Distance traveled = 939km
Week 3 commenced at a more leisurely pace than previous
weeks, we’d setup camp at Cable Beach for a few days mainly to give the kids a
bit of rest from the rigorous pace we’d been moving along at... Saturday was a lazy
morning in the van park for us before heading downtown to check out the local
markets and nearby attractions. Having only been in Broome 3 years earlier not
a lot had changed except for the popularity of the place with seemingly lots of
people on the go! After buzzing round town grabbing a few items we headed to
Cable Beach for our sunset beach camel ride which provided a perfect backdrop
to end our first full day in Broome.
Sunday started with no real urgency. The kids were quickly
down at the pool enjoying the warm weather which allowed us to tidy up the car
and get the washing up to date. By late morning we’d noticed a problem with the
car fridge which didn’t bode well as we were about to hit the Gibb River Rd and
the fridge was our lifeline to maintaining our food supply. Diagnosing the
fault proved a little difficult but after a short period it was determined the
issue was with the auxiliary battery. With not much chance of solving the issue
on a Sunday we decided to continue our sightseeing of Broome. Willie Creek
Pearl farm was an interesting spot with beautiful views across the turquoise water.
From there we headed to the Malcom Douglas Crocodile park where once again this
place had me in awe of these prehistoric creatures. With the tour of the croc
park coming to an end we headed straight back to Cable Beach where we enjoyed
‘happy hour’ watching a spectacular sunset over the Indian Ocean.
Monday, we were on the road again but not before getting a
few last-minute supplies in town. The battery issues weren’t resolved but the
prospect of some highway driving would hopefully charge the battery. The drive
to Derby wasn’t all that long but with the temp nudging 35deg and a strong
headwind we seemed to be against it all the way. By mid-afternoon we’d checked
into our accommodation, spending the rest of our afternoon lazing around camp
and a bit of sightseeing which included the wharf and the prison Boab tree.
Tuesday was our long-awaited tour to the Horizontal Falls.
An early morning 30min seaplane flight soon had us heading north over the
Kimberley wilderness to a very remote location on the northwest tip of
Australia. Landing on the water was a new and exciting experience. From there
we transferred to high speed boats for a very quick trip around the surrounding
waterways. By mid-morning the in-running tide was ideal for our first venture
through the narrow opening horizontal falls. The 3-metre water drop and fast
flowing whirlpools was an experience that’s hard to put into words other than
to say exhilarating! After a few upstream and downstream passes that had the
adrenalin pumping we headed back to the luxurious pontoons where we were
treated to a Barramundi BBQ with all the trimmings. With our bellies full it
was time to head back out on the quad 300 horsepower boats for another play
through the falls, unfortunately for us the tide levels were starting to
equalise which while being a lot of fun wasn’t as good as our passes before
lunch. All too soon our day on the water was coming to an end, once again we
were transferred to the seaplanes where taking off from the water had us all
glued to the windows…. Back in Derby our day was far from over. We enjoyed a
stroll down to the wharf where with dinner in hand we witnessed a spectacular
sunset complete with changing cloud patterns.
Wednesday was the start of our big adventure along the Gibb
River Rd. The first 70km was an easy drive along the sealed road. We were soon
airing down our tyres for the next 700km of dirt road. Our destination of
Windjana Gorge didn’t take us long to reach. We quickly established camp before
heading further down the road to Tunnel creek. This unique location has been
forged over millions of years. A creek has scoured a tunnel right through the
middle of a hill allowing visitors to walk along the underground creek while
being a hundred of metres below the surface. The creek which varies in depth
and only illuminated by our headlamps comes complete with its own freshwater
crocodiles which keeps everyone on their toes…. Leaving Tunnel Creek, we made
our way back to camp at Windjana Gorge where the setting sun provided a perfect
backdrop for our walk into the gorge. The towering cliffs were filled with amazing
orange and reds which made for a great backdrop to the crocodiles that dotted the
waterway. We finished our day at the gorge campground with a perfect meal and a
crazy idea to do some night croc spotting….. Needless to say, we seen more fish
than crocs.
Thursday (day 2 on the Gibb) dawned slowly as we didn’t have
far to travel to our next location. The ever-changing landscape and a number of
creek crossings had us stopping numerous times for a photo. We soon arrived at
Silent Grove where another bush camp was established, but our goal for the day
was to be Bell Gorge. Once at the Bell Gorge carpark a short walk opened to a
spectacular cascade of waterfalls and numerous swimming holes which provided us
with hours of fun as we swam and jumped off the varying rock ledges. The day’s
swimming and exploring had us all worn out and wanting an early night but the
lure of a campfire mellowed us as we enjoyed a relaxing night under the stars.
Friday (day 3 on the Gibb) had us on the move again. With so
much to see we didn’t have far to travel so once again there was no urgency to
get moving. The good dirt roads continued and we could easily get along at
90km/hr. We detoured off the main road to Adcock Gorge before heading to Galvan
Gorge where a spectacular and very picturesque billabong provided us with hours
of swimming in the clear waters…. Back on the Gibb we drove in to Mt Barnett
Roadhouse where we had to buy diesel for $2.05/ltr (yeeks). With Manning Gorge
being only a few kilometres down the road we pushed on and made this our
campsite for the night. The campground offered great a swimming hole which the
kids enjoyed, while a few of us took the 1hr hike upstream to the base of
Manning Falls where we enjoyed a swim. Returning to the campground a few of us
did some minor maintenance on our vehicles while others socialised around the
table playing various card games….. With all of us having such a big day swimming
and playing in the various gorges we were embarrassingly all in bed by 8.30pm.
Our 3rd week finished with us being
so remote we haven’t had internet or power for 4 days. What a great lifestyle.
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