So we start The Gibb today and I feel pretty under prepared in terms of meals cooked/frozen, and food supplies stocked up on, but also I know we’ll be ok. We always manage to scrape by, and eat like kings. I also think being on the road for so long now has conditioned us to just take it all in our stride, however in the back of my mind I know if this was a trip we were planning for from home we’d be super organised. That said we are still excited and looking forward to the adventure.
Emma Gorge is our first stop. Only up the road from last night’s camp, we get there early and have breakfast there and get ourselves ready. Water, hats, bathers, towels, sunscreen, noodles and snacks. We’ve heard great reviews and are looking forward to the walk in and the swim at the end. The girls always moan and complain about these walks before we start but often end up really enjoying it. Until it gets too hot, then it very quickly just becomes arduous and difficult and frankly none of us really enjoy those conditions.
Charlotte has started filming our GRR adventure and is just loving using the GoPro to capture everything, for Georgia the walk was not so much fun and hot but while she slows down she is not a vocal complainer. Lulu continues to love rock hopping and at times is very happy walking, it can be an absolute delight walking alongside her as she chatters away or sings a song.
As we walk further and further into the gorge the red cliffs begin to close in and we start following a stream of water and rock pools. Eventually we reach the bottom pool which you can swim at (with the local Freshwater Crocs) but at just the right moment a lovely couple are descending from the top pool and they encourage us to go on. Just what we need to push up that last climb and WOW, they weren’t wrong.
A large greenish pool awaits at the very end of the gorge with towering red cliffs. The waterfalls above have all but stopped running for this dry season but there is a steady dripping like raindrops. Green surrounds the cliff and the vegetation that lines what would be a fast flowing falls during the wet is like rainforest. The water – FREEZING. With the exception of the warmer pockets that flow from the hot springs that also feed into the pool on the right hand side. What a magical place.
The walk out was quick. Everyone was refreshed and Lulu was becoming a little too confident hopping from rock to rock at great speed. That soon ended when she jumped before I had steadied myself and we took a tumble, pulling me down with her. Luckily I was caught by a tall rock to my left and while I still had hold of her I couldn’t stop her hitting her head. It didn’t seem too bad but on inspection further down the track she had quite a large egg and small cut. Despite this stumble we seemed to be back at the car in no time.
A brief recovery from the walk, letting down of the tyres and knowing we were in for some rough road ahead, we really needed to get the morning dishes done and put away. It’s not all glamorous, gorgeous, gorges, there are still chores to be done. And we are on the road again. We were heading for the Pentecost River and Home Valley Station.
The drive was spectacular. Accompanied by the Cockburn Ranges all the way to the Pentecost River. It was now late in the day and the sun was setting. The ranges were lit up with that warm glow of light that turned the cliff faces into continuously changing shades of red. It’s about a 30 min show and we never get sick of watching it.
The Pentecost River crossing is dry but it’s still an impressive crossing as it’s so large a river and it’s not hard to imagine how it flows in the wet. Home Valley Station is just up the road and they have some bush camps along the river so we’re keen to stay there. The kids however want to stay at the station which has a pool! Turned out the gods favoured the kids’ desires as the bush camps were booked for a week long function. Ken was disappointed, but we ended up with a large site next to a stunning boab tree, the pool was great and with loads of other families staying and a playground, we hardly saw the kids the entire time.
Home Valley has a great vibe, and we had a great day around the pool but the highlight for Ken and I was getting down to the bush camp spot for sunset. Set right on the river it was crazy watching the tide fall so dramatically. Apparently the tides here in the Kimberley are some of the biggest. I’m not sure exactly what that means and haven’t bothered to work out why but it does only add to the theatre of the landscape.
Leaving Home Valley Station we are hoping to make it to the turn off for the Kalumburu Road and take it. Ken had read about a week ago about a Corroboree being held up in Kalumburu and that tourists are welcome. So with that and wanting to visit Mitchell Falls along the way we were set to detour off the Gibb River Road for a bit.
