As with many things in life, procrastinating …..putting things off, rarely makes them easier. Quite the opposite really. Having written the previous post at the end of September last year & it now being the end of March it’s fair to say that I have got a ‘little behind’. My thanks to those who have contacted me asking if we are still around & OK.
Finally I am sitting down to write again, to bring you up to date with our travels & adventures. I won’t give the game away just yet, but suffice it to say that the plans we had made changed & we are not where we expected to be.
There is a degree of disappointment about that, but sufficient time has passed to allow for dissipation of the anger we felt in regard to the changes forced upon us. And we are now enjoying where we are. This helps make starting to write again easier.
As it is writing a blog post covering half a year is a daunting prospect, either it ‘skims the surface’ or becomes almost a novel ‘bigger than Ben Hur’, so for that reason I have decided to break the 6 months up into 4 posts, hopefully written & posted sequentially within the next week or two so that those of you who have been ‘missing’ us can get up to date in more manageable chunks. 🙂
If you are a first time reader, welcome! I hope you enjoy my ramblings about rambling around the country on a full time basis. Should any questions arise for you, please feel free to contact us , or leave comments. We may not have all the answers, but we do have plenty of experience.
We last posted from the campground at Birdwood Station, at the western end of the Gibb River Road, just outside of Derby, & still with 100+ kms of sealed road to go before hitting the Gibb River Road ‘proper’.
With sufficient time prior to reaching our destination at Mt Elizabeth Station, approximately in the middle of the 600km long Gibb River Rd we could afford to take a leisurely approach to the journey. This was our 3rd time on the Gibb, in the space of 16 years. Our first visit had been in a dodgy Landcruiser wagon hired in Derby, limited by time. We left our converted 2wd bus in Derby only went as far as Bell Gorge during the 3 day hire. Our second time in our Patrol & Tvan, in 2019 we took a couple of months taking in a number of places which are no longer open to the public as well as going north up to Kalumburu. That really was a trip hard to beat & possibly our most adventurous. (Type ‘North Kimberley into the search box below the map to read the 4 posts covering that trip – North Kimberley 1, 2, 3 & 4). This time was different again, familiar ground, but with the goal of spending an entire wet season out there caretaking the Mt Elizabeth Station homestead, cut off by swollen rivers, 30 kms from the Gibb River Road on a half million acre pastoral lease.
The seed had been sown whilst spending time with Nev on his block where he lives & runs his remote tyre service for tourists between Adcock River & Mt Barnett Roadhouse, when he showed us photos of flooded rivers & a lush green Gibb River Rd. All of our previous remote area wet season caretaking experiences had been in coastal, west Kimberley (Goombaragin/Pender Bay on the Dampier Peninsula) & Cape York (Moreton Telegraph Station & a few locations in & around Lockhart River). This would be our first ‘inland Wet’.
Late September on the Gibb is getting pretty hot, & the country is very dry & dusty, so our expectation was that traffic would be sparse, & indeed it was. Just an occasional tourist vehicle enjoying the lack of dust from other vehicles, which is the norm that the vast majority of tourist endure during the less formidable months of June, July & August. On average we encountered 3 to 6 vehicles per day. *Very* different to ‘every few minutes at the height of the season.
There were bushfires in the area, but not close to the road until quite some distance ahead. We felt confident that by the time we reached those areas the fire near the road would have burned out. There was however smoke drifting. Oddly however (odd because we couldn’t explain it) on the undulating road the smoke we could see was always across the road on the horizon up ahead, but whenever we reached it we both couldn’t see it nor smell it.
As we drove we were treated to a close encounter with a White-bellied Sea eagle crossing our path. MrsTea was quick enough to get a shot of it with her iPad. Running through the photos later we almost deleted it, thinking the bird was deposit on the windscreen from a passing bird, but no, she got the eagle.
Later we saw similarly a Black-breasted Buzzard, no pic, but exciting (for us) as it was (in birder lingo) a ‘Lifer’. ie. The first one we have ever seen. Rapid use of our Bird ID app confirmed the sighting whilst the details were still fresh. Woohoo!
Our first night was to be a return visit to Windjana Gorge, & possibly to Tunnel Creek. The sealed road finished at the turn off to Windjana taking us 20 or 30kms over what was an horrendously corrugated road, not unexpected at the end of the season, but certainly not enjoyable, even after stopping within the first few hundred metres to drop our tyre pressures. By the time we reached Windjana we had decided that going further to Tunnel Creek was an experience we could happily do without. Had we not have been there before we would have gritted our teeth & pushed on. It’s definitely worth a visit but not a return visit in the circumstances.
The large campground had 3 or 4 other campers, including the ranger. He has been the ranger, living on site with his family in the house provided by the Wildlife & Parks department for 20 years or so. At the time Park Rangers were involved in industrial action over a wage case, & we were astonished to hear of what sounded to us like unreasonable & extreme pettiness on the part of the department who had insisted they vacate the provided house whilst industrial action was ongoing. So they were living in a tent, in the campground in the heat & he was still doing his job. We had a good natter together after he came to ask if we had seen unusual lights during the night (we hadn’t). He was concerned about wildlife poachers taking animals. Turned out he was from the Dampier Peninsula north of Broome & we knew several folk in common, from our time up there, over wet season 2018/19.
