Derby and Bucket List 'Horizontal Falls'!

 

We arrived in Derby at lunch time, venturing straight to the caravan park. We were happy to have made it as our big, anticipated trip to the Horizontal Falls was tomorrow! After being informed during the check-in to lock absolutely everything up and to park our car across the caravan door of an evening, we were then greeted by our new neighbours as we set up and informed of yesterdays brazen 7:30am break-ins to the vans parked next to us. We became a bit nervy as to what the next few days would bring. But the lovely neighbours put on scones, jam and cream for those camped near us, and we scored an invite!

Everyone was very lovely and supportive of each other by looking out for people’s cars and vans as they all headed out to the falls.

The next day arrived and we boarded the bus transfer at 1:45pm to be driven to the nearby airport. After the safety briefing and mandatory weigh in (bit nervy as we had no idea as to our weight after 3 months of happy hours and scones the previous day!) – we got the green light (Sippy having lost 5 kilos since April!!!) and boarded the little sea plane with four others.

We took off in perfect conditions, flying low over the Derby tidal mud flats and out across the Buccaneer Archipelago. The turquoise waters glistened in the sun and we marvelled at the colours and wonders below. We made a seamless landing into Talbot Bay and were warmly welcomed by the staff and shown to our rooms.

It was then onto the boat for our first trip out on the waters of Talbot Bay and through the Horizontal Falls. Although the tides were not massive (just happened to be when we came off the Gibb), we still were in awe of the fast-flowing water and got an appreciation of the monstrous tides that rush through the small gaps created by erosion over millions of years. We made several passes through the falls and then went for a relaxing cruise into Cyclone Bay, named after the safe seclusion it provides for boats during the cyclone season. The rock formations were beautiful and again we were in awe as we witnessed the evolution of this amazing land Australia.

Back on the boat we were treated to a shark feeding session, with Sippy and I taking the opportunity to swim in the cage next to them – more to say that we swam in the Buccaneer Archipelago waters rather than swimming with the sharks.

We then enjoyed a beautiful sunset while sipping Rose and a lovely dinner under the stars while enjoying the company of two Broome locals, one a detective who had many interesting stories to share. We out stayed everyone, so really got to enjoy the serenity of Talbot Bay while watching the reef sharks chase fish under the spotlights on the turquoise water. Divine.

The next morning was an early 6am start for a home cooked breakfast, then back on the boats for another tour of the falls. We were then blessed to see Jen arrive as we departed – managing a quick hug and a ‘see you tomorrow’ in Broome!!!

The flight back, I managed to nab the co-pilots seat and happily chatted to the ex-Qantas pilot as we manoeuvred across King Sound and landed safely back in Derby. An unforgettable experience.

We arrived back at the caravan park, with all untouched, but unfortunately heard that the park on the other side of Derby had experienced break-ins during the night, with 6 vans broken into. Very sad for the owners, who are trying so hard to make their parks welcoming and safe for visitors.

The next day we spent the afternoon touring Derby. The town was very tidy and we found the locals very friendly. We watched the amazing tide flow through the jetty at 2pm, while the locals fished and then returned for sunset at 5pm to see that it had risen by several meters! We visited the beautiful Boab dinner tree, the centenary tiled art work at the pavilion and the sunset murals. We then stocked up on groceries at the local Woolworths and returned to our caravan park in time for the 8pm gate lock up.

As we departed the next morning, we dropped by the Prison Boab tree and the Myalls Bore with the longest cattle watering trough. Overall we really enjoyed our Derby experience. Broome here we come!

Tunnel Creek and the Gibb is done!

Another early start on the road in order to secure a spot at the Lennard River free camp by 9:30am. As Windjana Gorge was closed for the season, due to a salt-water crocodile inhabiting the gorge, we were informed spots might be tight to be able to camp near Leopold Downs Road, to access Tunnel Creek. As we pulled in several vans were vacating, so we were lucky enough to get a great spot for the night – with firewood! Yay.

A quick set up, unhitch and change into our cossies and we were on the road, with our head torches, for the 55kms on the dirt for Tunnel Creek. The road was in very good condition and we arrived just after 11:30am.

