More of the Kimberley

Our last post closed with me keeping my fingers crossed, hoping that the two potentially show stopping ‘mishaps’ were not going to become a threesome. 

Thankfully either the crossed fingers worked …. or perhaps I’ve just paid a bit more attention to what I’ve been doing … either way no third faux pas to report….. phew! 

From ‘Big Croc Waterhole’  we returned the short distance to the main track, the Old Halls Creek Road & followed it to it’s southern end bringing us out onto the main road to Wyndham. We couldn’t have gone back the way we had come as bushfire was raging at the top end of the track – a separate fire from that we had been able to see from Big Croc Waterhole. 

We headed northward to Wyndham passing the area still burning that we had been watching from our camp. It was a lot further from us than it had appeared & on the other side of the highway. It seems that we had been looking at it through a small gap in the hills, difficult to identify until we were passing flames high on our left. Only looking backwards to our right revealed the gap which we had been looking through.

We only stopped briefly in Wyndham to get a few groceries at the small supermarket. We have spent longer there in the past on a couple of occasions, both times driving up to the not to be missed 5 Rivers lookout, but this time we were intent on getting out onto what for us was to be ‘virgin ground’.  The King River Road  & the Karunjie Track. Another 4wd adventure – a route often completed in 1 or two days by many was to take us 12 days, with mud maps to several local knowledge ’secret’ campsites which had been shared with us on the basis that we keep them secret. These mud maps would help us not to get lost as many folk do in the remote country where road signs are non existent.  The maps helped a lot but we still had the ‘geographically challenged experience’ like others a couple of times, all good though, part of the adventure!

A bit south of Wyndham we turned right onto the track taking us across the salty mud flats to the King River Road. The track itself is built up, but we could see vehicular wheel tracks off to the sides in numerous places, some with deep ruts. At 7 tonnes we are heavier than most 4wd cars & whilst tempting to divert from the track commonsense kept reminding me of the possibility of ‘breaking through the crust’ .  Years ago we rode motorcycles across here & found it exhilarating, but there were both dry & wet patches. It was at one of the wet patches we found crocodiles trying to survive in the wet mud. Not a hole to accidentally ride into! Sinking the OKA to it’s axles on the flats, a long way from anything other than the dry mud was a risk not to be toyed with!

The King River Road is a rough corrugated track which not surprisingly follows the King River, a muddy red/brown river renowned for a large population of crocs. When we had ridden to the beginning of the King River road on the bikes, we had seen plenty of ’slides’ on the muddy banks left by basking crocs, but didn’t actually see any crocs. This like many rivers up here in the north floods and changes every wet season, and things grow. I had thought we might recognise parts we had been to before, but apart from a small aboriginal rock art site off the main road, nothing activated our memory banks. 

Directions to our first camp take the track on your right before a bit before you get to X.  Hmmm  should we find X & then turn around?  Somehow, in a feat of remarkable luck or judgement (or a bit of both), we found the track before reaching X. The narrow track took us to a high river bank, a lovely grassy spot surrounded by open woodland around us & a view to die for of Mt Cockburn North in the distance across the river. The noise of our truck arriving disturbed a large flock of Pelicans (we estimated at least 100) on the water below us, unexpectedly (to us) filling the sky around us with these large slow moving birds. It was a wonderful welcome to not only our first camp of this little adventure, but we think in hindsight the best camp spot too. It was very easy to remain there for three nights & is definitely a ‘returner’ should we pass this way again in the future. 

The flock of Pelicans dispersed a little along the river into groups of 10, 20, 30 & unlike Pelicans used to humans in many places, these were very easy ’spook’. I spent a fair bit of time sneaking along small animal tracks by the river with camera in hand but they seemed to be aware of me every time, making getting a mass photo of them together on the water difficult. But I did get a few shots of these birds which remind me of feathered sea planes gracefully swirling around in the air.  We practiced laziness interspersed with some exploratory walks. Bushes we now know as ‘Bellyache Bush’ were thick in patches along the riverside. They are a pliable sort of bush which we later discovered leaves stains on vehicles which brush against them & which takes a significant amount of elbow grease to remove, especially if left to bake onto the paintwork in the hot sun. Not sure why they are called Bellyache Bush – treats? or gives? bellyache.  (If you know please let us know in the comments!). 

