One Week, Zero People: Exploring the Newman Backcountry in WA

Adventure Lifestyle
May 8
7 min read

Updated: May 19

We just spent a week deep in the Pilbara backcountry on a remote loop out of Newman, and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding stretches of our half-lap so far. Seven days, no phone signal, two unforecast storms, a few mechanical hiccups along the way, and not a single other traveller at any of the seven locations we visited.

If you're planning a 4WD trip through Western Australia and you're looking for somewhere properly remote, this loop deserves a spot on your list.

Where We Went in the Newman Region

The full loop covered Wonmunna Gorge, Kalgan's Pool, Bella Pools, Three Pools, Eagle Rock Falls, Hickman Crater and the Punda Rock Art site. All located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, accessed via a combination of public tracks and BHP rail access roads.

A free BHP Rail Access permit is required for most of these locations. We picked ours up before heading out to Kalgan's Pool, and we'd recommend you do the same if you're planning to follow our route.

Map with blue coloured route and waypoints marking the locations visited in this blog — *Screenshot of the route and waypoints we visited for this blog*

Wonmunna Gorge

We kicked off the loop at Wonmunna Gorge, a gorgeous spot that doesn't get nearly enough attention. The gorge isn't signposted off the highway, which probably explains why most people drive straight past it.

We tracked down the creek a little way and found it was actually flowing. There were some beautiful little rock pools further along, plus a few petroglyphs to the right of the parking area. The bigger pool further east would take a bit of effort to reach, but it looked well worth the trek.

You can free camp here too. There's a flat area near the gorge listed on WikiCamps, and it would make a perfect first or last night on the loop depending on which direction you tackle it from.

Driving Into Kalgan's Pool

This was the section we'd seen the most footage of online, and we'd watched plenty of videos before heading in. Even with all that preparation, the drive in was something else.

The track was basically a flowing river the whole way. We expected one or two water crossings based on the footage we'd seen, but we ended up doing five or six, with water deep enough to push up over the bonnet at one point. Long stretches of rocky riverbed threw the vehicles around, and Karleah's drive belt started squealing partway through from the water depth.

Toyota Hilux 4WD driving through a deep water crossing on the track into Kalgan's Pool, Western Australia, with water spraying off the front bullbar and tall green reeds framing both sides of the vehicle. The rig is reflected in the still brown water and surrounded by river gums under a partly cloudy blue sky, photographed at ground level looking down the track. — *Karleah's HiLux emerges from one of the long water passages en route to Kalgan's Pool*

Our advice if you're planning to drive in: keep the revs steady in low range and take your time. The corners are the most daunting part because you can't see how deep the water continues. Get past those, and you'll be fine.

It's spicy, but it's good fun.

Camping at Kalgan's Pool

The pool itself was sitting low when we arrived (surprising for the end of the wet season), but the scenery more than made up for it. We had the entire campsite to ourselves and got the awnings set up just as the weather started turning.

Toyota Hilux 4WD with awning extended camped beside the waterhole at Kalgan's Pool near Newman, surrounded by river gums and steep layered red rock cliff walls. Aerial photograph showing the remote canyon campsite from the clifftop above. — *Kalgan's Pool from above*

We'd been keeping an eye on the radar via Starlink all afternoon. There was nothing showing for our area, plenty of rain hitting Tom Price 200 kilometres away, but nothing for us. About an hour later, an unforecast storm rolled directly over the top of camp. Crazy lightning, proper thunder, the lot.

We managed to capture some of the lightning on camera, which we hadn't done before on the trip. There's something about being out in genuinely remote country during a storm that reminds you how vulnerable you are out there. It also makes you feel pretty alive.

The next morning was beautiful. No damage to the awnings or vehicles, just a little excitement to start the day with.

The Top of Kalgan's Pool

Before heading off the next day, we drove up to the top of the pool for a look at the lookout. Short drive from camp, around the base and up to the top, and well worth the detour. The little valley you drive through to get up there is incredible. The kind of drive where you don't even bother turning the music on because you're enjoying it too much.

Two Toyota 4WDs parked on a red rocky ridgeline above Kalgan's Pool near Newman in the Pilbara, with sweeping views across rolling red rock ranges and native bushland under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds. Aerial drone photograph showing the dramatic scale of the Western Australian outback landscape. — *Kalgan's Pool Lookout*

Bella Pools

From Kalgan's, we headed northwest towards Bella Pools. The drive was about 18 kilometres but slow going, with a mix of mine-maintained sections and rougher tracks either side.

Bella Pools required a bit of a trek in from where we parked the cars. We packed up a snack lunch (harvest nuts, beetroot hummus, some Ritz crackers, fruit, a couple of cold drinks) and walked down to the pools to find a spot in the shade.

Still waterhole at Bella Pools near Newman in the Pilbara, reflecting a bright blue sky, white clouds and surrounding red rock cliffs, framed by white-trunked river gums and green eucalypts on the banks. Photograph taken at ground level showing the mirror-like surface of the water. — *Reflections off Bella Pools*

The water wasn't quite swimmable but the location was stunning. Karleah found a quiet spot to chill while Paul went exploring further down the gorge to see what was around the next bend. There was a little oasis tucked away that you'd never know was there from the main pool.

Three Pools

Three Pools was our next stop, and one we'd seen plenty of photos of going in. None of them did it justice. The pools were sitting on the green side rather than the crystal clear we'd hoped for, but the steepness of the surrounding cliffs made it a properly dramatic spot.