The towering limestone walls, Devonian Reef – once on a seabed, were just as imposing & impressive as we remembered them. This time however our camping experience was not punctuated by the incessant noisy squeaking of a Troop Carrier’s leaf springs ‘next door’, resulting from the amorous antics of a French backpacker couple in their rooftop tent! 🙂 In fact the night was still & silent although stinking hot. Our OKA is designed well for airflow, but any vehicle with only a couple of 12v fans is going to be ‘oven-like’ when night temperatures remain over 30 degrees.C!
Walking from the campground into the gorge feels like stepping into another world. The path takes you through chest height dry grass toward the imposing cliffs, passing colonies of bees which burrow into the sand, but pay no attention to us, before arriving at what has to be one of the best gorge entrances we have encountered anywhere. A natural narrow tunnel through the rocks, short enough to see the sunlight streaming into it’s exit up ahead, but providing welcome relief from the harsh sun, takes us through to a picture postcard beautiful body of water beneath more towing limestone cliffs. Here it is common to see large numbers of freshwater crocodiles basking on the sandy beach areas, but this time we saw only one, but the breathtaking vista looking out along the gorge was every bit as good as we remembered it. Did I mention it was hot? Lingering longer after walking as far as we could along the gorge was forsaken for the relatively cool shade of the entrance tunnel & getting back to the truck we rewarded ourselves with a cold drink & icy poles followed by a shower.
Leaving the next morning (when sensibly it would have been the best time for walking in the gorge – “oh well” (shrugs shoulders) we talked (shouted over the clattering) about the horrible road, wondering if the rest of the Gibb would be like this. Imagine those really unpleasant metal speed bumps sometimes installed in freeway service stations, the ones which almost hurt even when driving over them at 10kph. Well these corrugations were on a par with them, but thousands of them around 10″ apart for what seemed like forever, & every inch of the road covered by them. No slipping up the side in a drain – that was no better! At times like this a particular cartoon by Michael Leunig always comes to mind….. and helps. It is entitled ‘How to get there’, & is a reminder that no matter how bad things are you always ‘get there’ by ‘keeping on going’ .
Back onto the sealed road we turned eastward, knowing that the bitumen would soon become dirt. We hoped it might be in better condition than the road out to Windjana. It finishes at the bridge over the Lennard River. A river which flows through the Lennard Gorge, one we have twice before tried to visit & found it closed off on both occasions. This time we hoped it would be open. Sadly we found it closed for a third time, but the good news was that the dirt road, was in pretty good shape with only occasional stretches that were a little rough. Far more pleasant – perhaps 2 out of 10 , compared to the Windjana Rd’s 10 out of 10! It felt like winning Lotto!
When the road begins to rise steeply up over the first range of hills is when we feel we are back on the Gibb River Road ‘Proper’. Inglis Gap. As we climb we have extensive views off to our right & toward the top is a small pull off area. We are reminded that this view is better when travelling the GRR from east to west, but instead, going west to east, it feels like a beginning rather than an end. Six of one, half a dozen of the other! Before long, as we get closer to Bell Gorge, we stop at the lookout, a significant spot for us, high up, overlooking Bell Creek. I’m sure it must have a name , but I’ve never known it. Impossible to miss though. It is there in front of you as you drive eastward, waiting to take your breath away as you gaze into the distance. Bell Creek is there somewhere but hidden from view by trees. We stopped here & took a photo of ourselves in 2009, then again in 2019 so of course we had to do the same again when we pulled in for a lunch stop. We think the photo shows we have aged a lot more in the past 6 years than we had in the previous 10, but still feel pretty good that we had made it back again. We wonder if there will be a 4th time ….. but there are still so many places yet to visit in the big island we call home!
Predictably the track in to Bell Gorge was more corrugated than the Gibb. Not quite as bad as Windjana, but a close second. During tourist season the Gibb can get pretty badly corrugated, but it does get graded by teams who work through the season, so it is common to experience both good & bad. Just luck of the draw when the grader last went through. Back in 2019 we worked out that a freshly graded road took around 10 days to go from billiard table smooth to horrendous. Commonly, back then, we found contrary to this time at the end of the season, that tracks off the Gibb River road were in far better condition than the GRR itself. It’s a pretty safe bet that increased traffic (on a road built for cattle trucks and only occasional tourists) during the intervening years probably means that 10 day timeframe has reduced. The GRR is not the 4×4 adventure that many folk have in mind. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great trip through some great country, different to any where else in the country, but unless going very early in the season when water crossing levels are at their highest, it”s not a 4×4 challenge. The challenge is one of endurance (corrugations) – dust (other traffic) & raw beauty. Much of the beauty is on the side tracks to the many small gorges. Bell Gorge is a larger, more striking & beautiful one – possibly the ‘Best One’ , but all are individual & worth a visit.
