Hi everyone its Lotte here and guess were we are EXMOUTH!!!🎉😁. Finally a place that we know and love❤️. We have a few days in the town to stock up on food and snorkeling gear (our gear seems to have disappeared 😉). As we drove in I recognized the hotel, giant prawn and well thats all because we didn’t drive in to the town center. We are staying at Ningaloo cara van park and resort which has a awesome pool which is perfect because I need to brush up my water gymnastics before we get home and can swim in Rubys lovely pool again 😀👍🏻. Though on the down side we were in the car for about 7 HOURS OR MORE!!!!!!! To get here So worth it
Today our plan is to go check out the new visitors center and do the food shopping Dad took Georgia and lulu and i went food shopping I don’t even know why i did that once mum and I finished we went there was a liberty there and we took some books so happy in the after noon mum took us kids to the pool it’s awesome cant wait to explore Exmouth more tomorrow
As always we were a little slow getting away and needed to stop at the next roadhouse for fuel and to get a few emails away. It was there we realised we may again cross paths with the Sway Family and be well timed to make lunch for them this time. I’d seen a post about how hot it’s been so we stocked up on icy poles and continued up the road.
It was now 12.30pm and apparently our timing couldn’t have been better. They were hot, bothered and ready for a stop, but shade wasn’t looking real good. So we felt pretty good to be able to help this little family out and in return have a few more hours with some downright fantastic humans. The time passed easily and I was shocked when it was 4.35pm when we got back on the road.
We need to be in Exmouth in two days, it’s still a 9 and a half hour drive! Yikes, we need to be driving into the dark tonight and get as far along the road as we can. The drive into Port Hedland was stunning with the sun setting and a lush green that we didn’t expect or haven’t seen for a while. We make it about 30km outside of Port Hedland and everyone has had enough so that will do for today.
It will be another long travel day in the car tomorrow. We’ve been listening to Red Dog, fitting as this was his territory and Andrew and Nic from the Sway Family just gave me a few top tips for podcasts for the kids so we should be set.
Having pulled up in the dark tonight it is always exciting to wake up and see where we actually are. I am also intrigued to see if I can work out where the strong smell of plum pud is coming from. After the smells of dinner subsided the van, or my nostrils at least, was filled with the clear smell of plum pudding. OMG, I have been hankering for a delicious pud for a while now but plum pudding was not the first pud to spring to mind. Well now it’s all I can think of. Not sure I’m going to make it to Christmas without having to scratch that itch!
We were looking to visit Eighty Mile Beach and Bec and Justin had recommended this place. It’s not on Wikicamps so it’s quiet and a slightly different experience staying on a working cattle station.
We ended up arriving later than expected as we ran into the legendary Sway Family again. After our meet up just outside of Kununurra we’d hoped to cross paths again. I had a feeling they may be on this road and then when we heard chatter on the UHF about a family on push bikes we knew they weren’t far up ahead. We pulled over and spent the next couple of hours chatting, drinking coffee while the kids ate and played. Such lovely folks and hopefully we make the cut on one of their videos.
Our first evening at Anna Plains we arrived just in time to help feed the calves whose mothers had rejected them. This was a new experience for the kids and great to be able to get involved.
The next day Ken and I both woke up feeling pretty poorly. Ken has had a sore back for a few days and I just felt like I’d been hit by a train. We’d planned to hit the beach but I was exhausted just standing up. Most of the day was a complete write-off. It was, or seemed to me anyway, to be very hot and eventually I just had to go back to bed. Fortunately after a sleep I was feeling a little better. We hoped the beach would be good for us and it was.
The drive down to the beach takes you through the station, a couple of gates, past Brolga Wetland (aptly named with the amount of Brolgas around), passing cattle and Brumbies or stock horses as you go. It’s not long before you hit the dunes and then the water appears……
Not what we were expecting. We’d seen pictures of aqua/turquoise water but this was muddy cloudy. Right enough it was late in the day and the tide was out and you could just catch a glimpse of those colours far out on the horizon. We continued up the beach some 18 kms to the point and turned around to find a place to settle for the sunset. We’d also heard about the shells on the beach being amazing and they weren’t wrong.
The next few hours passed with much creativity and playfulness, building a shell palace, city and housing it with hermit crabs. There were crabs galore on the beach. It added another element of fun having to keep track of where the Princess was now and recapture her as she would often break through the palace defences while the guards, (other crabs), were either sleeping or too frightened to come out of their shells. We’d had such fun the day before we decided to head back down the beach and see if we could catch that amazing colour of the water at high tide. Unfortunately we missed the tide but had another fun beach session. Ken got to fly the drone and fish a little, and for the girls there was much exploring, building, crab capturing and shell hunting to be done.