For 10 years the Bunuba people prevented the colonisation of squatters occupying their lands through hit and run attacks on sheep and stockman’s huts. Tunnel Creek was the site where Jandamarra, a young Bunuba man, took refuge in 1894, hiding from police, as he had shot and killed Police Constable Bill Richardson eased Aboriginal prisoners and shared weapons amongst them. Eventually police caught up with Jandamarra and shot him near Tunnel Creek.

After reading of the historical events and the informative boards around the area’s geology, we climbed over giant boulders to enter the creek and the darkness. Due to the recent big wet the water flowing through the tunnel, which is usually waist high at this time of year, was well over our heads, requiring swimming in the dark with only a head torch for guidance. It didn’t help when amongst the bat calls, a fresh water crocodiles beady red eyes were spotted and loud hissing filled the cavern, I was rather freaked, while Sippy thought it was all very exciting. We had been warned that the water was icy cold, but we didn’t find this to be the case – in fact we enjoyed the coolness as it was 32 degrees outside.

We made it to the end, into the daylight and found the Aboriginal art site on the left. It was then back into tunnel, through the water, past the little croc (still there) and safely out the other side for a towel down and a lovely picnic lunch.

Back at Lennard River that afternoon, we strolled up to the bridge and marvelled at all the debris that had been washed down during the wet season, high up on the banks on both sides. We were very wary not to go close to the waters edge due to recent salt water croc sightings in the area. The day prior a 4m salty was on show evidently.

That evening we celebrated, having conquered the infamous Gibb River Road, with car, van and all tyres intact! We had a lovely big campfire, made damper and went to bed a little sad as this part of the adventure was over, but extremely blessed and happy that we got to live Sippy’s dream.

 

Bell Gorge - Best till Last

 

Saving the best for last – Bell Gorge was voted our favourite gorge along the Gibb River Road!

After a couple of deepwater crossings, we drove into Silent Grove (which turned out to be quite empty - bum steer from other travellers), and continued on another 11km to reach the carpark. It was then a few km’s walk along Bell Creek to arrive at the top of the amazing tiered and full flowing waterfall – just stunning! After a few photographs at the top, we clamoured (slowly) across the slippery rocks in the water, to then clamour a bit more down the steep slope to get to the base of the falls. We had met a lady on the way in who had fallen and injured her collarbone – so we were being very careful – as no medical help for hours. The falls were situated at the end of a gorgeous tall, red rock gorge, lined with enormous rock platforms from which to enter the water.

Sippy and I managed to swim out to the falls, challenging with the turbulent current generated from so much water plummeting into the waterhole. We touched at the base and then floated with the current through the waterhole while lying on our backs and marvelling at the red rocks towering above us – magnificent!

We shared a picnic lunch in the shade of one of the overhanging rocks and enjoyed the scenery for several hours – with a few more swims in between. We also cringed at a young man who choose to jump from the top viewing area into the waterhole, with sarong, hat and thongs mind you – rather silly – again, so far from medical help. But each to their own.

We had an amazing day.

 

More gorgeous gorges - Galvan's and Adcock

 We were on the road at 8am, filling up with fuel at the roadhouse and checking in with quick phone calls to Mum, Dad and Bree, before heading to Galvan’s Gorge – only 13km further along the Gibb. We parked the BT just off the road and walked the easy 2km into the gorge. Galvan’s was a much smaller gorge with a beautiful flowing waterfall. An easy swim out to position ourselves under the water for a great pounding massage – much easier than Amalia, Emma and Manning.

After a refreshing swim it was back in the car for another 20km until we hit the turn off for Adcock Gorge. We had been informed that the road in was not suitable to take the van, so rather than unhitching, we decided to bike the 5km’s in. This was an adventure, with many dips, rocks, trenches and red dust to ride through – but we had fun and were quite pumped that we managed it okay in the 30-degree heat. After chaining up the bikes to a tree, we hiked the remaining 2kms into the gorge. Again we were greeted with a beautiful green waterhole surrounded by towering red rocks. The waterfall, whilst a big drop, was only a trickle compared to other places, so we assume this one dries up quickly in the dry season.

