Surviving the Gibb, Part 2

Some Things to Remember About Travelling On The Gibb River Road

• Calculate how much alcohol you need, then add half as much again
• Keep room in freezer for frozen bread - that is all you can get
• Develop a liking for long life milk - it is also all you can get
• Hope you like potatoes, onions, cabbage and carrots. They are the only fresh vegies you can get
• There is no fresh fruit
• You can't get a paper, use the internet, use a mobile, hear any news - these are all good points. The peace and quiet is wonderful
• Use every chance to fill your water tanks
• Wash clothes when you only have a few. Don't wait for a washing machine. There aren't any
• Laundry facilities doesn't mean there is a washing machine. It means there is a laundry trough. Big difference
• Places which were scenic and lush 4 to 5 years ago (according to brochures) may not be the same now, especially if they have been taken over by a government department
• Not all rocks in creeks are rocks, some are turtles
• Not all sticks on the road are sticks, some are snakes
• A "rough" track in WA speak does not mean the same as in other Australian states
• Have a look at some out of the way places. They are treasures
• Take the time to explore and photograph the beauty of the Gibb River Road
• Alcohol is tradeable currency on the Gibb River Road. e.g. Half a bottle of clear rum and 6 cans of coke can be exchanged for a bag of barramundi fillets
• Carry some cash. Not everywhere has eftpos facilities
• IT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE RAY AND I HAVE VISITED SO FAR

Manning Gorge
Our next stop after Mt Elizabeth is Manning Gorge. Manning Gorge is really well known amongst the backpackers who travel Australia. Nearly all of them travelling up north are heading there. For example, we met a young Italian couple who were travelling in a normal 2 wheel drive Wicked van. They were asking questions about the river crossings. Most times they have to be towed out. But it doesn't seem to worry them too much.
 To access Manning Gorge you have to go to Mt Barnett Roadhouse and pay your entry fee. Mt Barnett Roadhouse and Manning Gorge are actually owned by the local Kupungarri Aboriginal Community. At Manning campsite we had a fairly private area and once again were able to have a camp fire. We booked in for two nights.
To access the gorge walk you first have to get over a large waterhole. You have a few options:

• Walk about an hour round trip and still have to cross knee deep creek
• Use inner tubes to float over
• Use kick board to swim over
• Use noodles to swim over
• Put all of your things(shoes, socks, towel, shirt and camera) into a polystyrene box and push it across in front of you while you swim

This last option is the one most people use. It is quite a strenuous  45minute walk after this, so I waited beside the waterhole while Ray went and then we had a swim when he came back.

Manning Gorge

Manning Waterfall

Me in Mannings waterhole

Ray swimming across manning waterhole pushing his polystyrene box

Galvans Gorge
This is a day use only stop at the side of the road. After leaving Manning Gorge we stopped for a swim. It is about 1km walk in from the road but mostly flat. You cross a little creek and the waterhole and waterfalls are just in front of you. They are absoloutely delightful. The water was quite cool but after you got used to it , it was fine.

Galvans Gorge

Approaching Galvans Gorge

We then continued on to Imintji which is another roadhouse attached to the Imintji aboriginal Community. We got chatting to the managers who used to own a nursery at Camden, NSW. It is a very busy place. They sell between 3500 and 4000 litres of diesel a day!!!!

Silent Grove/Bells Gorge
Next stop King Leopold Ranges Conservation Park and Silent Grove. Silent Grove is a campsite controlled by the Department of Energy and Conservation. From Silent Grove you drive up to Bell Gorge and it is about a 1km walk down into the Gorge. Very beautiful gorge and waterfalls and lots of people there.

Bells Gorge

Bells Gorge Waterfall

Bells Gorge

We were planning on doing a helicopter flight over the gorges but the next day was quite cloudy and the pictures wouldn't have been so good. So we might save our helicopter flight for another National park called Karenjeni, which is down near Newman.
While at Silent Grove, I met a brother and sister who were doing a 6 week trip with their family and their father had worked for the same company as Dad. Dad had actually heard of their father. It is a very small world.

Mt Hart
Mt Hart used to be privately managed up until 4 weeks ago when it was reclaimed by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC)under quite controversial circumstances. The fellow had been there for 20 years and had made quite a lot of improvements to the property and DEC was only going to  give him a pittance for his trouble. There was a lot of publicity and they ended up giving him a lot more money and everyone was happy.
But the DEC are not very good at running places which have a restaurant and bars and cabin accommodation so things are a bit haphazard. But there were plenty of people staying up at the Homestead including Andrew O'Keefe (From Deal or No Deal) and his family and a trio of helicopter pilots who took the chopper out every day to go fishing in remote gorges for Barramundi.
We stayed down in the campsite which was OK. But they had no washing machines and we had to do about 2 loads by hand which I didn't enjoy. While there visited a small waterhole which they have. Once again a nice place to cool off and a nice flat walk into it.

Ray crossing the creek to take a photo of the Big Boab Tree

Annies Creek Waterhole

Big Boab Tree

Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek
We booked into Windjana Gorge for 4 nights and on the first day we decided to go for a run into Derby, about 1hour 30 minutes each way. We had run out of important supplies, e.g. beer,soft drink, fruit and vegetables. While there we had lunch at the jetty and a quick look around before heading back to Windjana.
Windjana Gorge is part of the Windjana Gorge Conservation Park and Tunnel Creek is part of the Devonian Reef Conservation Park.
The picture at the top of the blog is of our campsite at Windjana with the walls of the Gorge behind us. The walk into the gorge was great with crocodiles basking in the sun on the sides of the waterholes. They are only fresh water crocs and quite harmless so long as you don't bother them.

Walkway into Windjana Gorge

Let sleeping crocs lie

The Devonian Reef was a barrier reef around the Kimberley about 350 million years ago. This is a fossilised sea creature from that time.

Looking out of Windjana Gorge

Tunnel Creek is about 35km from Windjana and is a day use only place so we went down there one morning.
It is an underground passage which has been eroded beneath the limestone range by Tunnel Creek. The cave is about 750metres long and 3metres high. The water is about waist deep in places. We didn't take the camera as Ray was worried about getting it wet. But some other people at the campsite took photos, so when they get home they are going to e mail their photos to us.

Fitzroy Crossing
Next stop we headed to Fitzroy Crossing so we could go on the boat cruise up Geikie Gorge. Geikie Gorge was formed by the floodwaters of the Fitzroy River and you can see on the walls the high water mark during the wet season.

Contrasting colours on walls of Geikie Gorge

Looking down the gorge

Balancing rocks forming 2 windows

Derby
So now we are in Derby for 11 nights. I will do the blog if we do something special. For instance we are going for an overnight trip to the Horizontal Waterfalls and staying on a boat overnight. We are doing this on 19th July. Here is the link to the website so you can see what it is like.
http://www.horizontalfallsadventures.com.au/

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.