We returned to camp in the early afternoon for lunch and a sleep for Lulu, all to the music of the mooing cattle. That morning a muster had taken place. The horses were separated from the cows and the herd contained in a large pen close to the campground. They were a noisy mob all afternoon and well into the night.
Anna Plains has 25,000 head of cattle, sells about 30% and breeds about 30% each year. I think the figure was $600 per head for a sale. The horses on the property are more of a nuisance and they are happy to give them away if they could find someone to come and get them. Before Helen “Boss lady” took over there were plenty of Aboriginal stockmen on the station but they wouldn’t work for a lady apparently so walked off and left the station, leaving the horses to mix with the few good race horses that were bred here.
Since then musters are done with helicopter and LandCruisers. They have some permanent staff and then have kids on their gap year come up for the season (Feb – Oct). It’s hard work, long days but seems like it would be an awesome experience.
The other big problem on the station is wild dogs. They lose about 700 calves to dogs or dog attack. That afternoon we popped down to feed the potty calves again and a new one had been brought in. He’d been found on the muster, very dehydrated, and suffering from a dog attack. Having cleaned the wounds, administered antibiotics and continually trying to rehydrate the animal all day, Ed the farm hand was going to need to make sure it was well looked after overnight.
There is a dog man on staff trying to minimise the effects and trauma the dogs inflict. They use bait and shoot them apparently, having killed 150 this year already. A real eye opener for us city folk. Anna Plains Station has been a great little experience and adventure. We can see why they have regulars that turn up every year for months on end.
This visit was more about collecting mail and stocking up on food so we just stayed two nights. We decided to go with familiarity and stay at the same park, Cable Beach Caravan Park. It has pretty spacious sites and is close to Cable Beach.
Upon arriving I made my way to the shops and collected the mail. Getting those two main jobs done meant we were kind of free for the next day. We started with breakfast at the Zoo Keepers Cafe that we loved and another ogle in the Willie Creek Pearl shop next door.
School and chores seemed to fill the remainder of the day, before we made our way to Cable Beach for sunset. This time the girls scootered ahead with Ken while Charlotte and I paid one last visit to the pearl shop. Charlotte is a great saver and rarely spends any of her pocket money but she had seen some freshwater pearl earrings she was keen on and for $19.95 was going to treat herself to a souvenir from Broome. She was thrilled with her purchase.
This time we watched sunset from Cable Beach Resort. When Ken and I came up to Broome previously, it was before Charlotte was born and we stayed here at the resort. Of an evening we would come down to the bar to watch the sunset and share a bucket of Exmouth prawns. We were keen to reminisce and share the experience with a now completed family, three amazing daughters. Another great family memory.
We left the deep red dirt of James Price Point for the only slightly less red dirt further up the cape. A new road is in the process of being constructed and looks like it may soon be bitumen. We pulled in to Beagle Bay for fuel before finally reaching our campsite at Pender Bay.
We hadn’t booked and on our first night we couldn’t get a cliff front site, however we didn’t have to wait long, the next morning the folks in front of us were moving on. We actually met them at McGowan Beach Camp so it was nice to run into them again. Although we arrived late and the tide was out, it was clear to see this place was going to be special.
The next morning we moved on to our clifftop site and wow the view was amazing! With the tide now in and the sun high in the sky giving the water that aqua colour, its full beauty was revealed.
Getting on to the site, well that was a little tricky. It was very, very tight but as usual Kenny nailed it and it couldn’t have been better. Once set up we were all a little hot and bothered and hanging to go get in that cool water. Swimming here seems to be ok but I guess with all new places we feel a little cautious. We are still in croc country but there are no estuaries or mangroves nearby and the water is crystal clear.
The waves are gentle, the temperature is perfect and with a perfectly placed rock for someone to stand lookout we enjoy a swim. Lulu and Georgia play and swim carefree and have an absolute ball. Both are little fish and you need a close eye on Lulu as she is more than happy to swim away from you on her noodle and none too impressed if you grab the noodle to try and drag her back to you.
As the week went on we became more relaxed about there being any croc visits and very much enjoyed our daily swims. We extended our stay to be for the full week and settled into a rhythm of school, chores, play and swimming on the high tide.
Plenty of 3 bunk vans rolled in giving the kids ample choice of playmates. Including Bec and Justin from Tip in a Van, who we have followed for a few years and may even have been responsible for planting the seeds for us to do this kind of trip. They were keen to check out our van and had been keen to get in a Zone RV themselves. We love the way they conduct themselves online and they are just as nice in person. It was a real treat to run into them on our trip.