We had planned to stay at Silent Grove that evening, but had been informed by other travellers that it was booked out. As we had no internet, we decided not to risk the 30km drive in to the national park to be turned around, so we changed plans and stayed for 2 nights at Imintji, an relatively new Aboriginal campground at the base of the Precipice Range. It was very quiet and we nabbed a site at the back with beautiful sunset views of the red range. We were disappointed to then learn the park was manned by a South African lady and the care taker was an American guy – go figure.

 

Majestic Manning Gorge

 

As we packed up to depart our beautiful free camp, we noticed a few massive hoof prints and manure piles right behind the BT. We couldn’t work out if it was from a cow, bull, horse or camel, but Sippy was glad he didn’t come face to face with whatever it was during his nightly outdoor pee :) Hee hee.

After checking the tyre pressure and lowering both the car and van some more, we were back on the Gibb and back to the corrugations. To our distress they seemed just as bad as the road up to Drysdale. We were hoping for better. After about 30kms the road did improve, but we were both still on the lookout as there were many dips, trenches, wash out sections and quite a few creek crossings – some deeper than others. Unfortunately I missed filming the Hahn River crossing, which was the one that actually went over the bonnet - much to Sippy’s disbelief. I was filming down the river rather than in front at the time. Often the river crossings were so muddy that you had no idea as to the depth of the water or the rocks that lay underneath. We breathed a sigh of relief when we got safely through to the other side.

We cheered when we reached Mt Barnett Roadhouse at around 11:30am. The roadhouse sold Gibb River Road T-shirts (rather expensive at $60), but we purchased one for Sippy, along with some frozen bread, juice, a punnet of tomatoes and one zucchini. The grocery shopping we had done back in Kununurra was 9 days ago, but our supplies were lasting quite well, so we didn’t need much. Luckily, as it wasn’t cheap!

We then drove the 7km into Manning Gorge campground and managed to nab a great camp spot right up the end onto the bush, away from the busyness. We had a quick sandwich with the newly purchased frozen bread and packed up our backpacks to head out to Manning Gorge. This was a 5km return hike that commenced with a swim across the river. They had a bucket system going where you loaded your back packs and shoes in and then swam it across the river in order to keep your gear dry. It worked well.

After the trek in, up and down once again over many rocks, with a few scrambles and drops, we were greeted with the beautiful Manning Gorge and amazing waterfall. We have been so very blessed to have seen these places at the beginning of the dry after such a big wet season. The waterfall was pumping, with about 6 main falls and several side falls still flowing. Spectacular.

We spent the afternoon swimming and enjoying the serenity – with only two other young couples in the whole gorge. We enjoyed being the only one’s swimming out and under the waterfalls and enjoying the peace and quiet (as the waterfall thundered). We  gripped the Go-Pro tightly as we swam out to capture some footage under the waterfall.

The next morning we trekked back out to the gorge around 10:30am. Although quite warm, our tactic paid off as most people had headed out early and were on their way back. We spent 3 hours swimming and relaxing with the most stunning view of the waterfall. Again, as we swam out to the waterfall, we were the only one’s in the waterhole. Such a beautiful spot.

We spent a quiet afternoon relaxing, Cathy reading while Sippy worked on reels to capture all of our memory’s :)

 

Free camping - Gibb River Road crossing - a heavenly spot!

 

Thank heavens we made it off the Kalumburu Road safely and with all appliances, van and vehicle still in one piece. We left Drysdale at 7:50am and made it back to the Gibb River crossing, which is about 5km from the Gibb River Road, by 9:10am. We got out to stretch our legs and check over the van and car. Whilst on a walk along the river we chatted to two families camping in prime position who told us they were about to depart. We made the spontaneous decision that we were going to stay the night as it was just so beautiful. Within 30mins we had set up camp with the most amazing view of the waterhole and river right on our door stop!

As an added bonus we realised our neighbours were a family that we had camped next to at Devils Marbles and Daly Waters (Dani, Dylan and their two children Dexter and Olive). They are from Redfern, Sydney but Dani had grown up in Engadine and had attended St John Bosco College. We had lots to chat about.

We had a beautiful, relaxing day swimming in the river, reading books, walking along the banks watching & listening to the black cockatoos and blue-winged kookaburras. After yet another swim we had early afternoon drinks, dinner and a campfire. This is what we were hoping for along the Gibb – remoteness and sheer beauty. We had found it.

