Gibb River Road WA (part 1)

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We’re back in civilization again! We’ve been without mobile phone or internet reception for two weeks while we’ve been driving along the Gibb River Road, a 650 km stretch of dirt between Derby and the Great Northern Highway near Wyndam. They say it’s the last real adventure left in Australia so we’ve got lots to tell you.

It’s been great to catch up with all your emails and birthday wishes - thank you. My birthday was a bit different this year. It started off with us trying to sleep sitting up in the front of the ute which we definitely have no intention of making a tradition. We didn’t leave enough time the day before to reach our next campsite before dark. It’s too dangerous to drive with so many cattle and roos on the road so it meant stopping at one of the few rest areas along the way which happened to be on the banks of a stream. Crocodiles were on our minds so the only place we felt safe was in the ute - needless to say we hardly slept and I was just a tad cranky in the morning - poor Gavin.

Further down the road we stopped for breakfast and coffee to help revive ourselves and found one of our two coffee mugs was broken; Gavin’s been drinking out of a cut-off plastic milk container for a week now.

Did I mention that the GGGibb RRRiver RRRoad has lots of cccorrugggations?

It’s definitely a Must Do though as it was only when we bumped along it that we began to feel what The Kimberley is all about. It’s back to basics and the rest of the world seems so unimportant.

At Windjana Gorge the river flowed so slowly, everything was still; even the freshwater crocodiles were motionless, suspended in the water. The scenery was beautiful - huge boulders fallen from the cliffs, sandy beaches, cliffs burning orange in the sunset. It was afternoon when we walked along the riverside under the high walls but turned back before it got dark as there was no way we wanted to be stuck up the river with the crocodiles, at night.

You need to be standing at the entrance of Tunnel Creek as we were, to appreciate the apprehensive feeling we had. No-one else was around and there were no signs to say ‘Go This Way’. A cavernous opening narrowed, and led under the cliffs - the water disappeared into complete darkness ahead and the roof was getting lower. We knew that Tunnel Gorge was a stream that ran underground for 750 metres, and that we would be walking in water and needed a torch, so it looked like we were at the right place…we hoped we’d return.

It was pitch black but with the torches we saw stalactites that looked like huge chandeliers and a little waterfall looking as if it’s flow was frozen. It was an unreal feeling walking under the hills in complete darkness and not knowing what was next. Eventually it opened out to normality at the other end but we had to retrace our steps to get back to the car. We were experienced underground travelers by then so we were able to reassure other nervous looking adventurers we passed just starting in, that naah, there’s nothing to worry about and by the way, look out for the fresh crocodile tracks in the sand on the way.

We wanted to be alone at Bell Gorge so we got up really early. There are beautiful big rock pools and the actual waterfall is only one part of the whole place - that’s what photos never can show. We swam under the waterfall and soaked up the atmosphere and then the people started coming. When we left there were 17 other vehicles in the car park.

For some reason I had expected that the only great things to see in The Kimberley were the waterfalls and gorges etc but the whole area is beautiful. The ranges and the savannah woodlands are stunning; nothing is just ordinary looking so we’re forever stopping and getting out of the car to take photos.

Mornington Wilderness Camp is 90 kms off the main road but it’s worth doing just for the drive itself, even if there wasn’t somewhere great at the end. The shady camp sites are strung along the banks of a creek and there weren’t many people there - the way we like it (they limit the number of visitors). To wake up to the bush sounds with lots of birds and the flop of the little frogs against the tent was so nice. We relaxed to the point of wanting to sit and do nothing at all on the first day.

The reception/bar/restaurant is open on two sides to the fresh air and has heaps of atmosphere - we had a delicious dinner there one night and drinks on another. It was great the day we canoed up Dimond Gorge where we dodged submerged rocks, swam in the rapids, ate lunch at one of the little sandy beaches and explored all the little inlets on the way.

It’s such an inspirational place that this week I would like to be an ecologist (last week it was a geologist and the week before a botanist). I wonder how many other ‘ist’s I’ll want to be before the holiday is over. They do research there and have programmes running to try to save the many threatened species in The Kimberley. Everything is eco-friendly and it was impossible not to feel the importance and urgency of being even a little bit ‘green’. We loved it there and spent four days enjoying it.


We’re enjoying ourselves so much and can’t believe we haven’t done this trip before now. I hate to bombard you but there’ll be another installment very soon to catch up for the last two weeks before we have no internet again. Internet coverage is sparse and when we do have it, it suddenly drops out for the rest of the day or longer.

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Photos

The new trend in camping crockery
Mmmm, coffee tastes extra good out of a cut-off milk carton

Windjana Gorge
Huge rocks, sandy beaches, massive overhanging cliffs and everything was so still.

Windjana Gorge
The towering cliffs turn orange at sunset

Tunnel Creek
The daunting entry

Tunnel Creek
It was pretty eerie in places

Tunnel Creek
This waterfall is flowing over the stalactites

Bell Gorge
At the top of Bell Gorge waterfall. The water glides slowly over the edge and then plummets down

Bell Gorge
It’s a steep climb down to the bottom of the falls.

Bell Gorge
That’s me sitting at the bottom of the falls where we swam

On the drive in to Mornington Wilderness Camp
There are miles and miles of beautiful scenery

Canoeing up Dimond Gorge
First time canoeing and I loved it

Dimond Gorge
Gavin was the back seat driver.

Comments

[Sandy]

Amazing
Wow that looks like you are having so much fun. The pic you took of the still water falling over the..er..falls. Very artistic! Really looking forward to catching up with you guys in Darwin next week! PS where are all the pics of the crocodiles???