Our only outing for the week was a trip to Beagle Bay to get supplies from the store, fuel and visit the Catholic Church which is decorated with mother of pearl. After this trip we were probably put off going in the car if we didn’t absolutely have to. After having a vomiting bug Lulu had been doing much better but I made a very bad judgement call and made her a banana smoothie before we left, only to have it come back up and all over her, the seat and in the end me.
We did our best to clean everything up but in the end just needed to leave the windows down the rest of the trip. Once at Beagle Bay I was able to wash her clothes out and then as we visited the church spotted a tap and hose. I just had to take the opportunity to properly hose the car seat out. It really was the only way to get rid of the smell and better to do it sooner rather than later before the smell set in.
Unfortunately this tummy bug or possible food poisoning was taking its time to clear and while here at Pender Bay Georgia started vomiting also. After the initial 24hrs of vomiting, your appetite returns and you seem to feel pretty well but just can’t tolerate food. I knocked together some chicken soup and jelly was a hit. Ken, Charlotte and I all remained well and the girls did great during the day but evenings and nights weren’t so good.
It’s been a great design feature of the van to be able to lower the kitchen table, attach the padding stored under the bed to it and voila we have another bed. When the girls are sick it’s great they can escape from their bunk, have a little extra space and I can be there to help them easily through the night too. The Zone boys really have thought of everything. We love our van! Other than slightly bigger bunks for the kids it’s been fabulous.
Pender Bay has been one of our favourite and most scenic campsites. It would be a 10 out of 10 if it had sunsets over the water. Hopefully the photos speak a 1000 words. The Dampier Peninsula is certainly beautiful and we’ve barely scratched the surface. Just another one to add to that ‘next time’ list.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Broome and civilisation and while I’m still feeling reluctant to go bush again I’ve been really looking forward to spending some time on the Dampier Peninsula. It seems there is lots of swimming to be had even though we are still in croc country.
Back on dirt and corrugation again but it’s not too bad and not for too long. We air down and the track gets narrower and deeper the further we go. It seems to me they must just keep grading the tracks and pushing a mound of red sandy dirt to the side of the road, making it feel as though the road is sunken in the landscape.
It’s not long before we catch a glimpse of the aqua blue ocean and we are on the hunt to find a campsite. The colours are stunning, the earth is a deep and warm red, the ocean calm and inviting aqua and the white sand completes the tri-colour landscape.
We settle on a free camp on the edge of the soft white sand. With a couple of people already bogged, other campers gave us warnings about the soft sand but we don’t venture too far into it and set up camp without incident.
The two days we spent here are just relaxing, schooling, beach walks, drone flights, whale watching and exploration of all the rock pools at low tide. Ken captured some wonderful footage of a mother and calf humpback whale with the drone. With another sighting at Cable Beach on our last night we are having great luck with viewing these magnificent animals.
The kids just took a little bit to warm up to the location, but in the end didn’t want to leave. Lulu had come down with a vomiting bug. She was pretty flat out for 24 hours but seemed to recover pretty quickly the next day. We’ve been hearing great things about a campsite further up the peninsula and are hoping to spend the rest of the week there so we decided to pack up and head north.
Ken and I have been to Broome once before during the wet. It was hot, I was six months pregnant and we hardly left the resort. While we had a great relaxing visit we didn’t have that high an opinion of Broome. Our experience this time has been totally different and it’s easy to see why it’s such a popular spot.
Eleven years have definitely changed the look and feel of Broome. The town seems to have undergone a fair amount of development that appears to only recently have finished. We checked in to the caravan park and made our way to the supermarket. Geez how we missed fresh food and having the choice and selection of food we have come to rely on and favour. It was spectacular.
With the shopping done, we popped in to say hello to a couple of other Zoners and then made for the Broome night markets. We’d all loved the night markets in Darwin and I think the girls were hoping for a similar experience. While lovely and getting parking was easy, the choice was limited and with no mention of gluten free anywhere we decided it was too risky for Georgia to eat. Still, we enjoyed the outing.
School, washing, cooking and chores filled out our morning before we decided to head into Broome town for a wander and lunch. We had a delicious lunch at Dragonfly Cafe (which has proved safe to eat at), a little look around town and ogle at a few pearls before returning to the van and sunset on Cable Beach.
Without the humidity of the wet season, Broome is delightful and pleasant. Even Cable Beach was amazing. Ken and I remember sitting up at the resort, watching the sun set over a bucket of prawns, sounds ideal, but we both have memories of wondering what the fuss is about. Just goes to show how being sticky, hot and uncomfortable changes your experience.
