Break 1 - Day 8 Yardie Creek

For something a little different, we decided to check out Yardie Creek. We stopped and picked up info on the trail at the tourist centre – where they also had lots of info about the park in general and the flora and fauna.

On the hike in we came upon these roos resting under the bushes. We stood observantly watching them but most of the locals don't even give them a second look. Kangaroos here are about like squirrels in Canada - some people pay them attention, but mostly they are regarded as cute pests.

It was not a long hike – many flies, but great scenery. The first section was paved, but then we continued further up the gorge. The path was well marked, but you did need to watch your footing. All along the path, you could look down into the gorge and onto the facing wall. Only one side of the gorge is accessible - the other is protected for the wildlife. Rock wallabies often rest in the caves along the gorge walls, so we watched keenly hoping to catch a view.

It's funny that this should be called a 'creek'. It's the most substantial body of inland water we've seen despite having passed numerous dried up lakes and driven over many dry riverbeds - all which appear large on maps and bear significant names.

Kyle really wanted to head back due to the flies, but we plodded on to hike down to the water level. As we ventured down to the water level we saw some more kangaroos. We could see fish in the water, but alas we failed to spot any rock wallabies on the facing wall in the caves. There is boat tour you can take into the gorge, but having walked down into the gorge, we didn't bother taking the ferry as we saw the full route it takes.

The trees were quite amazing in their survival though - you can see the exposed roots. Given the limited rain and constant winds and sun, I'm not sure how this one here survives.

Kyle was not feeling well - he seems to be coming down with something - so after the hike, we headed back and changed hotel rooms. For minimal extra charge, we moved from a single motel style room to a 2 bedroom with kitchen and sitting area - MUCH nicer - wish there had been availability the whole 4 days, but things book up quickly here (I booked back in beginning of February!) We even had our own little patio with bbq and patio set – very comfortable. And we were closer to the pool – which Kyle spent many hours in over the 4 days here. So we sat back and enjoyed a bbq dinner and chilled out for the rest of the day.