24 - 25 May 2012

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Thursday was pretty quiet as I prepared for my adventure with Kimberley Wild Expeditions the following day.

Friday morning couldn't come quick enough as I have been amped for the Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek Adventure since I booked it a week ago. The 4WD bus picked me up from the caravan park bang on schedule just after 7:00. There was a reasonably small group on the bus which was good and I strapped in ready to go.

The driver and tour guide was an easy going lad a bit younger than me and he gave plenty of useful information and told some tall tales along the way. We stopped at the Willare Roadhouse near the Fitzroy River and enjoyed some morning tea; the coffee, fruit cake and cookies went down a treat.

Onward we went towards Windjana Gorge. After sitting for a while asking myself 'are we there yet' reality set in that the Kimberley is a vast area as is the rest of WA. To give you an idea, the Kimberley Region is four and a half times the size of Victoria and it is bigger than Germany and Spain.

Next stop was the Derby Boab Prison Tree which is an infamous site reminding modern day tourists of the cruelty of European settlers towards the Indigenous population. The site was used to keep 'prisoners' (the local Aboriginals) in appalling conditions. The tree itself is something to behold; it is believed to be 1500 years old and measures almost 15 metres in girth.

The bus then made it to the Gorge just before lunch. The Gorge walls were spectacular and once a Devonian reef dating back 350 million years. The walk through to the Gorge itself was a relatively easy one and the views once we made it through were nothing short of spectacular. We were even lucky enough to see six to eight wild fresh waters crocs. Fortunately they were sun baking by the water and not on the move for 'lunch'.

The tour group went back to the bus for lunch that comprised of cold chicken, roast beef, ham, salami and an assortment of salads; sensational stuff. We then moved on through to Tunnel Creek which is a 750 metre cave system carved through the Napier Range.

The highlight of my day was the trek through the cave system which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We used torches to guide the way and waded through knee deep water to get from one side to the other. After a very chilly swim in a waterhole we had a bit of afternoon tea before jumping back on the bus.

The drive back towards Broome was fantastic as we saw wild brumbies and then a spectacular sunset in the Kimberley. We stopped back at Willare Roadhouse for tea (the barramundi was gold) before the final trek home. Being the last to get picked up meant I was the first off just before 10:00. A long day but worth every penny.

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