We could have stayed longer, & perhaps should have, but the lure of the ‘yet to be discovered’ was tantalising us. We passed the Wyndham Prison Boab. A large & ancient boab tree with a hollow centre, used back in the day to hold aboriginal folk deemed to be in need of incarceration. Chained inside this dank holding cell whilst his or her compatriots were hunted down like animals to later be taken into town manacled in chains. For us the tree held far less terror. MrsTea however refused to try to enter it, on account of the physical difficulty in doing so. So unable to persuade her in for photographic purposes, there was nothing left other than to become the prisoner myself. What looked easy was in fact far more difficult than I had expected. What was a lot more difficult still was getting out …. & I wasn’t chained! MrsTea was tremendously amused & deliberately deaf to my instruction to render assistance. She filmed some of my increasing ‘distress’ which amused her further but did eventually relent & aided my escape. Had she not I might well still be there! A pertinent reminder that I am no longer as young & physically capable as I used to be , (as well as to take more notice of my lovely wife when she tells me something is too difficult!). The video below may amuse you if you are the type to find the ‘escape from a prison boab by a 68 year old fella who has over estimated his escape-abilities. 😉

It was now 9 days since we had left Kununurra & ahead of us was the only place where we could enjoy the relative civilisation of somewhere with hot showers …. until we got back to our friend’s  place in Kununurra again.  Diggers Rest Station was also somewhere we were intrigued by, more by the people than the place. Our Kununurra friends have over the years become friends with Roderick & Alida, the owners of Diggers Rest.  The main attraction for many who visit are the horse-riding adventures & the painting on the veranda sessions they run, plus the history of the place having been the setting for Baz Luhrmann’s film ‘Australia’  starring Nicole Kidman & Hugh Jackman in 2008. Filmed largely on the station with it’s incredibly scenic backdrop of the Cockburn Ranges. We however were far more interested in the real life stories of Roderick who has spent his life in that country, first as a stockman/drover & then as a station owner, & Alida who many years ago met Roderick whilst on holiday from Canada (I think) as a young girl together with a friend when the two girls decided it would be a bit of an adventure to go out to this remote station for some horse-riding. Alida had grown up with horses. The rest is history, a true life love story which mirrors the movie. I very much wanted to meet Roderick who was all he had been described to me as. A quietly spoken outback gentleman with a plethora of stories about outback life. 

We were welcomed at the station with “The billy’s on, come and join us on the veranda”.  Staying there was something folk pay to do, but everything about the welcome & the manner in which we were related too felt warm & genuine. This was not a ‘product’ it was real outback hospitality. Roderick like many outback characters initially said very little, instead he listened, first summing up folk before engaging in fuller conversation with them. There were several folk sitting on the veranda which surrounded the thick stone walls of the modest homestead & it was impossible to tell who was part of the station team & who were guests. Knowing didn’t seem important & was, we think part of the inclusive ambience that for Roderick & Alida came naturally.  It was later in the evening, around the fire, when various conversations were in train with Roderick again listening more than conversing that I got talking to him. It sounds strange as I write this but I felt privileged to have him share with me, it certainly felt that I had been ‘accepted’ & that was a good feeling. I learned much about the life he has led, anecdotes from his droving days & I avoided asking about the ‘film’ stuff, as I imagined that might be the focus of many people’s questions. What I wanted to know was what was important to this lovely man. 

It was just one night at Diggers Rest – enough for me to feel I want to return for a longer stay in the not too distant future, whilst Roderick is still around. I’m guessing he must be in his 80’s, but I don’t think he is harbouring any thought of giving up his lifestyle any time soon. Alida is, I think in her 60’s & is clearly living the life she loves too. 

