27th – 28th July Travelling the Gibb River Road (Eastern end)

Part of the motivation for us undertaking this trip was this area of the Kimberley’s.  In fact originally our plan was just to come here and to return home so focussed on this wonderland we were.  In particular Ian was really keen to travel the Gibb River Road since having read a novel about the beginning of the fight some decades ago to stop mining in the area and also the damming of more rivers.  The Gibb River Road however has brought highlights to some travellers and disasters to others.  It is totally a dirt road with few if any bridges and many stream crossings.  Consequently when the wet season arrives the roads are mostly impassable and then require major maintenance once the streams subside. 

The attraction however is the number of scenic gorges and waterfalls along this track as well as (I believe) the challenge to beat the road which has this reputation for being a machinery killer.

As part of holiday plan we had decided to test out the waters with a short trip down the road from the eastern end to El Questro Wilderness Camp which covers quite a few gorges and then onto Home Valley Station just across the Pentecost River.  Then we planned to retreat and follow the main highway down through Halls Creek & Fitzroy Crossing to Derby where we could store the caravan and experience the western end for a few days.  To this end Alice has been monitoring websites and road conditions for this area since the beginning of the year.

Now as we speak to so many tourists in camps and hear varying opinions as to the state of the roads we were faced with the dilemma, “Do we go or do we not?”  We finally made the call yesterday when speaking to a young shop keeper in Wyndham who had been out there on the weekend and had up to date information.  We are going and we will find out for ourselves. 

We closed up the van and loaded the car for a tenting stop overnight.  The off we went heading for those distant ranges and what beautiful ranges they were.  First stop would be El Questro where we needed to purchase a park pass and then we could check out the sites.  The road had some surprises.  There was some lengthy stretches of unexpected bitumen, some reasonable gravel road and lots of klms of corrugation.  We really are starting to overcome our horror of the dirt highways that exist in abundance in Central Australia.

The Cockburne Ranges paralel the road.  They are majestic!

The journey to ElQ was about an hour and a half and finally we forded a beautiful stream and entered the resort. This really is a farm / station stay type resort however there are so many unique geological features here that they are able to offer many walks, climbs and sights.  It really is wilderness however and we were to find that many of the walks were a little too difficult for us to achieve.

Crossing the Pentecost River to ElQuestro

The feature for us on this first day was a visit to Zebedee Springs where we were able to enjoy a sit in the thermal spring water at about 28 degrees.  One would wonder why someone would want to sit in warm water in this very very warm part of the world.  Well simply there are so many crocs around here that there are few places that one can enjoy a dip and also when one rises from a warm pool they actually more the cool atmosphere that they did not notice before.

Swimming in the thermal springs at Zebedee Springs.

Zebedee Springs - Thermal Pools

We did have some very interesting 4WD experiences getting to these features.  A lot of under body washes for the Pajero.

The land of water crossings - He who placed the sign must have been a joker.

Entry to ElQuestro Gorge

 

From there we decided to travel onto Home Valley Station for an overnight stop.  This was some fifty klms further west and to get there we had to cross the Pentecost River.  We had heard all of the stories of the high tides in these rivers so the thought of fording this one was a bit concerning.  At the crossing point the stream is about 100 – 150 metres wide and the road surface is just loose river rocks.  This is a crocodile area so stopping half way was not really an option one would consider seriously.  God really looks after us however and just as we approached the crossing a Pajero of similar model to ours entered the stream from the other side.  We were able to see the depth and the path he took so deep breath and off we went into the water.  The fact that we are writing this report tells you we made it across.  It was only nine klms then to our destination and set up our tent camp. 

Looking down the road to Pentecost River

When this Pajero crossed we knew we could do it too.

Entry to Home Valley Station

Our kingdom for a night

Our overnight stay was just great.  This is a working cattle station and they offer bush style accommodation and hospitality as a side line.  We sat outside our tent looking at the stars, no TV or phone range here.  We were surrounded by many other tenters, caravanners (braver than we were) and lots of families.  And we actually set up the tent on mown green lawn.  WOW!!!  This was our first night out in the tent so we had a bit of a learning exercise to endure but it was well worth the effort.  We slept like logs after all of our exercise.

 Next morning we did not rush to break camp finally getting going about 10am after having coffee and discussion with some other travellers.  We had heard that there was a great lagoon about 14 klms further west so headed off in hope of finding it.  No sign posts here.  It is very raw tourism.  We passed the road grader which meant we had some improved surface for a while but not for long.

We found the spot and headed off through the bush to find this amazing rock river bed.  Words could never describe it adequately so we will let some pictures tell the story.

 

Lagoon on Home Valley Station

Then we headed back east and coming to a lookout were able to catch a view that spread out across the beautiful mountain ranges to Wyndham in the north, the other side of the five stream delta.  The only disappointment was that the lack of wind and the dust from all of the traffic on the road left a haze over the whole view which limited the photographic record.  This really is wilderness but there are a hoard of people coming out to see it.

View from lookout just outside Home Valley entry gate.

Cockburn Ranges as seen from lookout.

Back across the Pentecost (bit braver this time) and another stop at  El Questro, this time at Emma Gorge. Here we had a picnic lunch and then headed up the gorge for a walk.  These walks have to be seen to be believed.  There are no prepared tracks.  The walker scrambles up a creek course or over boulders guided only by small painted arrows on the rocks or coloured ribbon around trees.  This was classed as a “moderate” climb but we think they classify differently up here in the wilderness.  There were some beautiful sights to see as we climbed but the real gem was the final waterfall at the head of the gorge.  Take a look at the shots.  It was 3:30pm by the time we got there and the light was beginning to dim in the gorge but this really was a special sight.

Cockburn Range from Pentecost Crossing - note the angle of the trees from previous floods

Emma Gorge track - no track, just small blue direction markers.

Another unusual rock formation in the Kimberleys

Local welcoming committee.

One rock pool

Emma Gorge Falls

Emma Gorge has to have a water crossing too.

It took us two hours to cover the three klm round journey and we were really tired as we set out for Kununurra again.  It had been an exhausting time but one we would remember for a long time.

One final view of Cockburn Range