The Kimberley.........Surviving the Gibb River Road

Hello peoples,

Again it has been a long break between blog updates but here we go…..Following a long wait in Kununurra for parts to repair “Nellie” we finally set off into the Kimberly to tackle the infamous Gibb River Road. It is hard to describe the beauty and enormity of the Kimberly. Public access really is limited when you look at the Kimberly as a whole (take a look at any map) due to the fact a great deal of the land is either Native Tile or private land. The very small slice we have seen just wets the appetite for more! Please read on and I will show you the little piece we have seen……..

Kununurra & Ord River Bush Camp

We had quite a long wait for parts at Kununurra and thus decided to explore locally and bush camp. We were fortunate to be guided to a few special spots one in particular on the Ord River near Mambi Island. This became our base for a week while we explored. The bush camp was off the old Kununurra –Wyndham rd., located in the Parry Creek Nature Reserve. The Reserve is home to various pieces of historical settlement and an important dry season billabong which is home to thousands of birds and a few “Salties”

Marlgu Billabong

The billabong comes into view from the Old Telegraph Hill where the old telegraph station remains are found. The billabong is a significant wetland area in the dry and is home to many bird species including, pelicans, Jacanas, pygmy geese, pied heron and many more. We definitely have some budding “twitchers” in the family losing a few hours without realising. Tilly Hopkins pinched the camera from dad and managed to grab the following images with our little 105mm lens.

Wyndham & the Grotto

Wyndham is Western Australia’s most northerly town which until 1985 had a large meat works but now is really a service centre for surrounding pastoral industries, mining, tourism and Aboriginal communities. Wyndham’s redeeming attraction is the Five Rivers lookout which is truly unique. The summit is reached after a winding drive from sea level to a height of 305metres. The peak offers views of five river mouths feeding into the gulf; Durrack, Kink, Pentecost, Forrest and the Ord River.

The Grotto is located a few kilometres from Kununurra. It is a small canyon on the way to Wyndham which is ideal for swimming. It is a natural amphitheatre with a 15 metre waterfall, although this was not flowing when we visited later in the dry season. 

The Gibb River Road

The Gibb River Road takes you through the heart of one of Australia's last wilderness frontiers - The Kimberley Region of Western Australia. The road travels from Kununurra to Derby, approximately 700 kilometres long and is infamous for being a vehicle wreaker and puncture king.
Travelling through this landscape is an awe inspiring experience as you pass age old rock formations, spectacular ranges, magnificent rivers, vast savannahs of bushland, steep cliff faces, and delightful gorges forged over millions of years by the power of nature.

Emma Gorge

This was to be our first stop which is not far from the start of the Gibb. Emma Gorge is a luxury bush resort owned by the famous El Questro Station (which sadly is now American owned). We did not camp here but did complete the Emma Gorge Walk which is quite fun and a bit of a scramble with a huge visual reward at the end of the Gorge. The Hopkins swam at the end even though the water temperature was a touch on the low side. We did find a natural hot spring running into the water hole which was welcome relief.

El Questro Station & Gorge

Despite the cost you simply have to visit El Questro as it is home to some truly spectacular scenery of the Kimberly. The rich and famous enjoy the luxury of the actual homestead where a stay starts at about $2000.00 per night for the ultimate in Kimberly luxury.

El Questro gorge walk was for me the most amazing walk of our trip to date. It is more of an adventure, rock scramble and waterfall climb than a walk. Many folks get halfway where they are confronted with two giant boulders which you have to swim too and then climb to access the second half of the adventure. We set off early to try and avoid people and get some great light for some photography. The images below really do not tell the full story but if you are on the Gibb this is a “must do” walk……..

Zebedee Hot Springs-El Questro

Zebedee hot springs is a thermal spring fed by a fault line from a permanent water supply deep into the earth. The water temperature is 28-30 degrees all year round. The surrounding cliff faces and scree runs are up to 1800 million years old! They are known as “King Leopold Sandstone”

Durrack River & Gibb River Camps and punctures…..

We had two memorable, out of the way bush camps which are only possible if you have the equipment to get there as most of the "Gibb" is Station or National Park camping. Technically “they” do not like you bush camping because you are always on somebodies land. Our stay on the Durrack was forced as we sustained our first puncture of the trip (in the camper trailer) and I got to use our tyre plugging repair kit in anger. This proved to be good training as I ended up repairing three more punctures for other people……good karma.