We set up camp early and settled in for the afternoon. About an hour in, the sky went dark and we had our second unforecast storm of the trip. This one was less of a direct hit than Kalgan's. The light show was off in the distance, with a bit of thunder rolling through, but we copped no rain at camp.

The flies cleared off just before sunset and we got a beautiful, calm evening out of it.

Eagle Rock Falls

This one was the highlight of the trip.

The drive in had a few interesting sections, including a steep drop-off that genuinely got the heart racing. There's one bit where you can't see the ground out the passenger window, which is always a fun feature on a 4WD track.

Eagle Rock Falls campsite sits on the edge of a canyon with mountain ranges fading off into the distance. The waterfall itself wasn't flowing this trip (lower water levels than we'd hoped for, despite being end of the wet season), but the location alone made it easily one of the most stunning campsites we've ever set up at.

Two Toyota 4WDs parked on a red rocky ledge overlooking a deep canyon at Eagle Rock Falls in the Pilbara, with layered red rock cliffs, native bushland and distant mountain ranges fading into the horizon under a partly cloudy sky. Aerial drone photograph capturing the remote scale of the campsite location near Newman, Western Australia. — *Overlooking Eagle Rock Falls, which is more of a canyon!*

Afternoon beer, campfire cooking, golden hour light over the canyon. We had it entirely to ourselves.

If you only have time for one stop on this loop, make it this one.

Hickman Crater

From Eagle Rock Falls, we headed back to the BHP rail access road and across to Hickman Crater, which was discovered in 2007 by Dr Arthur Hickman, a government geologist who spotted it while browsing Google Earth.

The drive in was a fun one with a few washouts that needed careful spotting. The lookout itself sits on the edge of the crater rim and gives you a great sense of scale. We wrote in the visitor's book (Karleah managed one line, much to Paul's dismay) and had a wander around the rim.

Top down aerial photograph of Hickman Meteorite Crater near Newman in Western Australia, showing the circular crater rim defined by red rocky terrain and a vegetated central depression with green trees and shrubs. A small Toyota 4WD is visible at the bottom of the frame for scale, parked on the red dirt access track. — *Hickman Crater from above, with the vehicles looking like ants*

Worth a stop if you're already out this way, and a good break in the driving day.

Punda Campground

Punda Campground was the only stop on the loop where the conditions beat us. We'd planned to spend two nights here so Karleah could edit the previous YouTube episode while we had a base camp set up. Within an hour of arriving, the flies were so bad it was impossible to do anything outside without being absolutely covered.

The river bed was bone dry too, so there was no swimming option to escape the heat. The riverbed campsite itself was magic, with a ridge behind us and red rocky cliffs on either side, but we made the call to pack up the next morning and head back into Newman a day early.

If you're heading there yourself, we'd recommend checking the conditions first and packing serious fly nets. The location is genuinely beautiful when the flies aren't out of control.

Punda Rock Art

We made one final stop on our way back into Newman, and it ended up being one of the most special parts of the entire week.

The Punda Rock Art site has some of the most prolific and well-preserved petroglyphs we've ever seen. Almost every single rock in the area features ancient artwork, much of it remarkably detailed and clearly preserved. There's no signposting, no information boards, no marked tracks. Just rock after rock covered in ancient Indigenous art.

We were extremely careful where we walked. The petroglyphs are sacred to the local Indigenous community, so please visit respectfully if you're heading out there. Stay on the existing tracks, don't touch or disturb the art, and treat the area with the reverence it deserves.

Ancient Aboriginal petroglyph etched into a red rock boulder at Punda Rock Art site near Newman in the Pilbara, surrounded by dry spinifex grass and weathered red stones. Close up photograph showing the detailed carving on the rock surface. — *One of hundreds of petroglyphs at the Punda Rock Art site*

We could have spent hours there. There were emus, kangaroo prints, what looked like clap sticks, and patterns we couldn't begin to identify. A genuinely humbling end to the week.

A Few Tips Before You Go

If you're planning to do this loop yourself, here are a few things we wish we'd known going in:

The recommended order is Wonmunna Gorge, Kalgan's Pool, Eagle Rock Falls, Bella Pools, Three Pools, then out to Punda Campground and the Rock Art site. We ended up doing a bit of backtracking because we did it in a slightly different sequence, and with current diesel prices, every kilometre counts.

There is no way to get from Punda directly to Eagle Rock Falls despite them looking close on the map. We triple-checked. You'll need to backtrack to the BHP access road.

A free BHP Rail Access permit is required for most of these locations. Pick one up before you head out, available from the Newman Visitor Centre.

There is next to no phone signal anywhere on the loop. Carry a PLB or satellite communicator, plenty of water, fuel and recovery gear, and let someone know your route before you leave.

Conditions change rapidly after rain. Check track conditions with the Newman Visitor Centre before departing.

This is not a loop for soft-roaders or AWDs. Some sections involve rocky creek beds, water crossings up to the bonnets, and washouts that require careful spotting. Properly equipped 4WDs only.

Want to Retrace Our Steps?

We've made the GPX files for the entire loop available on our website. Several of the connector tracks we used aren't on any mainstream mapping apps and saved us serious time and distance.

Newman Loop 4WD GPX File Pack

A$15.00

Buy Now

Final Thoughts

The Pilbara backcountry has so much more to offer than most people realise, especially if you've got a properly equipped 4WD and a sense of adventure. We'll be back.

Have you been to any of these locations? We'd love to hear about your experience in the comments below.

Watch the Full Episode

We covered the entire loop in our latest YouTube episode, including the storms, the mechanical drama and a quick run-in with a fly at Punda Campground. You can watch the full 41-minute episode here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tCQRXI9zxg