We traveled the 50 KM from Kununurra to the Gibb River Road turnoff. The first 50 KM of the road is sealed as far as El Questro. We had been to El Questro on our previous trip in 2011 so decided to give it a miss. We stopped at the turnoff and let all our tyre pressures down to 28 PSI before we hit the gravel. The road was in relatively good condition with some mild corrugation but lots of sharp shale rocks. We took our time in an effort to limit tyre damage which is a real killer on the Gibb River Road.
Our first adventure was the Pentacost River Crossing. Although it is the dry season there is still quite a bit of water in this crossing and the river bed is very rocky. We made it through without incident although we discovered later in the trip that we should have timed our crossing to match low tide.
From the Pentacost we traveled past Home Valley Station first and later Ellenbrae Station. We were planning to visit these on our return trip. We met 3 vehicles that had flat tyres (destroyed) and stopped and helped a young German couple replace their flat tyre.
We crossed the King River with no water and the Durack River where we were able to skirt the main crossing for a dryer area. Sandra and Carol were driving for this one.
The road became somewhat more corrugated around Ellenbrae Station but we were still able to maintain a steady 60 KM/H for most of it. Eventually we came to the Kalumbaru Road which heads North from the Gibb River Road towards Mitchell Falls/Kalumbaru. There was a lovely rest area just North of the junction where you cross the Gibb River.
We traveled 60 KM North from here to Drysdale River Station. This road had fairly heavy corrugation but less sharp rocks. We checked into Drysdale about 4:30 and quickly got our tents setup just before sunset. Given that Sandra and I probably haven't used a tent for 25 years we did surprisingly well. I'll give a big plug here for our 4 Man Coleman Pop Up tent. It really lives up to it's name and we could consistently have it setup in less than a minute. Quite an improvement from our gear of 25 years ago! We were setup in the non powered section of a large bush camp area. It was surprisingly busy with a lot of campers and tour buses setting up here before heading up to Mitchell Falls. The amenity blocks were ensuite type and clean which is pretty impressive in a bush camp setting. 3.5 Stars for these ones.
Our plan had been to stop for one night here before heading North to Mitchell Falls Campground. However given the state of the road of the 60 KM we had traveled with another 90 of the same heading North; only to get much worse for the 80 KM into Mitchell Falls, we decided a change of plans was in order. We discovered that they did Scenic Flights from Drysdale Station that not only included Mitchell Falls but a number of other features including the Kimberley Coast. The flights were unavailable for Thursday so we booked for Friday morning.
I'm glad to report that the weather took a nice cool change on Tuesday night which is going to make our tent accommodations much more comfortable for the week. We actually found it a bit cool on Wednesday night and realized we hadn't brought our full sleeping bag or any warm clothes. We survived with a few extra shirts and towels etc. Oops!! Still a lot better than sweltering in 38 degrees!
Thursday we spent a relaxing day at Drysdale Station. Started off with a big bacon and eggs breakfast on the BBQ. Took a drive down to Miners Pool which is a second camping area located on the Drysdale Station. The road was very corrugated and the facilities were very basic (drop toilets). We walked down to the Drysdale River where we had a short stroll and swim. Quite shallow and only freshwater crocodiles apparently. Spotted a Jabiru along the river and found a rope swing for a bit of fun.
Sandra and I went down to the Drysdale River Crossing after lunch for another swim. Was beautiful and peaceful until a tour bus showed up! Lucky we were wearing bathing suits! We still enjoyed a nice cool break before returning to the campground. Enjoyed a nice BBQ dinner with the Ransleys.
Friday morning we packed up camp after breakfast and headed off to the air strip at Drysdale. We met our pilot Matt there just after 9AM. We set off on a 2 Hour (little longer actually) scenic flight. Was a wonderful experience and weather conditions were ideal. Some of the highlights were Mount Hann, Mount Trafalgar, King Cascades, Donkins Falls, St. George Basin, Hunter River, and of course Mitchell Falls. I've included a number of photos but click on the photo link to see many more. While Mitchell Falls is the primary reason everyone goes to this area it wasn't even really a high light for us. Beautiful but the Kimberley coastline and Mount Trafalgar were our favorites. It was very busy at Mitchell Falls as a number of exclusive cruise boats (True North etc) were in the area and doing Helicopter trips to the Falls. There were at least 4 choppers in the area including one I capture flying in front of the falls below us. A great experience and a highly recommended one when traveling to this area of the world.
We landed back at Drysdale air strip around 11:30 so stopped and had some lunch before heading off. They had a great Burger which Rans and I had. As an added bonus they did a Gluten Free version so the girls got to enjoy one as well. The perfect end to our short stay at Drysdale River Station.
Given we had picked up an extra couple of days by avoiding the drive to and from Mitchell Falls we decided to head further West on the Gibb River Road. We returned the 60 KM to the Gibb and headed West for another 110 KM to Mount Barnett Roadhouse. We checked into the Manning River Gorge Campsite there arriving at 4 PM. This was really a nice bush camp with a very spread out area of semi private camping areas. We found a quiet area where we set up our camp quickly again. There is a lovely swimming area close to the campground as well. Unfortunately there was only one amenity block near the main entrance with only 3 mens/womens toilets & showers. Given there would have been over 200 campers there on any given night this was totally inadequate. The cleanliness was questionable as well so will have to give only 1 Star!
