Mitchell Falls.

Leaving Kununurra.

Mango Plantations.

From time to time we do those indulgent things that make our journey extra special. On this visit to the Kimberley we are going on a day trip that will take us out over some of the remotest parts of the Kimberley to see the world famous Mitchell Falls. To visit by land is an arduous journey on bone jarring dusty roads that take a toll on equipment and passengers alike, so we have decided to use the services of Kimberley Air Tours, who this year have introduced a new full day tour entitled Mitchell Falls Walk & Helicopter Adventure.

Mud flats near Wyndham.

Patterns in the dunes.

Our day started at the entrance of our caravan park where a mini bus picked us up at 6.15am and took us a short distance to the Kununurra airport. Here we met Luke, our Pilot, guide and companion for the day ahead. There were four of us on the tour. The other couple were an interesting pair, and kept pretty much to themselves, which suited us. First part of the trip was a two hour flight in our Cessna 210 fixed wing aircraft out over the Ord River, The Cambridge Gulf and on to the Kimberley Coast. The scenery was spectacular, the red cliffs and gorges of the Carr Boyd Ranges, followed by the mud flats of the five rivers that empty into the Cambridge Gulf near Derby. At all times, we were flying quite low, varying between 500 and 2,000 feet, so we got a very close up look!

Kimberley Coast.

Kimberley contrasts.

Tracking inland we found our way to the Berkeley River Gorge, then followed the river and its spectacular cliffs to the mouth, where sits the remote and exclusive Berkeley River Lodge, sitting among the sand dunes along the Kimberley Coast. From here we follow the coast and see some lovely secluded beaches, amazing patterns in the sand dunes, and small islands. We fly over the bays that hold the cultured pearl racks of Paspaley Pearls, and even fly low over the Paspaley 2, the large ship that services the pearl farms along this coastline, from Darwin. We can easily see the rows of buoys that hold the long lines of nets in the sheltered bays, feeding on the rich nutrients that form the cultured pearl.  We fly over a couple of Fishing Lodges, which Luke tells us are regularly featured on those Fishing Shows on the TV with ET and others, catching huge fish in huge quantities. They are expensive, but Luke reckons every fisherman should experience this kind of fishing once in a lifetime!

The dry King George Falls.

Another view.

Next highlight is a fly over the King George Falls. They are bone dry!!! Luke tells as that they only run during the wet season and for a very short time after the wet. This year they stopped running in March! That wasn't in the glossy brochure!! So this waterfall is all about how good your imagination is!! We all frantically ask is there water at Mitchell Falls, but Luke assures us there is always water there. Phewww! We fly on, passing over the Aboriginal settlement of Kalumburu which is a dry community, and which was bombed by the Japanese during WW11. There was a secret airbase situated nearby, and the Japs mistakenly bombed the village, so it must have remained a secret. Truscott Airbase, was a vital part of air defense during WW11, with many US & Aussie planes based here. Today it still remains, now a sealed airstrip from which Coastal Patrol and Customs aircraft operate, as well as some military and private operators.

At least it isn't crowded!

Luke with the old Troopie.

We arrived at the Mitchell Plateau airfield, a dirt strip in the middle of nowhere. Luke performed the perfect landing and guided us to the Arrivals Lounge, where we enjoyed cold drinks and banana bread, whilst he refueled our aircraft, and opened up an old shipping container, out from which he  drove an old Toyota Troop Carrier! We piled into the old Troopie, and headed down a bone jarring road for 30 minutes, until we reached the Mitchell Falls National park. Here Luke did all the necessary paperwork with the Ranger, then checked in with the helicopter guys, who would be bringing us back from the falls, and flying us over the falls. We all had to weigh in, and do a full safety briefing, but before the helicopter ride, we had to make our own way to the Falls!! I knew there was a catch!!

Bradshaw Art.

Bradshaw Art.

We headed off on our two hour walk to the Mitchell Falls! It was a steady walk on a well worn track that had a lot of ups and downs over rocks. Luke kept a steady pace, always mindful of we tourists! Along the way, Luke explained an Aboriginal burial site we came to, which I was surprised we were allowed to view, then we arrived at Little Merten Falls we clambered down over the rocks to view some of the famous Bradshaw Rock Art of the Kimberley. This is very significant indigenous art, dated back some 5 to 7,000 years. Quite impressive! We continued the walk coming to another delightful pond with water lilies, a real surprise given the vegetation we had been walking through.

A cool dip above the falls.

Lily pond.

We reached the top of the Mitchell Falls, all hot and bothered, so Luke suggested it was time for a swim. Didn't have to ask anyone twice!! We slipped down over the rocks and into the lovely stream. The water was a surprisingly mild temperature, and very refreshing. We lazed around in the lovely pool for some time, rewarding ourselves for the long walk. We reluctantly left the pool and reclaimed our back packs, and were asked to put on the extra pair of socks we were all instructed to bring. This had mesmerized us, but we soon discovered that we had a water crossing to make, and the socks gave a much better grip than bare feet on the slippery rocks! The other lady with us found that out the hard way, choosing bare feet and landing flat on her arse and totally dunked!!

At Mitchell Falls.

Having crossed the river, Luke took us along the cliff top to the spot he had chosen for our lunch. What a spot, right on the cliff edge opposite the three tiers of the Mitchell Falls. It was quite breathtaking! The red cliffs, the cascading water and a clear blue sky! We sat on the rocks and opened up our picnic lunches. It was undoubtedly one of the best lunch spots we have ever enjoyed. Lunch was a delicious wrap, some cheese and crackers, a muesli bar and some fruit, and an icy cold bottle of water! Luke was watching the clock, telling us that we couldn't be late for the helicopter. The rivalry between fixed wing pilots and chopper pilots was evident!! He gave us a little tongue in cheek chat about "don't be late, don't speak unless spoken to, listen intently to every word they say, and never look them in the eye!"

Ready to Fly!

Our Chopper.

We made our way to the pick up spot, and of course the helicopter was 10 minutes late!! The pilot was doing his best Tom Cruise impression complete with swagger & Breitling Sunglasses!! We were flying with the doors off!! So in we piled. I left daredevil Carolyn next to the open door, and we were soon circling over the falls in our Jet Ranger Helicopter. Tom was a very smooth pilot and the scenery was incredible. When he did a big tilt on our side my little daredevil looked a little pale, but she kept clicking her camera. The two hour walk became a 10 minute flight back to the car park and the old Troopie!!"

Mitchell Falls from the chopper.

We jolted our way back to the airfield, feeling every bump and corrugation! The Troopie went back into the shipping container, and off we went into the wild blue yonder, headed for Kununurra around 1.5 hours away. The fly back was at a much higher level, around 10,000 feet, so we all just took in the view of the vast landscape, and had a few little naps along the way! Luke woke us all up as we flew over El Questro, but from such a height we couldn't make out much. As we came in sight of Kununurra, we encountered quite a bit of air traffic, and we were all put into holding patterns as The Flying Doctor was on its way with a medical emergency. Luke brought us in with another perfect landing, and our fantastic day was at an end. Luke drove us back to Kimberleyland, where we met up with Dianne & Peter and talked endlessly about our day.