Our time at Mornington now complete, we drove the 90 kilometres back to the GRR and sat and watched cars stream past. Were we to turn right and more gorges and other spectacular sights (but invariably dust and smoke too) or left and back to Derby (and Broome and beaches and sand and surf). In the end, it was an easy choice: we would come back to the Kimberley again when there was a bigger wet season and we would add some more sights from the GRR (and hopefully we would visit the Mitchell Plateau and Kalumburu). So we turned left and mentally recalculated the fuel and distance involved. Enough to get to Derby without stopping at Mount Hart. So, direct to Derby was the decision. We arrived in Derby for a late lunch and then ... read more

Canoeing on Sir John Gorge at Mornington was to be a highlight of the trip: A gourmet lunch from the restaurant. Three canoes (one each through the three sections of the gorge). Sir John Gorge exclusively for us to share with the wildlife. This was a fabulous trip, exploring different areas and looking for the next canoe when we finished the previous section. We had lunch at a little beach and then explored up a gully which led to a secluded and shady pond which was fed by a small creek. Sharing our swimming pond with a water monitor was fabulous. On our return trip, in the middle section, we saw a huge barramundi sleeping on its side on a rock ledge just 30 cm below the water. We thought it might be dead but it ... read more

One of the must-see places on the Gibb River Road is Mornington Wilderness Camp. The camp is run by Australian Wildlife Conservancy, an organisation that was created over 10 years ago and is aimed at reversing the recent trends of mammal extinction through land acquisition and partnership and by land management, particularly through feral animal control and fire management. Read more at http://www.australianwildlife.org/sanctuaries.aspx Mornington (the camp) is a tricky place to visit because it has a ninety kilometre driveway and has strict maximums on the number of campers that are allowed. Emails stressed that the best way to avoid disappointment was to get in early. To get in early requires getting to the front gate where you ring the camp reception (or anyone else that answers the two way radio) and confirming the size of your ... read more

After almost a week of R&R at Fitzroy Crossing we thought we were ready to tackle the Gibb again. There are many wonderful things to see in the Kimberley but the corrugations, dust and smoke from the burning off do detract from the experience somewhat. Our first stop was Tunnel Creek National Park and this must be a highlight of the GRR region - this area has history, walking, wonderful scenery and crocs all rolled in to the one package! You can read about the history by googling Jandamarra; it's a fascinating story. One small bonus of the "dry" wet season was that the water level in Tunnel Creek was quite low (generally below knee level if you waded in the shallows). We entered the tunnel and turned on our headlights. Ahead we could see indications ... read more

We had a few quiet days at Fitzroy Crossing Lodge catching up on the blog, walking up to the hotel for early coffees and drinking beer and chatting with the locals at lunchtime. Georgi was at her artistic best taking photographs and doing some drawing. A large monitor visited our campsite too and we took some pics of his visit. It may have been a Kimberley rock monitor. The monitor decided to dig up next doors campsite in search of lunch so we had an excellent view of his activities. When someone came along the road he flattened himself on the grass and kept very still and when they were gone he would raise his head to check whether he was safe. Some of the birds became very friendly and would wander under the table picking ... read more