On our stay beside the actual Gibb River we set our “opera house” net and tried to catch more Cherabin  (a fresh water prawn) which is really great eating. To our dismay in the morning all bait and holder was gone, the victim of a large water monitor attack.

Barnet & Manning Gorges

Barnett Gorge is a deep, wide river surrounded by spectacular pillared sandstone cliffs, and lush vegetation such as Pandanus Palms and Paperbark Trees. At the top of the river there are some cascading waterfalls, and rock pools. We met a lovely couple from Kununurra (Dan & Helen) who were up for some fun adventure and rather than doing the return walk we decided to adventure down the gorge down and out by finding our own route…not in the destruction manual but great fun. Being late in the dry season the river is not fast flowing and not as deep as it would be early in the dry season.
Manning gorge camp site is locate a 30 minute drive after Mt Barnett Roadhouse when heading north. This is about halfway along the Gibb 330km from Derby, or 375km from Kununurra. At the camp site there is a White 'sandy' beach which is pandanus lined waterway opening into a wide clear waterhole, only a short walk from the campsite. To get up to the gorge you need to cross the river, and then follow a trail leading to the top of gorge. The river crossing is done via a small tiny which can be pulled via a pulley system attached either side of the river. Tilly, Jack and Flynn became the ferry men for a fun filled day. The gorge has a waterfall plus a deep wide swimming hole surrounded by granite cliffs & rock outcrops.

Galvins & Bell Gorge

We met a great German couple at another bush camp after Manning gorge; Niko & Anita who are great value and seem to enjoy the kids company as well. Niko a keen surfer will probably surf the North West Coast with us. He is also quite the practical joker …..More on that in the next update.
Galvins Gorge is a deep water hole at the base of steep cliffs with a cascading waterfall earlier in the dry season. The walking trail leads straight to the mouth of the waterhole after a really short walk. This is a fun swim with a convenient rope swing left hanging by likeminded, fun loving people.
 Bell Gorge is located in the King Leopold Range conservation park. Bell Creek, was first discovered by Frank Hann in 1898 and named after an old Doctor from Derby. Bell Creek flows through the centre of this gorge. The main attraction is a cascading waterfall over 100 metres high. There is a deep swimming hole at the base of the waterfall, surrounded by shady ledges and high cliffs. The kids enjoyed some fun rock jumping here and the water was really warm as the gorge is very exposed to the sun.

Winjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek

Winjanna Gorge was formed 350 million years ago during the Devonian Period - During this time a sea covered this area and a line of barrier reefs formed for 1000km, eventually becoming the Napier Range. This is a limestone formation unlike most of the Kimberly which are sandstone. Windjana Gorge has been carved through the Napier Range, over millions of years by the Lennard River.

Originally named "Devil's pass" during Forrest's expedition through the Kimberley in 1883 because of the difficulties the party experienced crossing it. The current name is believed to be a corruption of the word "Wandjina" or the aboriginal spirit responsible for the wet seasons. Windjana Gorge is 3.5km long and has a current depth of 80 metres. The Lennard River flows through the centre of the gorge; a long winding river surrounded by steep Devonian reef cliffs and a wide variety of vegetation including Coolamon Trees, Leichardt Pine, figs, Melaleucas and grevilleas. Ancient sea fossil imprints and various deposits are visible on cliff walls. In summary it is just stunning!

100’s of fresh water crocs can be found sunning themselves on sand & in the water. On a previous. We were fortunate to find out about a rather strange occurrence which the ranger seemed to know nothing about (plus she was rather miserable, which is unusual for Park Rangers!). On dark literally thousands of fruit bats leave their daylight hideouts and pour down the gorge on dusk with some dropping to the water to drink. On doing this some get taken by the fresh water crocs. Again it is hard to put into words just how spectacular this was and unfortunately without better quality camera gear- hard to do justice too.

Tunnel Creek is a  deep Winding cave system filled with fresh water, carved 1 km long into the Oscar Range by Tunnel Creek. In 2007 rocks collapsed across the cave mouth which has made access harder. You now have to climb over 2 large boulders (partly submerged in water), to access the tunnel. There are sandy banks to walk across through most sections of the tunnel. You have to wade through water up to your knees in some sections. It is also very dark in places so our head torches were a must, plus there is the odd fresh water croc hiding in the dark which look like they are models as they sit incredibly still and are seemingly unfazed by human interaction.

We are now in Broome for a couple of nights after exploring the Dampier Peninsula north of Broome; more on that on the next update. I hope you enjoyed the images.

Cheers for now, Hoppo – Hopkins go walkabout 2014