From Diggers Rest Station the Karunjie Track winds around the back of the Cockburn Ranges, all the way to where it meets the Gibb River Road at what is probably the most iconic spot of that iconic track. The Pentecost River crossing where everyone tries to get the photo of the crossing with the backdrop of the red cliffs of the Cockburn Ranges. So we were getting to see both these impressively scenic ranges from a perspective that the majority of tourists never see, together with camping spots along the Pentecost River. And just to add even more to the mix we had to cross what at the time felt like almost unending mud flats. Simple photos cannot ever really do justice to the lived experience, it was stunning & slightly nerve wracking at the same time.  I had asked Roderick if it would be ok to cross the mudflats in our truck, & he’d smiled & said “Yes you’ll be fine, we had cattle trucks running across there recently after mustering, carrying cattle from our yards further down. Just stick to the main track & you’ll be fine” .  The problem was that there were many tracks across the mudflats & it was hard to be certain which were the main track at times. At one point we know (now) that we deviated, but it did eventually take us to the jump up (hill) which had been described to us as our exit point from the flats. It was all quite exciting really, but a relief when we found that jump up. 

Over the next week or so we had 4 more camps, all along the Pentecost River, & until we left the 3rd the track had been pretty good, pleasant & interesting to drive without any significant challenges. This had surprised us a little as signs at each end of the Karunjie Track tell folk that it is an unmaintained, non gazetted track & is done at your own risk. Between camp 3 & camp 4 & on to the end of the track at the Gibb River road, the track became more demanding. Suffice it to say we learned that the OKA can lean over a lot more than we had imagined without tipping! So in effect, like a lot of 4wd’ing when you ‘get through’ it serves to increase one’s trust in the vehicle. We had learned that over the years with our Patrol, & it feels good to be experiencing the same with the OKA. As hoped, it is a very capable off road machine. That said, folk in smaller (less tall) 4wd’s would likely not experience the same degree of leaning that we did, & thus may have not felt quite so challenged. But it did it, & took everything in it’s stride. 

During our last day camped by the Pentecost, in the late afternoon, clouds gathered & darkened, & a short time later we felt a something we hadn’t experienced in months, a light rainfall. At first we thought we were imagining it, but looking out across the river we confirmed that yes, it was actually raining. We smiled & enjoyed the refreshing experience, expecting nothing more…..but…..there was more in store. Suddenly it got a lot heavier & ‘action stations were called for. Shut the roof hatches & windows, get things in to keep them dry. Too late for the chairs, the heavens opened & it absolutely pissed down (to use the common vernacular) for around 20 minutes. The red dust we were camped on changed to mud. We sheltered inside the truck laughing in a state of bemusement. Looking at the rain radar on Bureau of Meteorology’s web site the entire map of the area, actually of the region was devoid of any rain whatsoever……….except for a small yellow spot right above where we were located. Great technology, & the chances of this occurring had us laughing out loud. I worried that the muddiness might make leaving the next morning difficult, but as it was much had already dried out & the damp sand remaining was easier that the deep dry sand to drive on.

Places change.  Last time we were on the Gibb River Road, from the Pentecost River crossing, many kms eastward was a rough & rocky stretch of road  all the way to El Questro, where the sealed road began & which we drove very slowly, knowing something was not right with our Patrol (later discovered to be a broken man leaf in the front driver side leaf spring). This time it was sealed road all the way back to Kununurra from the crossing!  Suddenly there were other vehicles on the road. In the 12 days from Wyndham we had seen no other vehicles coming toward us, & just two motorcycles & two cars pass by headed south whilst at our penultimate Pentecost camp. 

Back at Kununurra we stayed in the guest section of our friend’s house whilst we got a few things sorted on the truck over 4 or 5 days. The front wheel bearings were replaced at a local workshop. Not because of any problem, just because servicing them was overdue.  We had spares with us, & took them in, in case they were needed. We think it likely they used them unnecessarily when repacking the old ones would have been fine, but we got no feedback as to why they had fitted the new ones, so we’ll never know. I had thought I’d do the job myself when we are at Mt Elizabeth Station over the Wet, but ad been put off by a fellow owner who talked about seized bolts & needing to drill them out, not something I wanted to contemplate, rendering our truck undriveable 600kms from the nearest workshop with access to what is needed in that sort of scenario. As it was we heard no horror story about the work done, & all has been fine since. I also fitted two new antennas. One for the UHF & one for the AM/FM radio inside the motorhome. Both with all new cabling. We now have UHF reception which works for more than  2 or 3 hundred metres, a problem we had discovered when driving on the Sandy Blight Junction Rd with friends earlier in the year.  Useable distance is now much further & we are still getting used to hearing others out on the road that we can’t see! And we can now generally get at least one radio station on medium wave when camped in the most remote spots. It’s a ZCG Scalar 900mm long antenna with a fold down mount,  same as we put on the roof of our old Nissan Civilian Bus years ago, mounted up on the roof of the OKA & easily accessible through our front roof hatch.

