The Gibb River Rd .....
Sat 29 June - Thurs 4 July...
Leaving El Questro about lunch time we began our way along the Gibb. The area is nothing like what we have seen before with incredible massive jump ups, that are enormous and rise straight up like Vienna bread striaght up out of the tin.....you get my drift! One that we drove around on the southern side, with Wyndham to the north just rose out of the earth. The colours and rock formations are amazing. We found out about Drysdale Station that this last wet season was the driest in the last 47 years ! We were really surprised that the massive Pentecost River crossing on the Gibb past El Questro was dry - all the way through ! The length of this crossing is about 200 m - just incredible.
Pentecost River Crossing on the Gibb
Boabs at Home Valley Station
We pulled into a fabulous spot called Home Valley Station - off the bitumen, loads smaller and wowsers this place just had an amazing vibe ! Few campers there, grassy, and amazing Boabs. Essentially here was a way smaller version of El Questro, doing it a slightly different way. Gorges to walk, places to check out, and doing tourism beautifully in a really homely kinda way. We debated staying here for the night and decided to push on another 80-90km to Ellenbrae to make the following day easier to King Edward Campground up near Mitchell Falls. As we were coming along the Gibb westbound, we passed one truck and wait for it Huges goes... 'Dad I reckon that's Graham from Outback Truckers...' so a quick radio chat absolutely confirmed this ! Go Huges and your incredible picture memory - amazing !!!
So we were about 2km short of the Ellenbrae turnoff and we see 2 vehicles pulled up on the other side of the road (in my head I can hear Rach say keep driving, keep driving!). Front car a Nissan X-Trail and second car a Patrol. A crew of backpackers from Germany and a Frenchman in the mix. The X-Trail (I noted on the back had an 'Se' added to it ....get it ? Eva did too quick and blushed, walking away shaking her head) was the girls car and the Patrol the blokes. The girls had a flat, their second for the day, they had another spare.....with no rim ! Yep no rim ! So the girls are all over it car jacked up, SeX Trail loaded to the hilt and the boys are standing around having a smoke - it was hilarious.
Another couple pulled over the help out - super handy bloke, and she was gorgeous, a school teacher from Perth who coming from the direction we were going to give us loads of ideas and tips. She loved Kalumbaru....so popped that idea on hold...pending the roads etc. So the Handy Bloke and Handy Stu somehow plugged this hole to hold air and get them back to Ellenbrae (driveway was 4km) to change the tyre onto the rim and do some repairs. Following these chicks was hilarious !!
Meanwhile Hugo is telling the boys he reckons they bought a 'lemon' and do you want me to check out your timing belt for you ! What a show! Huges did a bit of mechanic-ing for them, super proud to say it did sound better. He tinkled with it for a bit, took it for a drive, the German boys then asked if he had a license....almost he says, and hopefully they made it on to wherever next ! The thing was though the boys were happy to let the girls go back to the station to sort it out and wait for them on the side of the road. I thought they might stay the night, but was probably too expensive, so as we set up camp they all headed off into the twilight with plenty of angels guarding their tyres till Kununurra and beyond .....
Ellenbrae Jackaroo Camp Donkey - best showers so far !!
This is how we do.... ;)
Thanks for a great night !
We headed off straight up so we could have breaky along the way the following morning. First stop was at the Kalumbaru rest area - its such a great name isn't it ... ka-lum-baa-ruu .... love it !!! Road was fine to here pretty well and yes it was getting rougher. Most of the way to Drysdale Station was great bar the last 5km....and reflectively man it was downhill from here.... it was another 100km ish to King Edward Campground and it was here we had the most fabulous swimhole. A massive long waterhole with loads of space to explore. This is plateau country with masses of layered flat rock plateaus...
En route to Mitchell Falls
Tambourlane Au Naturale made it all the way to King Edward Campground (and no not the only bottle !)
Ok so now lets talk roads.... we knew that this 145km round trip to the falls wasn't going to be super, it wasn't super, it was a bitch ! I don't usually talk negatively about something with such passion - but wow she put on a good show. Best corrugations we've ever seen and with all tyres sitting at about 18 PSI it was a big fat bugger of a trip in and out.... 1 hr 45 for 72km each way......we'd hit some lovely cream road patches and then ....exhale and breathe before more corrugates came along!!
Walking on in......
We managed to snag a chopper flight back out in the afternoon, and thanks to Dea & Dave Wilton for sharing this idea with us years ago when they were up here. Unfortunately we could only take 4, so bless Stu he was happy to walk back out again. Back to the lovely teacher on the roadside near Ellenbrae with the German tyre fiasco - she shared with us a little track just past Little Merten Falls below which took us down to the most stunning Aboriginal Rock Art I've ever seen. Yes we've seen some amazing rock art in Kakadu in particular - but here was entirely different. It was a complete privilage to stand and witness this artwork and history. Some of this rock art is dated 30,000 plus years ago. Human beings being here on this dirt at this time hundreds of generations back simply blew my mind and it was a really moving and awesome experience that we all revered with immense respect.
Little Merten Falls
Rockart of the Wunambul people at Mitchell Plateau
No idea who you are ....and you are lovely !
It was a stunning walk into the Falls itself - and we knew from quite a few people that it was just flowing and not an average year as such. It was stunning all the same...quite a few plants in flower and loads of stunning secenery every which way you look.
Mulla Mulla ??
How could I not share a pic of this rock form!!!
Concept behind the washing machine ??? These rocks sitting with the cavern we flipping enormous !!
Big Merten Falls
Top of Big Merten Falls
Buffed and polished from thousands of years of water pummeling over it....
Top of Mitchell Falls
Standing at the top of this vast caverning rock form, it was quite an unusual feeling. Yes that connection to universe and self was ever present and knowing that this landscape and people have been here for thousands and millions of years, ones own mortality was felt like a tiny blip. The sheer size of here is almost unnerving, and it was hard to imagine what the roar of water would be like in a good wet season, it would be nothing short of magical.....
No idea who this little chap was - but geez he was funny to watch !
This little bird above was hanging out with his buddy and having big drinks in the shallow flowing waters. Another of the same species came along for a wee drink and crikeys he kicked a stink ! So funny to sit and watch....we had about 4 hours up at the Falls before our Chopper flight at 3.15pm.
From the air
Yep no doors - and strapped in well !!
Stunning colours on the return trip.....
Tall palms filtering the evening sunset
At the end of such a big day all was going well till about 22km out from King Edward when 'a rock been bitin dem tyre Bro' holy crap, shaded behind a Pandanus Palm was a massive mother of a rock ! Front tyre side wall smacked and we are down ! Just to rub it in it was new 3 weeks ago too ... so after a swearing session I don't think any of the kids had seen before.....by Stu...., the jack was out ready to see if we could get the car up and spare on. In my head I'm going Ok we have the camper tyre as a spare .... we're a 130km ish from Drysdale with pretty ordinary road in between - it's all good.... then we couldn't get the jack up and the big jack on the racks - the spanner was back at camp...just breathe !! Finally the jack worked and we got things changed over. It wasn't the greatest end to a huge day and then our world was put in perspective - as it always in when we came across a couple 10km closer to camp who had lost a shock on their Rover camper trailer and bounced a spring out to boot. Yep we were doing OK !! Enjoyed the bubbly that night I can tell you...
Wandjina Deities at Cultural site near King Edward.....amazing feel here...
Power Squats at their best !!
Bored excavator driver along the Kalumbaru rd making enormous 'Friendship Rocks' - brilliant !!!
On the road again and back to the Gibb after a tyre purchase at Drysdale Station Roadhouse.... hhhmmmm will let you imagine the price for that ! We were heading to Manning Gorge and Mt Barnett Roadhouse....there is actually so much to do and see on the Gibb and it all depends of what you want to see and enjoy before essentially you get 'gorged out'.
The best swim spot so far this trip on the Manning Creek at Manning Gorge - sublime!!!
Camping with an Old Soul Friend next to us.....
The following morning we headed off on the Manning Gorge walk. To start with you have to get in a tinny and pull your way across to the other side of the creek, feeling like you are off on ahuges adventure ! This was a really lovely walk with a reasonably steep descent into the Gorge....pleased we went early as it got hot on the escarpment very quickly..
Row boat across to start the Manning Gorge Walk
Holly bush or Christmas bush
Wow !!! Huge, magnificient and wide....
These flowers or blooms were magnificent, growing over where water was trickling away, they almost looked fake !
All time fave .... The Kapok Flower
Manning gorge...
Check these Groovers out !!
There were so many other places we could have gone to. Mornington Wildlife Park was on the list, limited water there in gorges. Charnley River.....similar as was Mt Hart. And so we made the most with what was around and with how many gorges we could experience and appreciate ! And so with some supplies dwindling we decided to continue on to Imintji. We camped here the night next to the King Leopald Range in a lovely spacious and quiet spot with only a handful of campers - couple of lovely families from near Toowoomba QLD.
Blissful space !!
Our final couple of gorges today. First up what is known as the most famous gorge on the Gibb - Bell River Gorge. Lovely easy walk in and a great steep descent into the gorge. Fabulous swimming spot and greatplace to sit and chill. Very pleased we stayed where we did and not at the NP campground there as it was packed to the gills !!!
Bell River Gorge
Our final little gorge was Galvan Gorge, really close to the road and lovely although quite dry and getting murky. Saw a cute little 1m freshy just paddling out in the sun blissfully. We then our final rough drive through to Derby ! After crossing the final pass of King Leopald Range more Boabs began to come back into the landscape , they are majestic, individual, quirky, unique and I LOVE them!! Reaching Derby - what was I most looking forward to ? A lovely hot shower, washing machines ...plural... there was a fair stench coming from the washing basket and a couple of coldies....we ran out of beer and THAT was pretty shit planning....thank goodness I had extra bottles of bubbly!!! Dinner out was also a bit of a treat too for us all at Neaps Bistro.... and that was our first experience of the Gibb!
Hello there my friend...
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