Nearly 2 weeks ago and we were in Broome, time certainly flies when you are having an absolute ball! Broome is a very relaxed and laid back town, considering the heat, I think you have to be :)
We visited Matso's Brewery so Dave could try another tasting paddle of beers and we also walked around Broome one morning whilst waiting for our car to be serviced. There are some great artists with their own store fronts in amongst the usual touristy shops, they certainly have no shortage of wildlife subjects and stunning colours to work with in the Kimberly.
I HAD to go on a sunset camel ride along Cable Beach........ and it was great!!
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| me & my mate Kahn |
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| rocks off Gantheaume Point |
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| Boab Prison Tree outside Derby |
And so, we head east and we decided to go along the famous Gibb River Road (oooooooh, aaaaaahhhh!!) We have heard so many horror stories about this road and the corrugations and river crossings but that it is worth doing for the amazing scenery and wildlife. Talking to the immensely helpful guy at the Broome Info Centre, who had been on the road a few weeks before, his enthusiasm was contagious and he bolstered our confidence by advising that he'd never seen the Gibb in such good condition as it currently was.
Well, we loved it!!! And the condition of the road really surprised us, it was great. However, it was more of a highway than a road, for such a remote area the number of people travelling on it was astounding. The weather was HOT!!! We weren't aware of the temperature whilst we travelled because there is no mobile reception out there, but when we got to Kununurra, we were told it had been 40 odd degrees on some of the days we were on the Gibb. I thought I was sweating more buckets than usual!!!
Tunnel Creek (near Windjana Gorge)
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| swimming hole at other end of Tunnel Creek, Dave a bit unsure b/c of fresh water crocs!! |
Windjana Gorge
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| Fresh Water Crocodile in Windjana Gorge |
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| Bell Gorge |
Some of our friends on Dave's Facebook page would have seen the video he put up of me taking a photo of these Brolgas.......... I was a very emotional little pixie. I have always wanted to see Brolgas in the wild, ever since I saw the painting by Sydney Long "The Spirit of the plains" (see below) when I was a teenager. This was a small life accomplishment for me but with a significant impact; dreams, wishes and ideas can and do come true :)
Our third night on the Gibb we stayed at Ellenbrae Station, and for us, we liked this camping spot the most. The hosts were very friendly and helpful people and the place was lovely and quiet.
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| we spent a whole arvo at this swimming hole |
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| I think this is one of those native hibiscus you can buy to put in your champagne!!! how cool :) |
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| watching someone else do a river crossing before we give it a go |
Our last 2 nights we stayed at El Questro and my advice would be, ensure you take an extra set of body organs with you to help pay for your stay :) Having said that, the facilities, gorges, walks etc were worth it, once I just breathed out and let it go!
Amalia Gorge - we started this walk about 6:30amish again, and it was definitely worth it, because we were the only ones there woo hoo!!
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| Moonshine Gorge |
And lastly, Emma Gorge, the prettiest one of them all.....
And so we left El Questro and finished our trek on the Gibb River Road. It was a tiring trip, especially because of the heat, but it was worth it and we would do it again. We met some great people along the way, we even helped out a car load of German backpackers whose petrol tank was leaking, by driving one representative to the Mt Barnett Roadhouse for extra fuel. We walked and walked and walked our butts off and swam in amazing waterholes, rivers and gorges, probably with freshies (fresh water crocs) down the way a bit. Brown underpants may have been sported on occasion :) Some parts of the road were quite rough and the car and camper got a definite work out. My tips for the Gibb River Road would be;
- embrace the heat & dirt and don't wear white
- expect things to break, jiggle off, fall loose or bust...and if they don't, self high five!!!
- have a camera ready at all times, you never know what you're going to see
- drive to the conditions (Dave did a fantastic job and we have all of our tires intact, no blow outs)
- pay the small fortune for really good tires (BFG's) because it is worth it.
- take lots of cash with you and forget you have a mobile phone for the days you're on the Gibb
- do all of your walks early in the morning, then travel midday with air con on and set up camp in arvo with a swim afterwards if you can.
- enjoy and marvel and the beauty of the Kimberly.
On to Kununurra and the Ord River.
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| Ivanhoe Crossing on the Ord River |
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| Dave driving us over the Ivanhoe Crossing |
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| Wedge Tailed Eagle on the Parry Creek Road. |
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| Five Rivers Lookout at Wyndham |
