The 7 days in The Kimberley

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Well this is the part 2, The Kimberley and BE WARNED THIS IS A LONG ONE! So if you are busy leave it, if you have time for this get a cup of tea and sit down.
Well firstly thank you to anyone who took up my appeal for prayers as they have been answered many fold, we left Broome, headed for Derby and turned onto the infamous Gibb River Road. It needs to be pointed out that we are travelling in a Ford Territory called Bruce and this is considered by most people to be "marginal" or not up to it. Well apart from 1 dead tyre (more about that later) we are through and out the other side. There are roads up to Mitchell or the Drysdale road that we knew were out of the question but the Gibb has been conquered.
So we have been to Windjana gorge and seen fruit bats and freshwater crocs. We also got to see some Boab trees all over this region and I am obsessed with these trees as they are just odd. They begin as little saplings and then swell to the shape of a wine bottle and then the shape progresses and they get fatter rather than taller. Often they split early on to two trunks but an old Boab looks like an Ent ( Lord of the Rings) or an old soul.
We went to Tunnel Creek national park and climbed into the creek and went through the caves in the water with red gleaming eyes in the dark that were more crocodiles (only tiddlers though) and saw amazing old stalagmites. We drove on and did a bushwalk to Bell gorge and I swam in the top pool of the waterfall, now this would be very dangerous normally but the falls were very small). Just after leaving we were driving in the King Leopold ranges when we got a flat which turned out to be an utterly wrecked tyre. So at 3pm in 37 degrees poor Brian had to change the tyre for our first spare (we have 2). Lots of water drunk and swearing happened but then we were a bit nervous of losing our only other spare. I checked the map and found a tyre repairer in THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE about 50km further on. We got there, they had something that would fit and we were back to 2 spares and just as we were leaving they closed- so definitely prayer support bearing fruit there as it could have been a very different story!
We camped at Mount Banett and did a very tricky HOT bush walk to Manning Gorge but both swam in the most amazing pools that the river has made with no croc risks.
Finally we have been camping at El Questro and walked Zebedee Springs and Emma Gorge where we swam in the top pool under the falls and the lower Turquoise pool.
Some of these walks were a real test for my knee with lots of climbing over rocks and climbing up and down rock faces and ledges. It seems if it's not too far ( 2-3 hours) I can cope although I use a walking pole for a bit of extra balance. Also when we are walking Brian is very kind and patient and makes sure I don't break my knee or neck- I think we should walk more as the rest of the time we are fighting like 2 cats in a bag!
We have seen rock wallabies, a golden tree snake and some amazing birds. All the time we have been here there is a constant losing battle with the red dust which gets everywhere and yet again I have ruined socks.
So I have utterly lost my heart to the Kimberley region and given a chance I will be back here one day in a seriously gutsy 4wd with a roof tent. In the meantime, on we go!
We have now arrived in Kununurra and have 2 nights at the country club hotel which i got at a great rate thanks to trivago.
From here we will leave WA and head for the Northern Territory and Litchfield and Katherine Gorge national parks.

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