And how beautifully it has aged. With its sheer gorges
and steep chasms you can see where nature has carved deep lines-of-time
into the landscape.
There
is no better place to witness this than at Karijini
National Park. This is Australia's largest national park covering 100,000
square kilometres (38,610 square miles) and has spectacular 100-metre (327-foot)
sheer-sided chasms. Hidden amongst this ruggedness are crystal clear rock
pools and cascading waterfalls.Water also transforms the surroundings of
the Millstream-Chichester National Park - a palm-fringed oasis amidst an
arid land. Like the Afghan camel drivers who used to come here, visitors
will welcome its refreshing, serene environment.More water can be found
surrounding the Dampier Archipelago. This group of 42 islands is a marine
paradise with pristine waters and sheltered bays.But the Pilbara also had
much older inhabitants than those living in towns... the Australian Aborigines.
An overwhelming number of rock engravings can be found in the area making it one of the most prolific regions in the world for this type of discovery.Dating back 40,000 years they tell of the 'Dreamtime' and how life was for these first inhabitants. More than 10,000 of these engravings are on the Burrup Peninsula.The Pilbara is home to the world's largest natural gas project, giant ore ships, massive man-made mountains of iron ore, and trains of nearly three kilometres (1.8 miles) long hauling more than 28,000 tonnes (27,557 tons) of ore, 364 days a year.
Our adventures which include the Pilbara are: