The Kimberleys - Kununurra to Derby

The long, long road to Derby.

The drive across the Kimberleys towards the Indian Ocean is long, dry and very hot. It had been our plan to free camp along this route, as there are some great spots, however we have decided that because it is so hot, we can't do without our air conditioning, so we need power, which means caravan parks, and there aren't a lot of choices. It is actually quite boring, as the country is very similar, often recently fire ravaged, and there is hardly any traffic. Everyone waves to each other as you pass! Must be bored as well!

Leaving Kununurra, the first place we come to is Doon Doon. It is just a Roadhouse and we don't even slow down. Next is Warmun (Turkey Creek). As Native Title is handed out to traditional lands, there are some name changes to towns, and places. Turkey Creek is one such place. Everyone knows it as Turkey Creek! They say Warmun is who you married to! This is a base for some helicopter joy flights over the Bungle Bungles, but most are closed down for the season. There are quite a number of new corrugated steel homes, which we assume are for miners, as the Argyle Diamond Mine is nearby. We keep going, as coffee seems a forlorn hope, and cake is out of the question. We head on towards Halls Creek, stopping at a nice roadside stop for some of Carolyn's yummy Orange & Poppy Seed cake, and ice cold water. If the locals can't provide, we will!!

Halls  Creek is a disappointment. It is a rough Aboriginal town. It is dirty and unkempt, with everything barred up. There are a lot of young people hooning around in cars.

Terry White Pharmacy it ain't!!

Butcher with a sense of humour.

Like most of these towns, the Government has provided every conceivable service, with a swimming centre, sports centre, entertainment centre, all looking quite new, but covered in graffiti. We find the Caravan Park, which resembles a piece of the desert with a fence around it. The lovely lady in the office tells us we can chose any site we want, but to make sure we lock everything away. About another dozen hardy souls were in the caravan park. We walked into town, passed the most amazing collection of run down homes. We called into the Visitor Information Centre, to find out that the Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater is around 100kms away. It is quite famous, and from the air looks like a perfect circle, but we decide a look at a photo will

One way to cover up the junk!

do. We went into all the shops, which more resemble barns than shops. Very few windows, just lots of steel bars and padlocks. The local butcher has a real sense of humour, as evidenced by his sign out front. One shop was unbelievable. It was a nursery out front, but when you went inside, it was manchester, electrical goods, toys, furniture, sporting goods, housewares, hardware, outdoor furniture, bedding, and at the front counter were 5 large amplifiers! There were about ten staff, and I think most of them were security! We went to sleep with the sounds of loud voices, and woke early. Having seen Halls Creek, we hit the road at 8.00am, last to leave the caravan park!!

Taking a look at Mary Pool
Campground

Fitzroy Crossing Lodge all to
ourselves!

The long hot road continued all the way to Fitzroy Crossing. We did drive into the Free Camp spot at Mary Pool, which we had heard was really nice, and it was. You crossed the river on a causeway, to a large well serviced campground. There was no one there. The same applied a little further down the road at Ngumpan, another great free camp high on a hill, just off the highway. We checked in at The Fitzroy Crossing Lodge. It is a huge caravan park, campground and resort, and is almost empty. When we arrived on Friday we became the 5th caravan in the park. On Sunday, we were the only caravan! There were a few people staying at the Lodge, but mostly we had the place, and the pool, to ourselves. 

Beautiful Red Wing parrot
at the Caravan Park.

There has been a lot of construction going on at Fitzroy Crossing of late. Hang onto your Bluescope Steel shares! They have a new hospital, high school, lots of Government buildings, a huge undercover sporting complex, and dozens of new houses. God knows what they all do. There is also a new IGA supermarket, which is very nice, but so expensive! Avocado were $9.50 each!! Thankfully we didn't need much. It was Local Government election day on Saturday, so not much was open, not even the Visitor Information Centre, but thankfully, we know what we want to see.

The Old Fitzroy River Crossing.         

Fitzroy River at the new crossing.

The old crossing at Fitzroy River has long gone, replaced by a single lane high level bridge, but to Carolyn's joy, the old crossing still exists and is in operation. It is one of the very few things that she remembers as unchanged from her trip 40 years ago! Then she was egged on by a crowd as she plunged the VW onto the crossing which had two feet of water over it, and then raised a cheer from the crowd when she made it to the other side! This time it was all dry and the only cheers were from the local Black Fella hoons, who raced up behind us and yelled and tooted at us all the way to the other side!

Geike Gorge.

Limestone formations
at Geike Gorge.

The main attraction at Fitzroy Crossing is Geike Gorge, and thankfully the boat tours are still running!! We headed out early morning, as it gets really hot in the gorge from midday. We were on the water at 8.00am and it was still approaching 40 degrees. They use boats without a roof, as you are always looking up! Later that afternoon, we heard the temperature maxxed out at 52 in the gorge!! Thank God we were back at the pool! Most Aussies wouldn't know the Fitzroy River as one of Australia's major waterways, but it is in fact Australia's biggest river, by volume of water. It is only 650 kilometres long, but all you have to do is look at the width of the river bed, and the high water marks along the gorge, to understand just how much water comes down the river during the wet. We are cruising along the gorge with a sandy bank on one side and the

Richard Nixon??

high cliffs along the other. We are told that in the wet, the sand

Timid night heron.

bank is the centre of the river, and the water is 8 to 10 metres up the walls of the gorge! We just have to come and see these places in the wet! Geike is different to the other gorges we have seen. The sandstone is replaced with limestone, the remnants of a huge coral reef that existed more than 300 million years ago. The formations are more like what you'd find in limestone caves. There is a lot of bird life along the waterway, and quite a few freshwater crocodiles. There is a lot of water still in the gorge, with our boat often in 20 to 30 metres of water. The crocodiles are few and far between, as it is too hot and it is also the breeding season. Crocodiles get sunburned, so stay in the water in the heat of the day, or in the shade. This was an excellent boat trip, and if you are wondering how the name Geike (Geekee) came about, he was a famous European geologist around the time the gorge was discovered. He never even came to Australia. The local native people have applied to have their old indigenous name used to replace old Mr. Geike. This time I don't think anyone will mind.

Back at the camp, we enjoyed our last happy hour, being entertained by the huge variety of birds, and dozens of wallabies that came in every night to get a feed of fresh green grass, where the had the sprinklers running all day. 

Derby Wharf.

Morning tea at the big boab
roadside stop

Next morning it was only a short 3 hours to Derby. We were quite excited about getting back to the coast again, and seeing the blue of the ocean. Derby is famous for having the highest tide movements in Australia, up to 12 metres. What a disappointment! We drove down to the wharf and looked out over a sea of mud! At high tide it's muddy water,and low tide it's mud flats that go out for miles! We checked into The Kimberley Entrance Caravan Park, where the friendly manager explained in detail where we could watch the tidal movement. However we decided against getting up at 5.00am to watch the water roll in over the mud flats. Instead we braved the heat and had a look around town, which is very spread out, a function of finding dry ground amidst the mud flats. We found a very nice cafe called Indulgence, which did good Iced Coffee and cake, and the Visitor Information Centre provided us with a list of what was still open, which

The World's longest water trough.

wasn't a lot. There is also a Woolworths Supermarket and an

The Prison Boab Tree.

IGA, and a very nice Butcher, so we were able to top up at reasonable prices. In town, the main attractions are found out at the town common. There is the old water trough, the largest in Australia, constructed to allow 500 bullocks to drink at once, and the old Boab Prison Tree. The natural form of some of these huge ancient trees, with a hollow centre and narrow opening, meant that they could be used as a dwelling, or in this and other cases, a prison. The slavery known as "black birding" was practiced around Derby in the late 19th century, as blacks were rounded up and taken to work in the pearling industry. The old Boab Tree was used as a prison to hold the blacks.

Winjana Gorge.

Bats on the move.

