Gibb River Road - Geikie Gorge and Bell Gorge

---

Monday 25^thJune 2012



Mike, the kids and I decided to make the long drive to see Geikie Gorge. Mum, Dad, Richard and Marion didn’t want to do it at this time. We set out in the early morning chill, just before 7am, and not far from camp we saw several wallabies and two dingoes, one of which stopped on the road for a photo. We then drove past the Napier Range, with the King Leopold Range further in the distance, along some average gravel road, before reaching the main highway. We went through Fitzroy Crossing and out to Geikie Gorge. We went on the one hour boat tour along the gorge, run by DEC. The staff apologised for the cold weather but it was actually a very pleasant mild day. Geikie Gorge is also part of the Devonian Reef (as is Windjana Gorge), and the cliff faces are a variety of red, white and orange rocks. We saw a number of freshwater crocodiles sunbaking and a couple swimming. There were also quite a few different birds. We saw some freshwater pandanus (pandanus aquaticus) and some striking rock figs with very long roots down towards the water. The gorge area floods annually when the Fitzroy river runs at its peak, sometimes very spectacularly.



We cooked potatoes in the coals, and had with steak and tofu for the omnivores and vegetarian respectively.



Tuesday 26^th June 2012

We packed up our Windjana Gorge campsite (making quite good time for us – 1.5 hours all up including breakfast and packing away the annexe roof) and drove along the Gibb River Road, through the King Leopold Range to the Bell Gorge and Silent Grove Campsite turnoff. Luckily the King Leopold Range is 540 million years old or it may have been a more challenging drive. We made camp at Silent Grove (another site with showers and flushing toilets) and I did a spot of washing. We had transported our water hose connector from the last campsite to this one on the draw bar of the camper trailer, over the bumps of the Gibb River Road!



After lunch, we took the short drive to Bell Gorge and then walked down to the gorge. It’s a rocky and slightly challenging walk to the top of the gorge, and a more difficult clamber down to the base. It’s a very striking gorge, with chunky orange and black rocks and a tiered waterfall at one end. We saw a lace monitor resting on a rock with his tail in the water. We all had a swim in the clear brisk water. It’s a very popular gorge, with a full carpark and lots of people walking down to look or further down to swim.

---