The return to Kununurra was pre-planned . All the ‘luxuries’ of home & a car to use, made things both enjoyable & easy. We will see them again next year on our way east, & hope that we can repay them in kind if/when they ever visit us once we are eventually back home. 

On leaving Kununurra we headed back across the border into the Northern Territory & at the border quarantine station did as we had been advised. The quarantine restrictions are for folk travelling in to Western Australia, not into the Northern Territory. However at this stage the wheel bearing work was not yet proven to be OK, so ‘just in case’ we needed to return, we stopped at the quarantine & explained we had come from Kununurra where we had been staying, had had work done on the vehicle, which if it proved unsatisfactory, might mean we would have to return, & we had just fully restocked with lots of things which are normally not allowed in, if bought outside of WA. We requested that we be put on the ‘Local List’. The Quarantine officer was very pleasant & accomodating, asking us how long for. We said a couple of days. She said “No Problem, I’ll do that & give you an extra couple of days just in case”.  She wrote down my name & the truck rego & off we went.

We were taking the long way to the West Kimberley, instead of the highway. Our route would be down the Duncan Road, a dirt road which runs down behind Lake Argyle & the Bungle Bungles, weaving back & forth across the NT/WA border several times, eventually passing the Junction with the Buntine Hwy & turning sharply westward to bring us out at Halls Creek on the Great Northern Highway, approximately half way to the WA coast. From there we would follow the Highway to just past Willare Bridge (South of Derby) to visit an old favourite camp spot on the Fitzroy River (Langi or Langey Crossing). We think it s either our 4th or 5th visit. There we would chill & just hang out there for a week or more, before driving back up to Derby to restock, & then take off along the Gibb River Road east bound, to arrive at Mt Elizabeth Station during the first week of October & where we will remain as caretakers for the homestead until the end of the wet season. 

We have now been at Langi Crossing for 10 days, & will move on tomorrow morning. Chilling has not been so easy in a literal sense, it’s been vey hot. Up into the mid 40’s each day & staying quite hot at night. It too is a place which has changed. The big floods 2 years ago have changed the landscape & fires have reduced vegetation. Sadly this has ment a huge reduction in a lot of the abundant birdlife we have enjoyed here previously and for unknown reasons the croc population is much less. Last time we were here at this time of year was in 2018 and finches of all sorts were here in their hundreds, as were Kites & falcons. Now just handfuls. Still lots of birds here, just not the variety. Most common are honeyeaters – Yellow tinted & Brown. Dogs barking at night are not dogs – Barking Owls.  Maximum number of crocs (all freshies) seen at one time is 5. In past visits that would have been 20 or 30 from a single vantage point. And included salties. Hopes of seeing a sawfish again have not eventuated, but we did see a shark this morning.  There have been more fires around here, the closest just across the river, lots of smoke during the day and red glow at night. Also some a bit south of us but a fair way off. We have been monitoring online resources, watching wind directions & fire spread, We are not directly threatened but if predominant wind directions were to change we would need to leave promptly to avoid being trapped – just one way in/out. If the worst were to happen we could move out onto sand & be safe. Nothing on the radio about these fires, only about larger fires near to Broome. We have consulted with fellow aboriginal campers from Derby & with police at Derby by phone, and have been confident to stay. Thankfully winds have ensured that we have had no smoke around us. 