Along the way we met another cyclist, David from the Basque Country, Spain. He started off in Albany and is heading to Darwin. It’s always fascinating learning what drives these mentally tough, strong and a little crazy folk to embark on these epic adventures and I guess we admire them a little, or a lot. So we had a great chat, topped him up with cold water, and left him with an apple, kiwi fruit and some prosciutto. He was stoked and looking forward to a good lunch today.
The road was rough and heavily corrugated but we eventually pulled into Drysdale Station for fuel and an overnight stop. It was basic but again full of super nice travelling folk. It really is amazing how many nice people you find travelling around the country. It makes you wonder if it is a certain type of person who embarks on these kinds of adventures or is it just that our interactions are brief, so it’s always just the pleasantries. It was a peaceful and quiet night.
In the morning we filled up our water tanks, schooled and as always were the last to leave camp. Today was not a long drive as we made our way further north up the Kalumburu Road to Munurru Camp (formerly King Edward River Camp). We were going to make our base here in order to visit the Mitchell Falls. The Aboriginal people have only recently been handed back this land and are now running the campsite.
It was very warm but you can swim here in the King Edward River. I was a little dubious about swimming (crocs are always in the back of your mind), as the water wasn’t clear but it is a well known swimming spot. Later in our stay the local Aboriginal guide reassured us it was ok, ‘too far from the sea for the saltwater crocs’ he said. The swim was refreshing and always helps everyone relax, changing from a hot and bothered mood to cool and calm.
The next day we set out early for Mitchell Falls. It was going to be a big walk for our little family so we opted to do the helicopter flight up to the falls and walk back. It was an hour and a half bumpy drive before the flight. The morning was windy but the flight went well. It was exhilarating, stunning views of the falls, the kids can be nervous on these things but they loved it and it was just me this time who was nervous and glad to be on the ground again. It has no door on the chopper or Jesus bars to hang on to so those steep banks left and right to take in the views had me on the verge of freaking out.
The falls itself was stunning, very little water and only running a trickle. Georgia was single handedly about to hold back the flow of the Mitchell Falls that morning. We had a short walk to the swimming place at the top of the falls before making our way down. The walk wasn’t too bad, 3.5km. It was warm over the exposed rocky section. Then after Merton Falls a cool forest section, followed by sandy track for a bit and back to rocks. Unfortunately it was in the heat of the day now and the kids and I were not enjoying it much at this point. It didn’t help that Lulu was grisly, tired, breastfeeding as we walked and eventually fell asleep with at least 1km left to walk. Ugh!
There is another swimming hole and Aboriginal art worth a visit on the walk but we were over it all by now, Ken had run out of water and we all just wanted to get back to the car and cold bottles of water that awaited us. Lulu woke up in the last 5 mins of the walk but still didn’t want to walk but at least she was happy. The mood definitely improved when we reached the car, shade and cold water. Great experience but glad it was over.
On the drive home we stopped a few times to fly the drone and collect firewood. Upon getting back to camp we booked into the morning’s guided tour of the local Aboriginal rock art and went down to the river for a swim. It was an early night to bed that night and no one had any trouble getting off to sleep.
We were going to depart the next day after the rock art tour but I think we were all a little pooped from the day before and just feeling like we needed a down day. So we did the tour and hung out at the camp for another day. The tour was fabulous and the art amazing. Having Terry, a local elder, made the art site so much more meaningful. Before leaving the site Terry performed a smoking ceremony on us to ensure we left the bad spirits at that place and didn’t take them with us, what an insight into the culture we received that morning. Fabulous!
The camp is well run, spacious and had the best bush loos we’ve come across. I forgot to get a photograph of the sign in the toilet but it welcomed people to country and asked that they care for and respect the land, camp facilities and its traditional owners past and present.
I have to say it was lovely to be welcomed as a guest on Aboriginal land and asked to respect and connect to the place. It’s always struck me in the Aboriginal communities we have visited the amount of rubbish that is littered around and seemingly dumped anywhere. I always wonder how it can be that a culture that places such high value on its connection to land and country can live amongst so much litter and rubbish. These people however seemed to have made the connection of litter and harming the land. A great stay here. Next stop Kalumburu.