Gibb River Road Days 73 to 79

One of the big ticket items on our itinerary is the Kimberley Range stretching from Kununurra to Derby. The Gibb River road is long and dusty keeping plenty away, but the lure of the mountainous attractions makes it a beaten track.




First stop on the 660km journey is El Questro Station, one of many cattle Stations which have branched out into tourism. The road is currently being sealed which will see El Questro grow into an even larger operation. Camping sites are by the Pentecost River but the main focus is helicopter, boat and 4wd tours. Kids are everywhere. Close by a family with 4 children connect straight away and we are off to the river for a swim. 

The Station has a number of gorge walks and a boat ride up the massive Chamberlain Gorge. We opt for El Questro Gorge which proves to be beautifully lined with palms and swimming spots. 

Not to be outdone, Zebedee Springs is set amongst tall palms with dozens of rock pools at a temperature of 32 degrees.

El Questro boasts about featuring in the greatest movie ever made: Australia. It is also the setting for an equally forgettable event;  My birthday. Lissa arranged a celebration worthy of Hugh Jackman himself with decorations, presents, coffee, hot springs, book reading time and even a birthday cake. Picture a giant pancake stack with layers of cherry jam and whipped cream. Possibly the greatest cake ever made. Unwrapping CD’s from the greatest band ever: Midnight Oil and a genuine pair of the greatest footwear ever made: Crocs. This could be a contender for the best day of my life if not the greatest day ever blogged.

Crossing the Pentecost River turned out to be rather straight forward on our way to Home Valley, another touristy Cattle Station. 

The road however, proved to be rougher than a dingoes elbow skin. As the car shook like Christchurch, I wondered at the wisdom of continuing the next 600km. We had heard stories of blown tyres and had seen a few campers limp in after dark with shock absorbers hanging behind. Further along is an abandoned Toyota Ute. Or is it a spare parts shop?

Manning Gorge is one of the more well-known destinations. The falls and campsite are privately owned by the indigenous landholders. Camping on one side of the river means that you need to float your supplies across the water at the beginning of the hike. It is a surprisingly challenging 2km walk through exposed sparse woodland and through ravines with a final decent to the water. The gorge itself is very open with a wide waterfall and pool. Even Eva who hates going under the water attempted a rock jump into the water. Lissa showed a dare devil side that has been dormant for the past 12 years. Naomi followed her brother off the 5 metre platform without hesitation.

Galvans Gorge proved to be another little gem.











One of the aces up our sleeve as we travel is flexibility. We are yet to make a booking anywhere and plenty of times we are glad we didn’t. Nothing worse than being stuck somewhere you don’t want to be. Mornington Wilderness Reserve is 90km south of the GRR. It is the 2^nd largest non-government wilderness area in Australia. Having eradicated the feral herbivores they report great success in restoring populations of native mammals and birds. 

Our 3 night stay allowed us to canoe the Dimond Gorge. The faraway five all crammed in a 3 man canoe and set off down the river. There was no margin for skylarking in the overloaded vessel but the water was dead calm. With rock walls rise up either side the river has attracted proposals for a Dam as recently as 1990. 

This is the dry season, but there is plenty of water if you know where to look. A highlight proved to be bobbing down the rapids in our lifejackets. Lissa spotted a rare Short eared rock Wallaby high on the cliff. 

Camping by a stream there are birds everywhere. Bird watchers flock to the park to see a Gouldian Finch. These little creatures eluded Kael, however we did spot a number of new birds including cute little quails and the largest flying bird in Australia, the Bustard. This snobbish bird casually walks away with its beak high and is reported to taste like turkey. 

Speed is limited to 40km on the road which seems to be precisely 1km/hr less that the speed of the tiny Diamond Doves that scatter on afternoon drives.

Termites much grass outside as I write. You can actually hear them. The termite mounds are bulbous and tumour-like in these parts. It’s too hot to care what shape of castle you are building and after 50 years of construction, it’s easy to lose the architects original vision. An afternoon stroll and swim at Bell’s Gorge was enough work for us after setting up camp. Each gorge is different and you can’t help but compare. Bell’s is one of the best. 

First glimpse is from the top of the falls. The water falls down the centre of a U-shaped gorge and continues to flow through pools and narrowings. Swimming and lounging on the smooth rock terraces takes place below. 

All around the clear water has the barren, rocky appearance characteristic of the Kimberley. It makes the gorges appear even more extraordinary. You’ve got to be tough to survive the months without rain. Boab trees have their strategy and clumps of spinifex become like a dry pin cushion waiting for the wet.

After seeing a few gorges it has become clear that the naming landforms adheres to strict regulations. A river goes to bed dreaming of becoming a gorge just as a tuft of grass dreams of becoming a clump. The gorge aspires to the glory of being known as a canyon like a caravan park dreams of being a resort.

Kael has been getting some private AFL coaching from a bloke here at Bells. This bloke knows his footy and looks fit. Who knows, he might just be a former AFL player mixing with the punters.