Bearded Babbler

Anyway I have jumped ahead of myself . Oops.  Back to the Duncan Road. 🙂

As we turned off the Victoria highway, (the last sealed road we would see for around 500kms until we reached Halls Creek, which itself would be roughly half way to our furthest west destination of Langi crossing) we were on familiar ground. Just weeks earlier, on our way to Kununurra we had diverted a short distance (15km)  down the Duncan for an overnight stop at Hicks Creek. This pleasant little spot was to be our first camp on our foray down the Duncan. It felt pleasant to both be having a ’short day’ from Kununurra and to a ‘known site’. Adventuring is all about discovering the unknown, but sometimes a little familiarity is comforting. 🙂  Apart from river water levels having dropped a little all was as expected, & not surprisingly there was a slight sense of ‘homecoming’ when we arrived. The local flock of Little Corellas gave us a noisy welcome …. or perhaps they were just calling to each other “It’s them in the OKA, they’re back again” – either way they made plenty of noise about it! 

Leaving Hicks Creek the following morning we drove in the manner we expected to maintain until we reached Halls Creek – slowly! The road was occasionally rough or corrugated (or rough and corrugated) but overall it was in pretty good condition, so it was not road condition keeping our speed down. Instead it was simple choice, there was little traffic to speak of (we encountered just 3 other vehicles on the road over the 8 days we took to drive it) & averaged 40 to 45kph (25-27mph).  Several times we commented to each other with smiles that no-one back home in England (yes we are ‘ex poms’ but have lived in Australia longer than we lived in England) could imagine driving 500kms, seeing no buildings, power poles, traffic, sealed road etc, let alone at 25mph, but we loved it! The speed gave us plenty of time to look around & to absorb the ever changing surroundings we were passing through. Out here, on our own, travelling at ‘our’ pace is our ‘happy place’. Just us & the bush (and the dust!). 

Second night was at Behn River, at a private little spot a couple of kms along  the river from where the Duncan crossed it. Private that is if you discount several mobs of cattle who came to drink once or twice a day, & the flock of cattle egrets who accompanied them. Oh and the little Freshwater Croc who surfaced now & then to keep an eye on us. We left the swimming to the ‘freshie’ as we believe that even this far inland ’salties’ could also be present. We didn’t see any, but later heard from others who had seen a salty at the same spot in previous years. 

The next day the Duncan put on a great show, the country taking on a different persona. From flat & low rolling country we were now passing through quite steep hills, red & covered with new growth green spinifex & extensive stands of bright yellow flowering Kapok trees & varying colour (& size) termite mounds. In places we started seeing the red grass which strongly says ‘Kimberley’.  All very pretty set off against the big blue skies. Last time we saw the red grass must have been in 2019. Another sense of ‘home-coming’. “Welcome back to the Kimberley folks” . Sadly no photos as one of us decided those taken were not good enough & deleted the lot. Sigh,

A small building came into view. An oddity out here. Turning off the track we stopped to explore the remaining shell of the Old Ord River Station homestead, long abandoned & now just the thick stone walls which once protected the occupants from the outdoor heat, & a roof which was partially fallen in. Across the way a small corrugated iron shed which we deduced had been the kitchen, from the remnants of the old iron stove still sitting there. Smart move having the kitchen separate & not heating the interior of the living quarters. The glassless kitchen window provided an unexpected & thus surprising view. We were essentially on the top of a cliff, & the view from the window was the first evidence that we were right next to a river which at times must be huge. Of course this was the Ord River, on the upstream side of the huge sea-like dam that is Lake Argyle, one of many watercourses which fill it to provide the extensive agriculture around the Kununurra area. We couldn’t see the bottom of the gorge, from where we were but the scale of what we could see took our breath away. If we had bypassed the old homestead the Duncan would have taken us down a steep hill to the river crossing, but there had been no inkling that this was just ahead of us. Instead it would be a couple of days before we realised that, because instead of leaving after looking around the old homestead we followed a small & narrow very bumpy track several kilometres to where we had been told was a good camping area on the banks of the Ord. 

The camp spot was another surprise, a camp spot unlike any we have encountered before. Toward the end of the bumpy track (through grassland) we dropped down toward the river & could see what looked a little like a large & extensive concreted area.It wasn’t though. It was natural rock, flat but in layers stretching along what at times is obviously the river bed. Closer up it was apparent that ‘flat’ was a relative term. The rock itself was flat, but as I said, layered’ and close up the difference between layers varied, sometimes by as much as almost half a metre. ie, large square edged steps. Finding our way across this labyrinth of steps required walking it first, choosing a route & then MrsTea with the handheld UHF radio directing me as I drove, following her as she walked ahead of me. In a couple of spots we needed to find sections of rock to use as step up/down ‘ramps’ to ease our way. Thankfully there was no shortage of suitable small slabs of rock that were small enough to carry among the huge piles of much larger slabs that the force of water passing had piled up. 