We took the car down onto Cable Beach, (along with every other man and his dog), cracked out the sunset nibbles and set up to soak up the magical sunset over the Indian Ocean. For a West Australian, or maybe it’s just me (but I doubt that), watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean is a true homecoming. Watching the water sparkle and glisten with a million diamonds dancing on its surface, as the sun, large and red sets, to the soothing sounds of a gentle ocean roar, that’s home. The sounds, sights and sense that draw up all the memories of holidays, evenings and good times shared with the people you love.
While I briefly lamented these thoughts and feelings the kids were busy making their own. Kicking the football, chasing seagulls, jumping and running from the waves and a Broome speciality, watching the camel trains pass by silhouetted by the powerful setting sun. Magical moments indeed.
For all that is on offer to do in Broome, for us this was all we really needed and felt up to, so it was that the days were filled with the everyday functions needing our attention but the late afternoon evening was beach time. What a rhythm.
The exception to this melodic pace were a couple of outings Charlotte had with myself to the Saturday markets and with Ken for breakfast and a beach walk, and for Georgia to 12 Mile Bird Park. Finding some quality one on one time with the kids isn’t always easy, but it’s something we all enjoy and the kids in particular need and love it. For Charlotte it’s always shopping and food, (getting the chance to stuff herself on guilt-free gluten) and for Georgie it’s games, playing and/or animal outings.
Our next adventure beckons but we’ll be passing through Broome again. For the next seven days we’ll be free camping and exploring Cape Leveque and the Dampier Peninsula.
With not far to travel today we decided to get school done at our roadside camp. Always best getting it out of the way early. Charlotte has hit a real roadblock with school and is just refusing to do anything. I’d just love to give up too, but of course we’ll all suffer the consequences later. Teachers are right up there on my list of things I’ve missed from home life.
There was a great little shop along the way at the Dodnun Community, mandarin, cucumber and a lettuce, cool and fresh.
Mt Elizabeth was great. Very quiet, new facilities and water. Unfortunately the castor sugar lid had not been closed so with a full day on corrugation the day before we had a huge mess to clean up. Fine powdered sugar through everything, ugh! The kids enjoyed the space for a run around after a long day in the car and while Ken and I would have liked an early to bed night it’s hard to get them to sleep when they have been sitting all day and are still full of energy.
Mt Elizabeth has a couple of beautiful gorges on the property and a very rocky but fun 4WD track to get out to them. One, the water was low and had gone stagnant so no swimming, so we opted for the larger and stunning Wannumurru Gorge. The drive was good fun (unless you’re in the back seat) and with just a 1km walk in it was very pleasant.
It is no longer running but swimming was still ok. It would be totally amazing to see during the wet with a number of tiers to the falls but it was still very beautiful and with only 4 other people it felt like we had it all to ourselves. A couple of ladders have been installed to help you get down to the water. It’s adventurous, fun and pretty easy. The water a beautiful teal green and of course surrounded by the Kimberley red rock.
There is rock art here at the gorge just a short walk away. Ken went for an explore while the girls made short work of the snacks/picnic I’d prepared. The art Ken found was just stunning. Probably the best we have seen here in the Kimberley, very strong and well preserved Wandjina images. We had a wonderful time here, the temperature was very pleasant and the place has a sense of peacefulness. As has often happened now, Lulu fell asleep on the walk back to the car.
With a free 8kg washing machine and warm weather, getting a few large loads of washing done has been brilliant. It’s an endless job keeping up with the washing and the red dirt and dust, everything is constantly looking grubby. I’m starting to feel over all the red, rocks and dirt. There are still a number of sites and gorges to visit on the Gibb but Ken and I are both feeling we’ve had a great experience so far and are ready for more beach time and hanging out for some fresh food. So we’ve decided to just call it quits on the Gibb, have one more long driving day tomorrow and get to Derby.
We nearly make it to Derby. We’re off the dirt and have aired up the tyres but pull into Birdwood Downs hoping to squeeze in a bit more horse riding for the girls. Turns out they no longer do the riding and are going to sell the horses. What a shame but makes it an easy decision now to push on again and get to Broome tomorrow. It’s an interesting place to stay, appears to have had a glorious past and is transitioning into something new. Hopefully it finds the right niche again as it has some wonderful features.
With that we farewell the Gibb River Road. All up it’s been a magical 3 weeks and as always there is more to see, but that’s for next time now.
The road was pretty adventurous, some sections better than others, but you can see why trucks don’t come up here and supplies come in by barge. It’s bad enough during the dry and outright impossible during the wet. Still, the rock formations and scenery are picturesque.
