And herein lies the principal challenge for the short-
term Karijini visitor. How do you de-tune from your four-
walled existence, embrace the elongated sense of time and
space, and then re-tune into the park’s wavelength in just
a handful of days?
Even tucked into your comfy bed inside the Eco Retreat,
your first night might be a little unsettling; especially
without the unremitting and reassuring dopamine fixes
of phone reception. The desert winds that hit your tent’s
walls seem threatening at first; the 3am dingo howls in the
distance even more so. Sleep assured though, this is simply
Karijini introducing herself.
Rise with the sun (as you inevitably do when glamping
anyway) and follow your instincts. Seek out the gorge that
most resonates with you; listen to it. Stop and stare, spend
time there, especially if you are privileged enough to have
it all to yourself.
On the surface Kalamina is just another gorge; replete
with colourful algae, blushing walls, stepped waterfalls.
But for some reason it spoke to Super Dan (and this writer)
the loudest. Ironically, it’s one of the park’s most accessible
gorges. “When I used to travel near Kalamina, I would feel
really uneasy,” says Dan. “So I asked a [Banyjima] elder
why the energy down there felt so different. He told me
that back in the day there was a huge fight down there.
A lot of people died. That tallied with the way I felt.”
But there is nothing to fear, if you respect Karijini. In
fact, the park’s energy can be a clarity-giving, revitalising
force. “You see it with families,” say Dan. “The first day
you can see the anxiety in them, trying futilely for phone
reception. Three days later, the kids are covered in red
dust, with a stick in one hand and a rock in the other.
The kids have become kids again.”
And that’s how you get to know Karijini: breathe it in,
accept its challenges, go with its energetic flow. Just make
sure to check your pockets on the way back to the harsh,
real world. As they say, Karma’s a bitch. That’s if you
believe in stuff like that.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
LEFT: Hang on to your spare tyres,
roads out here come red and bumpy;
Pancake-flat expanses of Karijini
have you unprepared for the
plunging gorges below; Ultra-violet
mulla mulla that springs to life
after rain; Karijini rewards the
adventurous traveller; Roping up
from the depths of a gorge; A goanna
on the prowl; Crossing the tracks
from mining country to the sacred
country of Karijini.There is nothing to fear, if
you respect Karijini. In
fact, the park’s energy can
be a clarity-giving,
revitalising force.