Day 45 Wednesday 27th July

Day 45 Wednesday 27th July

We had another wondeful day again today, experiencing the magnificent natural wonders of our country. We left Karratha early for a day trip in the Millstream-Chichester National Park. The road in was pretty good and bituminised for the first 90 kms  before it turned to dirt. The road also followed a couple of the iron-ore railway lines and we saw numerous, long trains heading in both directions. The full ones heading to the ports and the empty ones heading back to the Hammersley Range.  Our first stop was the picturesque Python Pool, a beautiful,  clear pool surrounded by enormous, straight red and black rockwalls. We were tempted to have a swim but the water was a little on the cool side. We continued on another 30 or so kilometres to Deep Reach Pool, situated on the Fortescue River. Rob and I remembered camping here with Jasmine, next to the river 16 years ago. I was very impressed with all the improvements that have been made in the park, with many more amenities and designated camping areas. (You can’t camp next to the river anymore, though.) We again were tempted to swim but none of us did although we met another SA couple who were going to have a swim. Special steps with a rail, down to the river had been built to make it safe and easy. From here we drove to Millstream Homestead. We stopped here and had lunch and then explored the Homestead and surrounds. The first settlers came in the 1860s and the homestead was built in the 1920s. It was a cattle station but the homestead had the luxury of having a water supply all year round from the Millstream spring which is  huge aquifer and now supplies watèr to many areas and is constantly monitored. The homestead also had palms, a vegie garden, a tennis court and also a stunning pool all year round. We went for a short walk through the beautiful wetlands surrounding the homestead. The water in the pools and streams was crystal clear and we could see the bottom of all the pools. Water-lillies and small fish were everwhere.  From here we drove to a lookout and then took a senic route out of the park before heading back to Karratha.