We’d been looking forward to getting to the shop and stocking up on fresh food. Unfortunately the last fortnight’s order was a little light on and we arrived in the second week of the fortnight. We weren’t going to starve and it’s good for us to make do sometimes. Who knew packets of frozen veg were so good and made a meal a breeze to whip up!
After arriving at McGowans, Matt the manager gave us a thorough run through on what’s what and the local wildlife (snakes, sharks and Chopper the 5m saltwater croc), before showing us where we could pull up. Holy Heck! What a cracker of a spot. Our timing couldn’t have been better. We jagged the best campsite, if you ask us. Beachfront bliss! I have been hankering for the sound and sight of a beach again, and it doesn’t get much better.
Backed up to the rocks with the awning open out to a specky view. People were catching squid off the beach and fishing for whatever off the rocks. A few resident lemon sharks take care of the fish scraps and provide a fabulous graceful display coming in right up to the edge of the rocks at high tide.
I suppose there was stuff to do around the coast and in Kalumburu but with the exception of the Corroboree we planned to be complete beach bums. McGowans has a freshwater spring so we had a plentiful water supply and plenty of solar to meet our needs. It was about 35 every day but with the constant breeze / wind it was always pleasantly comfortable.
Our days passed by with school, play, fishing, eating, sleeping, reading, tanning and as always catching up and keeping up with the washing and cleaning. Without the distraction of the outside world I finally read a book! 16 months on the road and first chance I’ve had to read a book.
We are total novices at this fishing lark and it was apparent. With all the wrong gear we didn’t have any luck with catching the squid we were all hanging out for to have for lunch. Luckily we found a squid jig in the rocks on the first afternoon but after using it for 6 days with no joy and everyone else catching a feed I think it was an unlucky squid jig and I know why someone had thrown it into the rocks.
We did however learn a lot about squid and fishing. The girls got really great at casting and making the squid ink in the water and Ken finally caught us a few meals by heading out on a charter from Honeymoon Bay.
The kids had an absolute ball. Being outside, playing with loads of other kids, fishing, catching hermit crabs, exploring the rock pools and paddling in some rock pools at high tide while I stood lookout for Chopper and his girlfriends. It was totally crazy but perfectly safe watching the kids swim and play in the rock pool while just on the other side of the rocks (about a metre) next to them a 2 metre tiger shark swims by. Yep, that just happened, best not to say anything, just let them play.
Midway through our stay was the evening of the Corroboree. Kalumburu was established by a Catholic mission and the Corroboree coincided with Mass and celebrations of the Assumption of Our Lady. It was fascinating attending and watching the blend of Catholic rituals and Aboriginal culture. Following Mass was a shared meal for the community and visitors.
Two large fires had been lit, one for the male dancers and the other for the women. In the middle a screen had been made from branches and leaves. The dancers gather, clap sticks and singing starts and we are underway. Not knowing what to expect we just observed with interest. Soon though you couldn’t help but sense things weren’t going to plan. The dancing was great with one very strong vibrant dancer, however he seemed to have injured himself with his strong athletic moves. After 5 or so short songs it seemed to be over.
With a bit of confusion and protest from the women dancers the singers (men) sat down again and sang one last song for the women and girls to dance. The women seemed to have a strong group of women and girls of various ages. It was great to see but for the men not so, at the end one of the elders got on the microphone and apologised for the lack of dancers and was clearly disappointed and distressed about the lack of young people present to learn and willingness to preserve culture. It was sad to see.
At this point lots of people left but then we realised more was to come. I approached some local white ladies and asked a bit of what was going on, it was all a bit confusing and disorganised and she gave me the rundown on how 2 communities never turned up and the death of the great orator from the Kununurra mob had meant they were not as strong as other years.
The night ended with just a few more dances from the local Kalumburu mob. The costumes were amazing and while it all seemed like a laugh and fun for the locals I had expected a stronger show. The singer nor dancers came across with much passion and enthusiasm. It was wonderful to see but I left feeling sad for the community that the night wasn’t a lively celebration and strengthening experience for them.
The next day Ken took the opportunity to go on a fishing charter that took off from the other camp in Kalumburu – Honeymoon Bay, run by the famous Lancho. He ended up with a great haul because as well catching a fish, the practice of the charter was to split the catch up evenly. Fresh fish for tea, yay!
We loved it here and could have stayed longer but it was time to move on and seek more fresh food. We reluctantly left this awesome camp and had a very long driving day. We refuelled at Drysdale Station but pushed on hoping to make it to Mt Elizabeth Station. Unfortunately we fell short and spent the night in a 4 star roadside grader camp, Kennedy Creek.
It was a clean and quiet bush setting. Kenny built a fire, chopped wood and it was home for the night.
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.