The last of the big gorges we wanted to see is also best accessed from Derby. This is Winjana Gorge NP, and also includes the unique Tunnel Creek NP. This will necessitate a day trip as it is almost 200 kilometres each way, much of it dirt. We headed out early along the Gibb River Road for about 100 kms, before turning onto the Winjana Gorge Road. The road was sealed for about half the distance, and reasonably good dirt the rest of the way. Winjana Gorge is part of the same old Coral Reef that we'd seen at Geike Gorge, so the rock

Spoonbill feeding at Winjana Gorge.

formations were very similar. However as we walked down along the creek track, we found less and less water, and more and more bats. In fact we smelled the bats before we saw them. There were thousands of them, and we aren't sure whether it was the heat, or something else that had them stirred up, but they were very active, moving from tree to tree. We also found a number of different birds, and the good old freshwater crocodiles, clinging to the ever diminishing water holes. We watched for a while as two crocs slowly stalked a spoonbill, feeding along the water hole edge. I think the bird had them covered! From Winjana, we drove 34 kms up the road to Tunnel Creek NP, where we had a little picnic lunch and lots of water, before heading off to explore Tunnel Creek. 

The entrance to Tunnel Creek.

Ghost Bats .

Tunnel Creek is very unique. It is a creek that has carved a path through the range from one side to the other. You can walk through the limestone tunnel that has been formed, some times wading through water up to almost waist deep. All you need is a good torch and a sense of adventure. So off we went. A small spring feeds the creek, keeping the water fresh and clear. Inside, the temperature is cool and pleasant. About halfway along the tunnel, a light shaft lets in a lot of

Ready to explore
Tunnel Creek.

light, and a colony of Ghost Bats, which you can hear squawking away

Light at the end of the Tunnel.

as you approach. There are a few other people around as well, and there are even two freshwater crocodiles living in the waters of the cave. We found one of them sitting in the water against the tunnel wall, his eerie red eyes shining back at us in the torchlight. It was quite eerie walking around in the dark, with only the odd flash of a torch. In the deep parts of the tunnel, if you stopped and turned off your torch, you couldn't see an inch! We made it past the Ghost Bats, and then waded through the deepest water as we made our way to the tunnel end. A couple of more paddles in the cool clear water and we were at the end of the tunnel. It was amazing just how much warmer it was when we emerged from the tunnel,and into the heat. It is about one kilometre one way, so we took a drink,and then made the return journey. There really isn't one path, you just pick your way around the rocks. We emerged from the tunnel, just as a large tour group got off a bus, thankful that we had seen the Tunnel in relative peace and quiet.

The Derby Spinifex Hotel.

Cleaning out the Tunnel sand.

Heading back to Derby, we had one more little surprise in store. As we sped across the recently graded red gravel, the rear of the car started to feel a little heavy, so we pulled into a roadside parking bay, and found the back left tyre as flat as a pancake. Bugger. One of those sharp rocks had torn a 2 inch (4cm), hole right in the middle of the tread. That's a throw away! Still, guess we've been very lucky. It is our first flat tyre in almost three years of travel, and at times, on some wild roads. Changing the tyre was quite an ordeal, but we finally got it off and the spare in place.The flies came from everywhere. You can't believe how many flies there were. With me covered in sweat, dust and grass, they just stuck to me! When I stood up, I looked like an Easter Bun, I had that many black flies stuck to me. We got back to town a little late and in the dark, and decided we'd head off to the new Spinifex Hotel for dinner. We needed a drink! We had an excellent meal. Carolyn's slow cooked pork belly in chilli spiced caramel sauce was to die for, and my deboned chicken Maryland with scallops, squid and prawns, was equally delicious. The place was packed, and a very pleasant surprise for us. One of the best meals out, we've had in a long time.

Next morning I was around at Tyrepower bright and early, and again quickly realised it is better to be born lucky than brilliant, as they only had one tyre in my size in stock, and it was exactly the same as what I had!! Miracles do happen in Derby! So instead of waiting around for a few days while the tyre arrived from down south, we were packed up and off to Broome, and surely some blue ocean.