In the morning we said goodbye to Dani and Dylan, who were heading up to Drysdale. We decided that we were not yet ready to leave this beautiful free camp, so we settled in for another amazing, relaxing day and evening. For the majority of the time we had the whole area to ourselves – truly sensational. We swam, did the washing (as abundant water was on our doorstep), managed some blogging and spent hours watching flocks of black cockatoos and a couple of blue winged kookaburras. Many a time during the day we said to each other – isn’t this perfect! It was just so very beautiful.

Drysdale Station and Mitchell Falls Plateau

From Ellenbrae Station we travelled 70km before turning right for the trip up to Drysdale Station along the Kalumburu Road. We pulled into the rest stop to stretch our legs and got chatting to a truckie who was transporting grocery supplies up to the station from Broome. He reinforced that the next stretch of road was pretty awful and told Sippy to let the tyres down to 25psi. Sippy put them to 30 – but was not too keen to go further due to worries that the side walls would get punctures.

True to word – the road was quite brutal. There was plenty of red dust and the corrugations were both deep and wide, meaning that travelling at 60km/hour did nothing to get on top of the bumps. We just had to grin and bear it for 60km, which took us an hour and 15mins. As we turned into the station driveway, we passed a van whose water tank had fallen loose and was hanging down onto the road. We had also heard of a family whose axle had broken on their camper trailer on their travels up and they had to camp for three days beside the road while waiting for a tow truck from Kununurra to arrive.

We breathed a sigh of relief after making it and precariously opened the door to the BT to inspect for any damage. Looking up we noticed that the air conditioner was hanging about 10cms down from the roof, luckily being held by one remaining bolt. The other three bolts had worked themselves loose. About an hour in the heat followed while Sippy searched you-tube to find out how it was attached to the roof and Cath’s smaller hands managed to fit through the gap to get the bolt back into position (standing on the table with our necks cranked!) – but we managed to fix it. A thorough inspection was then conducted to unveil that the top of one the reading lights had come unscrewed, and the cutlery tray had been cracked at the back due to the cutlery hitting it. A search then prevailed to locate the 4 knives and 3 spoons that had bounced out and behind other drawers. The BT had come through with only minor mishaps, for which we were extremely grateful.

After a cool drink we went in search of the pilots from Shoal Air to confirm our booking to Mitchell Falls for the following day. It was then off to the outdoor restaurant and bar for a famous Drysdale Kimberley Beef Burger – it did not disappoint! After dinner we sat around the fire with a beer and had a chat to the two young pilots, Mitch and Hunter, who were taking us on our journey in the morning, happily noting they only had one beer each before retiring early for the night.

The next morning we were up at 5:45am for an early coffee and breakfast before jumping on our bikes as the sun rose, to ride the 10mins to the airstrip. Here we met the pilots, along with another group of 8 travelling together from Melbourne. The group was split into two, based on weight, and after a safety briefing, we were loaded into the tiny planes – heaviest at the front and lightest at the back. Sippy was in the middle and myself and another lady at the back. At this stage we were wondering how the tiny thing was going to get off the ground!

We taxied out to the start of the dirt runway and away we went – sailing into the air, over the station and headed north to Mitchell Plateau. The sky was blue and the journey was very smooth and within 40mins we had touched down at Kandiwal. It was then into 4WD’s for the extremely rough 30min journey up to the Mitchell Falls camping area to commence our 4.5km hike.

Our first stop on the hike was Little Mertens Falls. Our guides (the pilots) highlighted stories of the local Aboriginal people and we viewed several beautiful Aboriginal art works on the majestic rock faces and caves, which dated back 4,000 -10,000 years. We then sat underneath the falls before making our way down to the water for an amazing swim in the stunning waterhole below the falls. After a M/T break we were back on the hike, heading for Big Mertens Falls.

The view from the top of Big Mertens Falls was amazing, but we were very wary of the story from when mum and dad were here over 20 years ago – so we stayed well back from the edge and admired from afar. Mitch gratefully took a fabulous photo for us, which we happily air dropped to the group – so no one ventured too close to the edge.

It was then onto Mitchell Falls. We came out at the top of the falls where we were told the stories of the dreamtime serpent creating the falls and the sacredness of not swimming in the top two pools, as the Aboriginals believed this caused infertility. We then swapped our hiking boots for reef shoes and waded across the water and rather slippery rocks to make the final journey down to see the falls.

