Thursday 30 June 2016

16 GIBB RIVER ROAD PART 1

One of the Iconic 4WD tracks in Australia is the Gibb River Road and many people cross from Kunanurra to Derby via this route every year.  One of the big attractions are the great side trips that you can do along the way... All depending on the condition of the road and whether it is open?

Well that's a good start!  Looking good for a clear run if it doesn't rain!  Our first camp was on the banks of the Pentacost River.  Well renowned for the river crossing and the crocs.  We watched the crocs for 3 days, sunning themselves on the opposite bank of the river, and one evening I saw 5 of them swimming near our camp. But it was a great camp spot, all by ourselves and so peaceful.
Although these riverside camps do sometimes come with problems to solve.  This one being that the ground was quite uneven......hmm what to do .....improvise !
It worked fine!    
After bush camping for a few days and then many Kls of dusty roads it was nice to arrive in this little oasis.

We sampled their scones before we headed out to one of their camp spots where we had the usual??  amenities.
The Amenities block.  Looks rustic but very nice.
This is the Donkey!
Well I guess at least we can get a hot shower.
even though the walls don't quite go all the way to the roof!   Or ........wait for it......
A Bath!!    Some of these places are interesting to say the least.
Leaving Gibb River Road we headed North up the Kulumburu road hoping to go to the Mitchell Falls but we had been told the road was terrible.
Well that's a good sign!   
We have now done so many river crossings, I can't believe I was so nervous the first time I did one.
Admittedly they have all been pretty low due to the lack of a wet season this year.

and we weren't the only ones crossing the river.

Getting to some of the places we have seen has required some pretty rugged hiking, not nice flat walking trails, more like mini mountain climbing at times.

This is an easy part of the track to the Mitchell River Falls.
We have seen lots of bird life up here, but not a lot of other animal life, but we did hear Dingos and Wild Pigs during the night when we were camped at the falls.  As we were driving away though we came across 2 curious dingos. Managed to catch this one before he went back into the bushes.

After the Falls we headed back to the Gibb River Road and actually found another great campsite on the banks of the Gibb River!  I just love this outdoor life as Dave does all the cooking!!

There are just so many gorges and great spots to visit along here - I will put all the scenic pics in Part 2
but this was from one place.... Looks like a cave man?
No just Dave exploring the caves in one of the waterholes!  
While we have been travelling our meals have been pretty varied and we are always trying out new ideas in the camp oven.  Bought a pizza tray to fit inside it and came up with.....

Camp Oven Nachos!!!   A Winner!
Even though the Gibb is a dirt road, it's also very pretty and at times you don't mind the dust.

We detoured south at the end of the Gibb to go check out Winjana Gorge and tunnel creek and were not disappointed.  This was one shot taken just after we emerged from the narrow rocky entrance to the gorge..

Around every corner up here is a surprise!
Two other things that I have found really interesting as well are the Termite mounds that change from one area to another.  Some are huge. This lot looked like a family group!

Of fat Bulbous monsters!!  I have a weird imagination I know!
And Boab Trees.  There are so many up here and all so very different. This one could be 100's of years old.
So back to the bitumen - won't say I'm going to miss the dust.

Which way to go?
This way I think!!!

Check out part 2 for some of our favourite pics along the Gibb.

Friday 10 June 2016

15 AND INTO WESTERN AUSTRALIA


After a wonderful time exploring the Northern Territory, we finally arrived in Western Australia and as usual had to pass through the border...


Only on this border you also have to hand over any fruit, vegetables and honey!!  Luckily we were pre-warned and I had used all our bananas and honey making pikelets a few days earlier. We did donate some spuds and onions though!!


As always I like to tke note of the animal signs and wonder what international travellers must think of them.  One German man asked us what "caution wandering stock" meant - he looked very worried about it.  Not sure what he would think about spending the next 45 K's with these beasts!


and that's while keeping an eye out for these other beasts.


We headed off the main road down to Lake Argyle - not a place I'd really heard much about but its very interesting - and huge!