The Kimberleys - The Bungle Bungles

The Bungle Bungles.

Whenever you think of The Kimberleys, the mind conjures up images of those funny bee hive mountains, that are the Bungle Bungles. Formed hundreds of millions of years ago, they were only really discovered in the 1980's, when some local pilots who'd flown over the area, created some interest, and then the whole area just exploded as a tourist attraction. Situated in the Purnululu National Park, there are lots of tour options to view the Bungles. You can fly over them in either a fixed wing plane or a helicopter. You can stay at a bush camp in the National Park, and explore the various canyons on foot. You can fly into the local Bellburn Airstrip, and tour one or more canyons. Many of the tours and options have finished for the season (again!), so we have checked out all the options available to us, and have decided to take a fixed wing flight out to the Bungles, then do a walking tour of Cathedral Gorge.

Fasten Seat belts.

Getting ready to fly!

So, bright and early, 5.15am to be exact, we are picked up at the caravan park and taken out to the airport to join our tour, which turns out to be a very personal tour for two! By being late in the season, sure some things have stopped running, but there are no crowds, and we are getting some personalised treatment. Our pilot is a bright young lady by the name of Alexandra, and we are soon strapped into our seats, now with heaps of legroom due to the lack of other passengers. A quick loop over the town of

Kunnunurra, then out over the irrigation area, where we get a real sense of how big it is, then

Over Lake Argyle

follow the Ord River out over

The river is dry at this time.

Lake Argyle, which is a huge inland sea, and about an hour later we are at Bellburn Airstrip in Purnululu NP. It is a nice smooth flight, and Alex tells us all about the dam and the cattle properties we are flying over. Seems these days, there aren't too many glamorous big cattle stations around The Kimberley. Some of the homesteads might have a caretaker, but mostly the mustering crew just comes in as required with their little helicopters, dirt bikes and quad bikes, 
horses and dogs, do their stuff and move on to the next property. We fly over the famous Texas Downs and Lisadell Stations. As we get closer to the Bungles, Alex has to follow a set flight path, which is testimony to how many aircraft can be in the air around here during the peak season. The scenery is amazing. Waves of rocks stretching for miles, and all those funny rounded humps!

Breakfast in the Bungles.

A Tour Bus for two.

Once on the ground we are met by our guide for the day, Bruce. He is a lovely guy with a vast knowledge of the area. He runs one of the bush camps, where he is cook, barman and guide. It is quiet at the camp, with only 4 guests staying at present. He drives us to the camp, where we are served a continental breakfast, before back on the bus and out to the gorges. Rather than just hang around, our pilot Alex has decided to do the tour with us, so after a quick change from her flying

Carolyn with Bruce.

gear, we are off. The amazing rounded rock formations do look just like bee hives. Bruce is full of information, telling us

Stunning Bee Hives.

that the name Bungle Bungles is most likely a misunderstanding of the Aboriginal name for the spinifex grasses, Bundle Bundle. We stop and look at lots of plants and birds, and sample some bush tucker. Bruce is really good with the names, even giving us the Latin name for the plants. However, Carolyn brought him unstuck when she spied a plant hanging out of the rock face. Bruce, as quick as a flash says that it would be "cliffus hangeronus", at which I just gave him the incredulous "pull the other one" look, and he came clean, that he didn't have a clue. Alex fell about laughing and suggested Bruce either pull the plant out, or find out what it is, as she has only done the tour 4 times, and every time someone asked him what it was!!!

Walking into Cathedral Gorge.

Cathedral Gorge.

We headed up into Cathedral Gorge, and at the end sat in the Cathedral and just stared up at the amazing rock features. There is a waterhole still hanging on, and all the way in is along the creek bed. One can only imagine what this all looks like in the wet season. Right now it looks just like a desert. The walk is around 2.5 kilometres in and out, and when we get back to the car park/picnic area, Bruce gets out lunch for us, which is a nice chicken schnitzel salad, with fruit, juice and lots of water. Bruce explains that it is thought that the strange shapes of the rocks was caused by the sandblasting from the sands of the Tanami Desert, over hundreds of millions of years. Whatever caused it, it is unbelievable to see. After lunch it is back to the airstrip for our return flight.