Camping on the rock slabs in hot weather was…. HOT!  In addition to temperatures in the mid 40’s deg.C the heat which radiated back up from the rock ensured nights were pretty warm too. Luckily for us the Ord River here passed over some shallows & had had created a pool surrounded by rocks & pebbles where we could dunk ourselves in the water to cool of safely, without risk of becoming crocodile tucker. It helped. We must have looked a sight. Sitting waist deep in water, with the comf.ort of a rock backrest, shading ourselves from the harsh sun with a pair of fold up umbrellas more at home in a city lady’s handbag. 🙂 But it did the trick. Our chosen spot at the river edge of the rock slab was adjacent to several small paperbark trees who’s growing direction had been shaped by water flow, creating a very handy grassy & pleasant sun shelter alongside the truck.

In a seemingly repeat of the rain event we had experienced alongside the Pentecost River, the rain started genlyexcept this time we took no chances, it was ‘action stations’ in just moments, closing up everything as soon as the first few fine drops were felt & seen on the river & rock slabs. We were closed up just in time before the heavens opened. The rain immediately cooled everything down, but the relief from the heat was very short lived. Within moments the humidity inside the truck had risen from mid 20% to mid 70%, & we became human taps, a pre wet season reminder of what is yet to come!  Yikes!  Next morning only a few small wet patches remained on the rock in the morning, but drifted sand all around us was evidence of the water jow much water had fallen,.

Fears that the bumpy black soil track we had followed in to the camp from the old homestead becoming a quagmire trapping us until it dried out again were unfounded. If we had been trapped it would have been of no consequence. We had plenty of supplies on board & the hot sun would have dried things quickly. As it was the ground had soaked it all up & it was hard to tell any rain had fallen by the time we left at around 10am. Later than is usual for us, but we had to muck around with rock placing to climb some of the steps before we could leave. I have no doubt that the OKA didn’t actually need us to do this, but it seemed prudent given the hard square edges of many steps having the means to damage tyres were they to spin. 

Back on the Duncan, we crossed the Ord & continued on at the sedate pace that had become our norm. Further on, after passing the Junction with the Buntine Hwy we were back onto the part of the Duncan Road we had driven in the past (when we had the Patrol & Tvan – we followed the Buntine to Kalkarindji & then up through the Judbarra National Park). On that occasion we had driven out along the Duncan from Halls Creek. A camp spot we had been keen to visit , back then, had been closed off by the station owners, a result of inconsiderate campers not respecting the place. We had followed a friend’s mud map directions, found the small track off the Duncan & followed it for a couple of kilometres to a gate which, disappointingly we found heavily wired shut & signs making it very clear that access was not allowed any more.  Knowing where that access track off the Duncan was we thought we might give it a look, just in case things had changed. If not it was no big deal to have made the short detour. 

Arriving at the gate we found it not wired up & no signs. Seemed our luck was in, perhaps this time we might get to experience the splendour of Marella Gorge. And so we stuck off along the track, narrow, & rough through the spinifex for what seemed forever, at times having choice of tracks to take & not knowing which way to go. Two things were reassuring, one being that flattened vegetation on the track showed others had been here fairly recently, & two one of our two gps navigators told us we were on the right track (& one said otherwise). On this occasion the Hema had it correct & the ExplorOz Traveller didn’t. Toward the end of the track it split into two, both looking equally ‘used’.We took the left one & ended up at a lovely spot for the night on a ‘feeder’ creek to the main gorge, with several rock pools to explore & have a dip in. A lovely peaceful night surrounded by spinifex covered hills. Walks along the ‘feeder’ creek confirmed what the satellite view on our laptop told us, that not far away was the main gorge, but we were only ’teased’ with brief glimpses late in the afternoon at a time the sun had started going down & we needed to turn back lest we got caught out there by the darkness. Next morning, on our way out, we turned up the ‘right’ track of the Y junction expecting it to take us to a better view of the main gorge. So pleased we did as that is precisely what we got. Also glad we hadn’t camped there as our ’spinifex camp’ had been far more pleasant despite the view. 

