OK (we carry a spare set anyway). Having cleared everything from inside the hub, replaced it and put the wheel back on, we find it spins fine! This means we can move the van without serious consequences, albeit with only three out of four brake systems working.
We make it back to Tom Price and check into the caravan park until we can decide what to do.
An exciting day, but this sort of thing that can happen. We were lucky that we weren’t too remote and that we can still move the van, if not we would have to had it picked up and taken into town for repair, somewhere. Also, we would have had to have found some accommodation which is pretty scarce hereabouts. Not only that but we would have lost control of the caravan repair options.
Saturday 8th October
We had a ride round the mechanical repair yards this morning and found someone who can look at it on Monday.
There are several options including, checking bearings, repacking / changing and then head for home, or get it fixed up here but that depends on how soon we can get the bits up from Perth?
We’ll see on Monday.
Meantime we have a weekend of R&R in Tom Price!!
Monday 10th October
Monday and an early start, the sooner we get the van looked at the sooner we can evaluate the options. They range from having to wait here until spares can be brought up from Perth to checking / changing the bearings on one wheel, checking the other three wheels and, if OK continuing our trip.
Late morning we go back to see what the mechanics have found. They have changed the bearing (supplied by Roger) on the affected wheel, checked the other wheels which are all OK, so for $300 we’re confident in continuing.
We will stay in TP tonight since we’ve paid for the site.
Tomorrow we’ll set out for Mt Augustus again.
Tuesday 11th October
We get away reasonably early this morning, its 460 ks to Mt Augustus but will go via Parabadoo, mainly because we haven’t been there before but also because we can refuel there. Fuel should be OK but it depends on the road conditions,
The dirt starts about 50ks southwest of Parabadoo and the first thing we see is a ‘Road Closed’ sign, however, it is accompanied by a ‘river flooded’ explanation! There has been no rain for a month or so in this area so it is very unlikely that there is a flooded river down the track.
However, we have already done nearly 80 ks so PLE (Prudent Limit of Endurance), will be about 200ks, ie; allowing enough fuel to get back to Parabadoo. After about 20ks we can hear someone on UHF so we call up to see if they know if the road is open. They are a road gang and it is!
The road goes through spectacular country but it is too vast for the camera to capture successfully. The road is not too bad until we get to the road works, which are pretty extensive.
A stop for lunch at a spot that would be quite good with grass and water in the creek.
The road changes after the turn off to Mt Augustus, the scenery is, if anything, even more spectacular once we’re heading south but it is slower going due to the nature of the landscape.
This collection of signs aptly indicates the nature of the road down to Mt Augustus, one that’s missing is CREST, means you can’t see what’s coming, or what the track is like on the other side!
Floodways are places where, when its wet, the water flows across the road, often making it impassable.
Curves are obvious but they can be sharp, with loose surfaces and cambered the wrong way.
Dips are place where deep gullies have been formed by water and has created washouts, these often have not been filled in. They have to be negotiated very carefully so as not to damage either vehicle.
We decide to stop for the night about a 140ks from Mt Augustus but there’s not much in the way of stopping places, however, we find a hard, flat spot, well off the road. It is very windy night.
Wednesday 12th October
A cloudy start to the day but the sun soon burns it off and we have a lovely sunny drive to Mt Augustus.
Alloveroz 