There seems to be only a few public access points to the lake so it makes it hard to appreciate the sheer size. I guess a flight over would be the go, but as we haven't as yet won lotto, we had to give that one a big flick pass.  Also the offer to go hand line fishing for catfish - they call them 'silver cobbler' up here.
Only $140 a head!   Even if we had won lotto I think Dave would have declined the offer.


There were all sorts of boats out there from commercial fishing to luxury cats, a really lovely place.


We made our way from here to Kununurra.  Its a really pretty town and where we have taken a few days to prepare for our trip through the Kimberleys.  Got the Truck serviced, Stocked up on beer, wine and cider - essentials in this heat!!  And checked out the local rum distillery, sandalwood farm, local markets, lakes, boat ramps and the local lookout, where we found a cool tree - like a natural bonsai.


Just out of Kununurra there is a place that most 4wder's go.  Its pretty well known.


We joined lots of others on the banks of the river waiting for someone to take the plunge.


I was very nervous even watching this guy go through and I cant say I was very supporting when Dave said "are you ready?"  NO!   But with a little persuasion we took the plunge - so to speak!



This was half way through, taking pics with one hand while filming with the other.  There was also another surprise as there was another one just around the bend, a little shorter, but a bit rougher. North of Kununurra is Wyndham, probably the most Northerly point we will reach on this trip. So we had to take a drive up there. On the way we saw this place:


The Grotto.  Looks interesting, must go and check it out.



Looks like a big hole.


Yep - it's a big hole!

At the moment, all there is at the bottom is a pool of still water, but I can imagine in the wet it is probably quite impressive.  This is where the water would be flowing. Right where we are taking the pic.


As we got back on the road we saw this strange sight!


Travelling on bicycles - must be crazy!! Wait up! We did that 4 years ago  ( see our other blog) nomoreregretsbybike.blogspot.com.au

As we entered Wyndham we were happy to see this sign.


One less thing to worry about.  What with the heat, crocodile warnings, restrictions on the purchase of alcohol, we don' t need bad weather as well!  Speaking of crocs......


Hope this is not indicative of the size of them up here.  They do breed some things pretty big here though and i will leave you with the "biggest Boab in Captivity" That's Dave standing beside it!


Next we are off to tackle the Gibb River Road so might be a while before the next installment - no technology in that part of the world!  Till then.........

Saturday 4 June 2016

14. LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK AND KATHERINE GORGE

Our wonderful week in Darwin finally came to a close but a huge thanks to our friends for their hospitality.  Soon it was time to head South again and onto the dirt:
But it was pretty good for a dirt road and we were soon reaching our next destination.
The campground we stayed at was Wangi Falls - a top spot!  While we were there we decided to do the hike up to the top of the falls.

This was taken at the little viewing platform at the base of the falls, at the swimming hole
We started hiking up, and up and up to the top of the cliff.  Could see for miles and we found the river that feeds the falls
It was a beautiful spot and so peaceful.  Another occasion where we did the whole hike without seeing another person.  We were pretty happy to arrive back at the bottom again,
And that water looks so inviting!!  It took about 2 mins to get changed and go swimming. Then we noticed these:
Freshies live here???   Oh well they will have to put up with us swimming!  There were heaps of people swimming there so If there are crocs I would be suprised!
From here we headed back to Katherine to restock and get our batteries checked out before heading for the Kimberleys.  While there we took a drive out to Katherine Gorge and found some locals in the trees
There were thousands of them here, all fluttering their wings trying to keep cool.  Dave and I decided to hike up to the top lookout ( must have had a touch of the heat I think)  So off we went....
Dave took the lead, which is always fine with me as he can scare away any nasties that might be on the track!
It was a fairly energetic climb and at one stage the rocks formed a tunnel of sorts
But it always seemed like we had more to climb
I am not the greatest lover of heights but I'm ok - until I come around a corner and see Dave out on a ledge - for a picture, or just to take in the sights!  My heart skipped many beats this day!
But we did finally make it to the top and the view was worth it.  Hard to show in pictures....
But it was worth the climb!
Now its back on the road heading Westwards and I think i can see where our next stop will be...
Timber Creek - here we come!