Our last camp before the end of the Duncan was to be ‘Palm Springs’, a spring fed pool near to the remains of a property once the home of a market gardener who had supplied Halls Creek with fresh produce. As a camp it is not that great, simply being a space right on the edge of the road, but with the main attraction being a swim in what is quite a pretty pool. However this was not to be. We recalled that near to Palm Springs is the turnoff to Sawpit Gorge. Last time we were on the Duncan we had been disuaded by fellow campers/travellers from checking out the gorge who told us it wasn’t worth the bother as only a tiny amount of stagnant water remained. Our ‘research’ online suggested that would be the case every year unless visiting early in the season, but we decided to give it a look, not to just pass it a second time. 

The turn off was within just a few hundred metres of the fire we passed (see video below). A bit of ‘excitement we hadn’t expected!

More excitement was to come.  The track into Sawpit gorge – a 4wd track in it’s own right took us a few kms to a small dusty car park, with what appeared to be a single track continuing down into the gorge itself. We parked & walked prior to committing ourselves, glad that we did as it was our judgement that the steep track was such that we would not take the OKA down it. The issue being that one side of the two wheel track was a *lot* higher than the other, & the resulting lean of the OKA was something we weren’t game to risk. 

Down in the gorge, was completely different to our expectations, plenty of clear running water in a heavenly setting, it was beautiful. Camped there were a swiss couple in a hired camper, a small motorhome on the back of a Toyota Hilux. They told us of the second track we hadn’t seen, & said they ad come in that way. Well the place was so lovely we wanted to stay, so checked out the second track. It was steeper, with some unevenly placed half metre deep holes on the way down……..but I reckoned we might manage. MrsTea was all for staying but worried about the access. After checking a second time, this time to ensure that the inevitable side to side rocking & rolling wouldn’t bring the top of the truck into contact with any trees, we (well I) decided it was worth doing, & did it we did…. successfully. I do recall that near the bottom just before we reached the creek we had to cross that it looked like the water was right below the windscreen because of the steepness. There had been some sideways rocking & rolling, but less than I had expected. All that said I think you might agree from the photos that it was a lovely place once we were in there. We stayed a couple of nights.Whilst there one other vehicle came in, a Mitsubishi Canter based camper truck, similar size to the OKA. We watched it come down the same track that we had used & were amazed at the amount of flexing between the truck’s cab & the habitation body on the rear. It was extreme. Cab one way, body the other way. This is because Japanese trucks with their short travel suspension rely on their chassis twisting to take the uneveness of the ground under the wheels. On the second morning we watched the Swiss couple drive up the track in their hired Hilux. It was reassuring they did it fairly easily, the chap was a good driver, but their side to side rocking was quite extreme. It was clear that the Hilux must have quite rigid upgraded suspension to manage the weight of the motorhome. The Swiss lady confided that she had had just one “oh Shit moment’ as they drove out.

When our time came to leave, having watched the Hilux, I considered it prudent to get our as yet unused recovery gear out, with it laid out ready to use in case our much heavier & taller vehicle had trouble. Paul, camped up in the carpark, & Kyle the Canter driver were schooled in the use of our recovery gear & we were all in contact via UHF. All unnecessary as it turned out! The OKA with it’s long travel suspension soaked up the holes as it was designed to do & although as the driver I felt a little Rocking & rolling, a video recorded by MrsTea from the bottom & Kyle from the top made the ascent look completely unremarkable, as though it was simply a flat hill!  This, IMHO vindicates my choice of truck over a Japanese one & was, I suspect, quite an eyeopener for Kyle. If I ever buy a GoPro or similar, I’ll have to one day set it up to show the suspension in action. 

A sign up in the carpark warned of recent sightings of a crocodile in the gorge, so we restricted our cooling dips to a shallow spot a few metres from our truck where clear water was flowing into the main pool & rocks creating a degree of separation from the main pool, but we longed for a proper swim.On the second day we saw the croc in the larger pool around the corner of the gorge. It was a Freshwater croc, quite a fat one, so we decided it’s presence lessened the likelihood of a salty being around & we both had a swim albeit a brief one, one at a time with the other as ‘lookout’. Folk have to make their own decisions about this sort of thing. We felt safe enough to do it & we didn’t get eaten, but I’m not advising anyone else to follow our lead!