We were all surprised how busy these camps were given their remoteness. There would have been at least five tour buses there the day we arrived as well as many individual campers.
We were up at a reasonable time on Saturday to complete the walk into the Manning Gorge. Was an interesting walk as you had to cross a large body of water to reach the beginning of the trail. They supplied a small boat/punt on a pulley assembly to pull yourself across. Rans and I walked/swam across while Carol and Sandra shared the boat with another couple. The walk was one of the more strenuous/challenging walks so far with lots of rock hopping, climbing, and descending. Was a warm day again so we were lucky to get the early start. After a number of climbs we eventually made it to the Gorge/Falls. They were definitely worth the effort as we all judged them one of the best waterfalls we have seen! We enjoyed a nice long swim at the gorge and under the falls! Really beautiful and relaxing. Unfortunately, we had to retrace the difficult walk to return to our campground eventually. We all enjoyed a swim at the original crossing during the afternoon to keep cool.
Got even more crowded that night with a couple of campers setting up quite close to our tents. A bit questionable given the amount of space available nearby??? We enjoyed a nice BBQ meal and an early night as we were all fairly worn out from the day's activities.
Sunday morning we headed West a further 35 KM on the Gibb River Road to Adcock Gorge. A 5 KM dirt road into this one and we walked the last 800M or so as was really rough. Quite a bit of rock hopping to get to the gorge/falls itself. Was very little water coming over the falls but the Gorge itself was nice.
We returned to the highway and retraced our steps some 20 KM to Galvans Gorge. We parked at the road on this one and had a 1KM walk into the Falls/Gorge. Very nice with some water coming over the falls and a lovely Boab tree directly at the top of them. Was a bit of Aboriginal art at this location as well. Also saw a water monitor sunning itself near the water.
We headed back East after this retracing our steps to Kalumburu Road. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at Hann River and a quick stop at rest area at junction. We then headed off East for 110KM on the Gibb to arrive at Ellenbrae Station around 3PM. The Homestead area was beautifully green with lots of flowers and gardens. It had a nice garden/restaurant area there as well.
The camp ground was a very rustic bush setting but thankfully with much fewer campers than our previous stops. The amenity was true bush with drop toilets and a donkey (Wood fire) water heating system. That being said they were really unique and clean so I'll give 3 Stars.
We did a bit of exploration at another campsite and waterhole before dinner. The waterhole was nice but a bit stagnant so we didn't swim there. We enjoyed a nice BBQ dinner and a lovely night under the stars.
Monday morning we packed up a drove back to the Homestead for Scones with Jam & Cream. The girls were able to have a nice gluten free muffin with the same. Had a nice surprise at Ellenbrae as we discovered the manager, Larissa had been one of our tour guides of El Questro during our original visit in 2011. She is a lovely young lady and the service we received from all staff here was excellent!
A huge Boab tree had recently fallen near the Homestead which was sad, but luckily it didn't fall on the Homestead itself.
We also took a short 4WD drive to Sandy Gorge which is a private one located on the Station. Was a very narrow track so we were lucky not to meet anyone on either trip. A short walk through some thick sand took us to the gorge. Not as impressive as some we have seen but a very nice river setting. Again the water was a bit cloudy/stagnant due to the poor wet season so we didn't venture in for a swim.
The destination for Monday evening was Home Valley Station. This was a relatively short trip so we arrived around lunch time. Home Valley is much more upscale than the previous 3 stations we stayed on during the trip. Quite commercial with large pub, swimming pools, full powered caravan sites, store etc. We chose to say at the Pentacost River Bush Camp here. A short 5 KM drive down to a large bush camp by the Pentacost River opposite the Cockburn Ranges. This was our prettiest location by far on the trip and one of the best campground views we have ever experienced. No power or water sites here but some shade. The amenity block was ensuite style, modern, and clean. There were also 12 units for only about 20-30 camping groups as well. 4 Stars for these given the remote location.
We spent the afternoon relaxing and preparing for sunset which promised to be spectacular. The Pentacost is a tidal river and watching the significant water level changes was amazing as well. We met a nice young family travelling for a year and shared snacks/drinks with them as the afternoon progressed. Eventually we moved right to the river bank as sunset was obviously pretty popular with tour groups and campers from the main camp at the Homestead. The sunset was fantastic with the escarpment colours changing every minute of so as the sun went down. Lots of photos with some of the best below.
We were up early to capture some beautiful sunrise photos as well.
Tuesday morning saw us pack up our tents to complete our return trip to Kununurra. We planned a late start so as to cross the Pentacost a low (ish) tide. The return trip found the Gibb River Road in significantly worse condition than our original passing 6 days previously. Was quite corrugated for much of the return journey with lots more sharp rocks. We successfully crossed the Pentacost before a final 20KM to El Questro turnoff. We topped up the tyre air pressure on both vehicles before heading back into Kununurra. Our first stop was Shell as our diesel supply was quite low.
We really enjoyed our 6 days on the Gibb River Road but a few observations:
- We think most people just do it to say "They've driven the Gibb River Road"
- The road itself is pretty boring with only a few escarpment view.
- The road condition changes quickly and deteriorated during our short 6 day trip
- You need to get off the beaten track to the gorges etc to appreciate your journey
- An arial view of some type (Airplane, Helicoptor) is a must to really appreciate the area
No comments:
Post a Comment