More & different formations.

Stand alone formation.

After take off, we rejoin the flight path, to finish our complete circle of the Bungle Bungle Ranges. This time we fly over some deep canyons and more amazing formations. The dry, sandy river beds wind their way through all the canyons. Our return flight path takes us over the Argyle Diamond Mine. What an operation! The world's most productive diamond mine is enormous. They have there own sealed airstrip, and a whole town has been built for the workers. The town was actually relocated due to the fact it was determined that the workers productivity would increase if they

Argyle Diamond Mine from the air.

couldn't see the actual mine on their leisure time! Imagine the

Waves of stone.

security issues at a diamond mine. There are apparently several layers of security, but Alex still said workers still try and steal. One security guy was apparently bringing diamonds out in his toothpaste. He was pretty unlucky to get caught. He sold the diamonds on the black market, but someone who bought one, then decided they'd like a set of matching ear rings. Apparently every diamond carries a tattooed number. When the jeweller tried to match the stone, it was revealed as a stolen one. Not only did the guy get caught, but the poor people who had paid for the stolen diamond, forfeited it as well! True or not, it is a good story to show crime doesn't pay!!

It was a bit bumpy on the way back, apparently caused by the heat, so Alex changed course to take us back over Lake Argyle, and it wasn't long before we were back at Kununurra Airport. It had been a long and exciting day, and we can now cross The Bungle Bungles off our Bucket List.

The Kimberleys - El Questro

Welcome to El Questro.

Most people are aware of the name El Questro, the six star wilderness retreat for the rich and famous, regularly featured on the travel shows. At $2,000 a night it is only for us to drool about, and hope the Lotto numbers come up! Well, as it turns out, it is a lot more than just a millionaire's retreat, it is a resort and holiday destination for all budgets. Being just under an hour from Kununurra, just off the Gibb River Road, we decided to check it out. We had heard about some great tours that you can do around the property, so we booked ourselves a tour and headed out.

Will & Celia Burrell created the complex as it is known today. It had been a cattle property for a hundred years, and the story goes that they paid a million dollars for a million acres of the worst cattle country in the Kimberleys! But they were smarter than the critics, as they saw the tremendous potential for tourism in the dramatic landscape of mountains, rivers and gorges. The tourist attraction that is El Questro, was born.

The Store at El Questro.

The information we had been given said that 4WD was required, but the road had been excellent, until 500 metres from the end when we reached the Pentecost River, where the deep water crossing would have sunk your family sedan! The "township" is the centre of all the action, that includes a pub with snack food, shop, souvenirs, and tour bookings as well as reception for accommodation bookings in the campground (all unpowered sites), and the various cabins. We took a walk around, and found the swimming hole, and a nice looking Steakhouse Restaurant as well. It would be hard work getting a big caravan into this place. It is really suited to small off road vans and camper trailers. The exclusive "Homestead' is situated too far away to walk to, ensuring that the pampered guests are offered total seclusion away from prying eyes. Carolyn was devastated!

At the Durack's Boab Tree.

We checked in for our tour of Explosion Gorge and Branko's Lookout. It included a boat trip along Explosion Gorge. There are a number of Gorges,Thermal Springs and Waterholes around the property, but as we are at the end of the season, only two tours are operating on alternate days, and you can understand why, as walking through these gorges in 45 plus degree heat is no fun! We met our Ranger guide Gavin, and climbed on board our African Safari style LandCruiser. We thought we were the only two, but Gavin advised us that we were picking up two more at "The Homestead". Carolyn was less now devastated. Gavin told us how lucky we were as these guests usually got their own tours, so off we went to collect our companions, Barbara and David, who were just lovely people. They were at the Homestead due to the generosity of their children, who had shouted then a three night stay as a surprise combined 70th birthday present! So be kind to your kids!!!!

The El Questro Homestead.

