We Survived the Gibb River Road Part 1

Well we did survive the Gibb River Road with a couple of minor hiccoughs which we will explain as we go along. As we have been off the air for over a month I will write the blog according to the places we have visited along the Gibb. We left Kununurra for the second time on Tuesday 11th June and headed to:

Emma Gorge
We went to Emma Gorge which belongs to El Questro. We still had a current Wilderness Pass so we didn't have to pay that again. I started the walk with Ray but didn't keep going as my good Rockport walking shoes decided to die and the soles fell off. So I walked the nature trail instead. I will have to go back to wearing my joggers.

Area around Emma Gorge

Pool on way to Emma Gorge

Emma Gorge waterfall

Home Valley Station
To get to Home Valley Station we crossed the Pentecost River which was about 450mm deep and about 100 metres across.

Approaching the Pentecost River

Ray crossing the Pentecost River the day after the original crossing. We wanted a photo.

Home Valley Station is owned by the Indigenous Land Corporation and combines a working cattle station, indigenous training facility and a premium tourist destination. We booked in for 4 nights. They have their own lookout which was in the movie "Australia". Apparently it was where the characters played by Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman had their first kiss. It is very dramatic with the Cockburn Ranges in the background especially at sunset.

Looking to Pentecost River from lookout

View from lookout towards Cockburn Ranges

We did a couple of walks to the Bindoola Falls and billabong and Bindoola Creek.

Bindoola falls

Bindoola Falls and Lagoon

Bindoola Gorge

When we were ready to leave, van packed up ready to hook up, Ray went to start the truck and it was dead. We had a flat battery. The guys from the station tried to jump start us but we need too much power to start so it was towed to the workshop where it spent the day on a battery charger. So we stayed at Home Valley for another night. While we were at Home Valley we were only doing very short trips and as the Engel fridge in the car runs off the car batteries and Ray had used his compressor to inflate another campers flat tyre and this also runs off the truck battery, we had gone flat.
So now we are careful with the Engel and run our generator when we can to keep the drinks fridge cold. VERY important out here in the heat as people can get very thirsty.

Ellenbrae
This was a highlight and we are definitely going back here in the future. We made friends with the managers Jason and Karen and are keeping in touch.
To get to Ellenbrae we crossed the Durack River. Before we got there it was about 700mm deep but not long before we crossed work crews had tipped loads of stone into the crossing to enable the cattle trains to cross so it was only about 300mm deep. It was quite spectacular around the river as the trees all lean right over where the flood waters had passed through. In the wet season it can be 18metres deep.

Approaching the Durack River which looked quite daunting but was quite shallow



The leaning trees

Looking back after we had crossed the Durack.

Ellenbrae Station is well known on the Gibb River Road for its scones, jam and cream. It is not a working station now and only really caters for tourists. It is quite unique. We stayed in the Ringers Camp. There is only one bathroom, containing a flushing toilet, a shower and a beautiful old iron bath tub. To get hot water you have to put wood into the "donkey", which heats up the water in the boiler to supply a hot shower. The water takes about an hour to heat up from cold but when it does it is lovely.

The Donkey, add wood, light and wait for the water to heat up.

Washing up sink. Look at the beautiful stone work

Outside view of bathroom

There are a couple of waterholes on the station and Ray went fishing and caught 5 barramundi, but couldn't keep them as they were under size. These were the first barra he had ever caught so he was excited.

Ray's barra

Ray fishing

Ellenbrae waterhole

There was also a gorge walk to a gorge called Sandy Beach Gorge which was quite nice and not too far, about 1km each way.

Kimberleys answer to Bondi

Waiting on a lift

Sandy Beach Gorge

The Gorge

We were able to have a campfire each night and I had a go at damper in the camp oven for the first time and it was delicious.

The Damper

It was cold at night, Babushka, about 3 degrees

We were sad to leave Ellenbrae as we had such a great time there but after 5 days it was time to move on.

Mt Elizabeth Station
Progressing on across the Gibb, we had a couple of river crossings to do. The Hann River was about 400mm deep and a bit rocky.

Hann River

Hann River Crossing

 Mt Elizabeth Sation is about 30km off the Gibb River Road and you pass through an aboriginal community, Dodnun, to get there. It is a working station and is quite big, over 600,000 acres.
The camp ground is a huge field with kangaroos hopping around and 3 big Brahman steers wandering around just eating the grass. They are quite docile.

 There is also a peacock strutting around admiring himself in Ray's chrome bumper bar.

From Mt Elizabeth we drove to Mt Barnett Roadhouse which is about 60km away. We were getting low on some supplies and went to see what they had. (No alcohol though as there is no where on the Gibb River Road to buy alcohol. All of the indigenous communities are drug and alcohol free).
There is red dust everywhere out here and although we are lucky and don't get any in the van, you get it everywhere else. Everything you touch is covered in a fine, red talcum powder. There are no washing machines so all washing has to be done by hand.

Our homemade washing line with lifting pole

Dust on the van

We went for a drive out to a private gorge on the property about 10km from the station. They said the track was rough but I think their definition of rough and my definition of rough are completely different. It was terrible. It was like extreme 4 wheel driving. More or less walking the truck straight up rocks and then down the other side. After 7.5km I asked Ray to turn back as I couldn't handle it any more. It was way too tough for me.
We had booked ourselves in for a 3 course country meal at the homestead this night and it was great. We met some lovely people at dinner who were staying in the cabins at the Homestead. Three people who worked for aboriginal health and were putting all of the communities in the Kimberley onto a e health system so their medical records can follow them around. The nurses put the information onto the I Pad and upload it to the main system when they get back to the nursing centre. And we also met a pilot and a surveyor who were going to do aerial surveys of the area around Drysdale Station, for a minerals company.
The menu was: Chicken and Corn Soup; Beef and Vegetable Pie, Butter Chicken, Tomato and Zucchini Mousakka, Corn fritters, Mashed Potato, Green Beans, Carrots and Gravy; Apple Pie or Pineapple and Coconut Pie. These station people eat well.
I will continue in the next instalment.