At Bell Gorge we met our friends, the ‘Two Harvs’ from Kununurra. We knew there was a chance we would cross paths with them somewhere on the Gibb, with us each travelling in the opposite direction. There is something a bit special in meeting like this in such a wonderful spot. We swam together for a while before leaving to camp together alongside Bell Creek, back near the GRR. As we got closer to the GRR, they called us up on the UHF, having gone ahead of us, to say “forget the Bell Creek camp, large numbers of biting March flies have taken up residence”. So we backtracked a little to the un-named Look out & finished the evening to a great view with the setting sun.
Whilst sharing tales & stories they told us of a wonderful camp spot at the edge of a safe swimming creek, alongside big old boabs, & with a soft sandy entrance to the water. It sounded Idyllic. “Go past a number camp spots on the river until you reach the point where you need 4wd & continue on for a couple of Kms” were the instructions. Sounded good to us for our next night or three.
After our morning ‘cheerios’ we headed east once again, whilst they went west. We’ll catch up with them again later in 2026 when we pass through Kununurra next time.
Ruefully we passed the turn off which goes first to Mt House Station & then on to the Mornington Wilderness Wildlife camp. We had loved that place in the past, but floods had wiped out all of the infrastructure. The same Fitzroy River floods which destroyed the Fitzroy River bridge on the northern highway. I hope the Australian Wildlife Conservancy can eventually rebuild there & continue the work they do. It was very special
Adcocks Gorge is one of the nicer little gorges. The drive in is a few Kms, and needs 4wd. Reaching the parking area we found a few folk camped there. A friendly young lady advised that we could drive on further to the gorge. A few minutes later I was wishing my memory of being here before was better, & now certain how foolish I had been to take that young woman’s advice in lieu of checking the track myself. It was tight, twisty & very rocky. The OKA has higher clearance than many 4wd’s but this was challenging us. If it had been possible to reverse out I would have done, but by the time I realised our predicament that was no longer an option! MrsTea was unhelpfully asking me if I thought this was a good idea. Well no I didn’t, but we were now past the point of return, our only option was to continue forwards. There was a loud & unpleasant BANG/ CRUNCH. I got out to discover our front axle/diff hung up on a larger rock. I had seen it coming but felt I had to go over it rather than taking the too narrow line off to it’s right. At this point MrsTea was looking like she was going to have kittens & despite my sinking stomach I did my best to remain optimistic for her sake. With a few more unpleasant graunching sounds & attempts to go both backward & forward, with some relief I got us off the offending boulder & pressed on, reaching a spot where we could turn around & park up. Leaving after our walk into the gorge was a worry, but we managed to get out unscathed. No damage done other than leaving a bit of black paint on the rock.
Walking to the Gorge involved some rock scrambling on foot too, but was rewarded by having the lovely spot all to ourselves
After extricating ourselves & vehicle , & returning to the Gibb River Rd, we followed the instructions shared with us to the recommended camp spot. There were a few good spots, but where the 2 Harvs had camped was by far the nicest. We stayed for 3 nights & would have stayed longer had we not received a message from Mt Elizabeth Station asking if we could arrive a few days earlier than planned. (Note: Having Starlink internet in remote spots like this is great). 3 days & nights of relaxing, swimming & birdwatching – wonderful!
When we moved on we left a little reluctantly, but with things to look forward to. First Galvans Gorge, then meeting up with Nev at ‘Over the Hill tyre service’ , followed by a visit to Manning Gorge out the back of Mt Barnett Roadhouse, & a nostalgic visit back to Jigngarrin (another small gorge we had camped in the past), plus the adventures/exploration we were looking forward to at Mt Elizabeth.
Galvans Gorge was better than we remembered it, probably because last time was very late in the afternoon, getting close to dark. Nevertheless we had a swim back then, memorable due to being eye to eye with a small freshwater crocodile just a couple of metres from us. It watched us intently ….. & we watched it intently! Having had a swim before leaving camp only a short time earlier we felt no need for another here.
Nev was as warm & friendly as the first time we met him, invited us in for a drink & a chat. I don’t think he remembered us, but that would be a big ask – he gets an awful lot of folk calling in through each season. We think he liked to hear that it was him who had sown the seed of the idea of a Wet season out on the Gibb though.
The folk at Barnett Roadhouse were just as warm & friendly once we introduced ourselves as their new neighbours. We would be about 62 driving Kms from them at Mt Elizabeth which out there is like ‘next door’. Unfortunately access to Manning Gorge (& it’s campground) had closed early for the season, a mix of bushfires & staffing shortage. A shame as we feel it is the best paid campground on the whole Gibb River Road. Closed too was Jigngarrin, it’s sign no longer there & the track overgrown.
And so onward to Mt Elizabeth Station.