We crossed over the Pentecost River and headed out towards Explosion Gorge, which is on the Chamberlain River. I was so glad we were in their truck! The River crossings were incredibly rough, and shook us all up as we lurched from side to side. We stopped to take the iconic photo of the Homestead with its rooms hanging out over the cliff, only to be told that this was the room Barbara and David were occupying!! Gavin stopped at a famous Boab Tree, engraved by the Durack Family on their scouting trip to the area in the 1870's, and we stopped to look at a couple of Bower Bird Bowers along the track. Gavin left a silver coin at each spot, so we could check if the Bower Bird was active. In this area, the Bower Birds are attracted to silver and grey colours, and sure enough, on the way back, Gavin had lost his money at one of the bowers.

Gavin & Carolyn.

Getting the boat ready.

Explosion Gorge was unbelievable. Just getting down to the base of the gorge was a trek! The dramatic rock formations in their burnt red and orange, are amazing. We found the boat, and carried over the electric motors and batteries, and headed out onto the water. We learned that the name Explosion Gorge came as a result of Mr Burrell's passion for fishing. In the early days, he and his mad helicopter pilot friend, would fly up here and land on a tiny patch of rock. Instead of

Us in Explosion Gorge.

risking bait and tackle, they threw sticks of dynamite into the

Explosion Gorge.

river, and scooped up the fish! You might have seen an old video clip of a guy waterskiing up a gorge being towed by a small helicopter! This was apparently Mr Burrell and his mate, who lost his pilot's licence as a result of the prank! We quietly cruised up the gorge, staring up at the huge sandstone cliffs, just in awe of mother nature. We saw a number of bird species, including another majestic eagle.

The view from Branko's lookout.

With Barbara & David at Branko's
Lookout.

From Explosion Gorge, we headed up to Branko's Lookout for sunset drinks and nibblies. Another benefit of having Barbara and David along for the tour, was upgraded food package! What a place to watch the sunset! Here we were, high above the Pentecost River gazing down at the never ending landscape. We watched the sun disappear and just sat and talked about how lucky we are to be able to see such wonderful natural treasures, all the time Gavin topping up the glasses with some fine champagne and ice cold beer.

The front Entrance to the Homestead.

Sadly, it was time to leave, and head back to the resort, which is a real experience in itself as we drive across the wild country in darkness. The Homestead, it stood out like a beacon, all floodlit along both sides of the gorge. A spectacular site. As we drove up to the Homestead, the staff came out to meet Barbara & Kevin with ice cold towels, and Barbara quite unexpectedly asked the manager would it be OK to show John & Carolyn around! Talk about put on the spot! How could the guy refuse! So we were offered ice cold towels, and ushered inside to the most beautiful open style foyer and lounge area. This is a place that just exudes class. It isn't opulent, just classy. We walked out past the floodlit lawns and pool area, which is out at the cliff edge, then we were escorted to the Chamberlain Suite. The balcony is two sided, and suspended out over the gorge, and there are so many seating options to take in the magnificent view of the gorge. The walls of the suite facing the gorge are all glass, including the huge bathroom with a two person bath. The bathroom was bigger than our caravan!!! We passed back through the dining area where the table had been set on the veranda for this evening, but no invitation was forthcoming. Dam, I knew I should have worn my formal singlet and thongs!! Then we were out the front door, thanking Barbara & David for their wonderful gesture. Talk about a lucky couple!

On the way back to the pauper's village, Gavin told us that he'd never seen that happen before, and that he was surprised we were shown through. He put it down to the fact that there were only 6 guests staying. He reinforced just how lucky we had been. Better to be born lucky than brilliant, I say!!

That night as we drove back to Kununurra, we talked about what a great day we had had, and stared ahead, ever vigilant for wild life. Whilst gazing at the beam of light, we both gasped in surprise as our CB radio aerial just fell off!! We soon fell about laughing at what kind of omen it might have been. Turns out that all the vibration of the corrugated dirt roads we've been driving on, had simply snapped the metal aerial. We now have a new fibreglass aerial instead.