I don’t like to say it, but we found Halls Creek a grubby little place. We topped up with fuel but declined to do the same with drinking water. The only taps were at the dump point, & were unclearly marked as to which was potable.Enquiry at the service counter of the servo, was initially met with disinterest by the first membr of staff who when asked a second time passed me over to a another chap who assured me that all taps only had water which required boiling before drinking despite there being a pictorial sign for drinking water, & nothing to say anything about the need for boiling. I’d like to make it clear that none of the staff, in this predominantly aboriginal town were aboriginal. Standing next to the taps & the dump point, standing in muddy ground, uncertain if the mud was mud or something else (ewww!), I decided we still had enough water to get by. It’s unfair to picture the town as a whole on the experience at the servo I know, but we sw little to encourage us to explore the place further. 

That night we shared a ‘grey nomad rest area’ surrounded by the usual assortment of caravans, buses & camper vans at the Ngumban Cliffs Lookout before continuing in to Fitzroy Crossing where we filled our water tanks & bought a few supplies. To us the difference between Fitzroy Crossing & Halls Creek could not have been more starkly different. Both aboriginal towns arounf 300kms apart. One felt welcoming & the other didn’t. This was much the same as we have experienced in these towns in the past. 

On our final night prior to arriving at Langi Crossing we turned off the Great Northern Highway onto The Fairfield-Leopold Downs Road, a dirt road, a shortcut from the Highway up to Tunnel Creek & Windjana Gorge on the Gibb River Road a little over 100kms north of the highway. About 12 kms from the highway is a site used as a quarry for materials when the Curtin Airbase near Derby was being built (in the 1980’s I think). Today it is a popular free camp known as the RAAF Boab Quarry camp. A spot we have never been to, but have seen beautiful photos of. It was OK & far better than a roadside rest area, but it’s beauty really is an ‘early season’ beauty, when it holds a lot of water, Now in September not much more than a puddle remained, sustaining a variety of birds. There was sufficient water for us to have a bucketful each for a hair wash, so we stayed a second night, preferring to arrive at Langi crossing for an extended stay with our onboard water tanks as full as possible, knowing that the tidal nature of the Fitzroy River at Langi would mean the water there would be saline. OK for dish washing, less good for ‘us’ washing.

Back to the present. We left Langi Crossing yesterday morning, driving into Derby for a ‘big shop’ & to top up our water. From there it was only a short distance to our current location at Birdwood Downs, the first station on the Gibb River Road, just 20 kms from town. A modest stock enterprise with camping & other accomodation, which has been developed since we last this way in 2019. Owned & operated by the same folk who have Mt Elizabeth Station where we are headed to caretake. The owner told us she would let the current tourist season managers know we would drop in en route. On arrival we introduced ourselves, receiving the response “We were told to expect you, stay as long as you wish …no charge” which was nice & bodes well for our stay at Mt Elizabeth. Good communication & generosity. Something always hoped for but that we have found cannot always be taken for granted. 

So that’s it for this post … all up to date. Next time will find us hopefully settled in well at ‘Lizzie’ & preparing for another wet season experience – our first ‘inland Wet’. Until then … thanks for reading, we’ll look forward to any comments or questions you may wish to post. Oh and on that matter I have now heard from a couple of long term subscribers about a hiccup with posting comments – certainly doesn’t affect everyone, but those it has affected get a message making reference to ‘nonce’ from WordPress. If it happens to you please be assured you are not being called names. :). 

From Google “A “nonce failure” in the WordPress editor, often appearing as “nonce verification failed” or similar, indicates a security token issue. WordPress uses nonces (numbers used once) to protect against various attacks, including Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF). These nonces are temporary and generated for specific actions, like saving a post or updating settings.

For me it’s gobbledygook which I don’t know how to address. Bottom line : If you want to get in contact, make a comment, ask a question & the comment function gives you this grief, you can always just send us a message via the contact page. 

Regards

Cuppa & MrsTea.