AMAZING!!!! The water was thundering over the three drops and we marvelled at the incredible vista from the perfect viewing area. It was just magical! The most beautiful series of waterfalls embedded within the red Kimberley layers of towering cliffs. A sight we will never forget. It had been well worth the journey!

After lunch and a swim in the river at the top it was time for our helicopter journey back to the campground. This was also amazing, with our pilot doing several passes of the falls and surrounding area. Sippy and I gripped our phones tightly as we managed to capture the incredible experience so that we could relive it.

We were all buzzing as we piled back into the 4WD’s and bumped and bounced back to the Kandiwal airstrip. We then sat around on camp chairs beside the two tiny planes with cold beers and relived our experience with each other, before the 40min flight back to Drysdale Station. Then sun was just setting as we touched down and we all headed to dinner together at the open-air restaurant.

Yes, it was expensive – but it was a day we will never forget and was worth every penny.

A long way for scones! Ellenbrae Station

From Home Valley Station we crossed the Durack River, around 40cms deep and very croc looking, to travel 206km on the Gibb to Ellenbrae Station. The station was about 5km off the main track. We arrived at the homestead to green grass, flowering bougainvillea and sprinklers – gorgeous. After checking in we were allocated to the Ringers campsite (the other one being Jackaroo). We were happy with this as Ringers had the swimming spot. Luckily, we had pulled in around 10am and so had our choice of campsite. Sippy picked a beauty and backed the van in so that we had uninterrupted views of the bushland behind us and 100m from neighbours. This turned out to be a blessing as the camp got very busy as the afternoon progressed, with a few tour groups pulling in quite late. We were also lucky enough to nab the previous night’s campers stack of great quality firewood. Bonus! 5 nice redwood logs that burned forever with a stack of kindling. This enabled us to have a great campfire each night of our stay.

Day two we were up and ready for the famous Ellenbrae scones with jam and cream. We headed down to the homestead by 8:30am, as instructed by the owners, to ensure warm scones for breakfast – they were quite yummy and very filling!

Mid-morning we jumped in the car to drive the 4km 4WD track to Sandy Creek. This lived up to its name – being a very sandy and narrow track, with the last 500m travelled by foot. We were rewarded with a beautiful swim in the open river. Again, we were told it was safe to swim, but we were very croc wary arriving at the billabong . We had the place to ourselves for about 30mins and then were joined by a young couple and their beautiful dog, who happily swam with us. Within another 30mins two others lovely couples joined us - who informed us that they had seen a 2m freshie on the bank just up from us. It didn’t seem to worry them however as they joined us in the water and we spent the afternoon paddling in the shallows and sharing travel stories.

Day three we spent relaxing around the campground, swimming in the waterhole near the campground and chatting with other campers. We cooked a roast lamb with vegetables that evening and were in bed early – nice.

The iconic Pentecost River crossing

 Crossing the Pentecost to Home Valley Station

We awoke with both excitement and nerves about the morning crossing of the Pentecost River, a further 25kms along the Gibb River Road. There had been much chatter about the crossing in the campground with 17 vehicles requiring rescuing 2 days prior. The news was a truck had gone across and got stuck and then dug a big hole while attempting to get out. Most vans were then getting stuck in the hole. As the river is known for its saltwater croc sightings, we weren’t too keen on getting stuck. Anyway to our good fortune, locals informed us that the river had been rolled with machinery the day before – and we cruised over with no issues – phew. We also crossed at relatively low tide so the water level was only about 30-40 cm.

After a few celebratory photos on the banks of the river we headed for Home Valley Station – only another 10km up the Gibb. We unlocked the beautiful station entrance gates and were greeted with sprinklers, green grass, a beautiful open bar/restaurant with big fans and a swimming pool. We spent a lovely relaxing afternoon chatting and sharing happy hour with some Sydney siders from the Hills District.

Late in the afternoon we drove down to the river camp, spread out the picnic blanket and watched the red glow develop on the Cockburn ranges as the sun set behind us. So serene and quiet, listening to birds and watching the reflections on the Pentecost River. A beautiful end to an exciting day.