Month: September 2015

late get away around 10:30. Swim in river before we left

Rock art

   
    
    
    
    
    
   
Arrived Drysdale around three

Kerry swam at miners pool

Warm night.

On The Mitchell plateau now

hour long walk leaving at 7:10am and spending an hour on a hot walk from our camp beside the river, to the falls. Up and down, harsh rocks and climbing.

The gorge was very big and very pretty. Everyone jumped from the high cliffs. I had take the photos. 
   
 Kerry stayed at camp to take it easy.
                        
After we’d had enough we came back to camp mid morning and swam again in our lovely pool.

I got a bit bored and straightened out the tent pegs.
Matthew made us dinner in the camp oven on the campfire, and we sit around the campfire until bedtime around 8:00

Chilly night again. Chilly not being very accurate – cool enough to warrant a decent sleeping bag.

Our campsite at Silent Grove had a huge Mango tree full of nearly, but not quite, ripe fruit.

   
    
    
    
    
    
   

Headed off the 11km drive to Bells Gorge at 7:30am after rising again with the sun and a leisurely breakfast of porridge and cereals, packing up the tents and loading it all into the specifically allocated places for each item in the trailer. 
Like the road into Silent Grove, the road out to Bells Gorge was rough, really rough. Deep close corrugations that shook the bus components. The passengers are well cushioned but still, it is not pleasant. I was to drive back and I tried to notice the speed Matthew was doing in order to match it. 
Despite the early start, the walk into Bells Gorge was hot along the rocky track, up and down with tall dry grass adding to the sense of it being a hot dry place. Soon though we came across the small creek, which opened into some larger pools, a wonderful multi level waterfall and deep cool ponds below. 
Some great photos that try to do it justice. 
Around 10am I got to drive out to the main road, and felt quite shattered by the time we arrived. I had chosen to drive in 4WD, expecting it to ease the bang bang bang on the suspension and also help keep the bus from skipping sideways on the worst of the corrugations. This was not successful, it was an awful drive and I am so pleased to not have to do in my own Landcruiser. 

I continued to drive along the Gibb River Road, and pushed the truck to it’s limits climbing the 200m over the Phillips Range. Not normally a challenge, but managing the inadequate cooling system is painful to say the least – as well as the limited performance of the vehicle. It feels very heavy and underpowered.  

Lunch in the Galvins Grove carpark, then a hot walk into Galvins Pool, a pretty circular pool that we had to ourselves. Matthews teenagers enjoyed jumping from the rock ledges, and swinging from the rope on the tree. A relief to have no safety signs or fences blocking access to danger – it’s all about accessing your risks yourselves and being sensible. 
   
    
    
 After an hour or so lingering in this cool place, we made our way to the Mt Barnett Roadhouse to refuel at $2.09 a litre for diesel, and then a short rough drive to the Manning Creek campsite which will be our home for two nights. Matthew has special permission to park under the huge 2000 year old Boab tree. Even Kerry and I had a swim in the cool waters of Manning Creek, contemplating whether we want to do the hour or so trek each way tomorrow to Upper Manning Gorge. The heat got to Kerry today, driving the rough roads got to me, we both deserved the nice swim in the creek.
   
 

Great sleep in the tent with no fly so we could see the stars all night. It did get cold though, so tonight we’ve covered the tent in a fly and will be warmer. It was probably about 15°C.

Getting up with the sun, an easy breakfast and packup we were ready to leave by around 7:30am. Off we trundled to Tunnel Creek on a road that had the inevitable Kimberley Massage corrugations and changed into our wetable shoes. Despite us both being through Tunnel Creek previously we made our way over the rocks and into the dark cave. It’s always interesting, and Matthew showed us things we’d not known about before. Along the way we wade through knee high water and came across a 1.5m freshwater croc sitting in the dark on the bank of the small stream. I assisted our eldest participant, 78 yo, through the rocky sections. She was fond of gazing up to the cave ceiling whilst not checking the rocks on the ground. Fortunately she didn’t fall or slice open her calf on the rocks. Some of the group had a swim at the end of Tunnel Creek before walking back. So cool inside, so much hotter outside. 

   
   
Back to Windjana to pick up the food trailer, lunch was had, and we made our way to the real Gibb River Road. Fortunately it wasn’t too rough, until that is, we turned into Silent Grove where we are tonight. 

Napier Range and King Leipold Ranges today.

     
   

    
    
 

The Lilimoolora Police Station site has a key role in the violent invasion and takeover of country from the indigenous people, in this case, the Bunuba and individuals like Jandamarra. The story is told briefly at the entrance to Tunnel Creek, and more completely in a historical account Matthew shared with us. It’s not something we can be proud of and highlights the violent dispossession of the land and the terrible decline of a race that we see today.

 

 

   
 

   
   
   

Normal first day delays of unexpected last minute glitches, people needing to be chased up from their accommodation and we left Broome around 8:15am with me driving. Fortunately no one seemed to complain as the road rolled away under us. 

Managing the cooling system of the vehicle is proving an annoying and mildy stressful exercise. As soon as a load is increased on the motor, the coolant gauge rises the red. Keeping the passengers cool with the AC, plus increasing the speed of the vehicle to cruising speed of around 90kmh is a different balancing act. 

We’ve got Matthew as trip leader, two of his teenage children, Kerry and myself, plus four people from Victoria, one couple and two singles.  Slowly the ice is being broken.

Morning tea at Willare Roadhouse over the mighty Fitzroy River, then onto Derby for lunch by the jetty, and a top up of fuel (the bus does 3km/l), drinks and snacks from Woolies, then out along the Gibb River Road to the Wanjina Gallery. 
   
    
    
    
   
Eventually the gravel started and tonight we are camped at the Windjana Gorge campsite. Instructions on the dark art of erecting a tent for the newbies and most people helping set up the campsite and prepare for the evening meal. Magnificent colours of the sun bouncing off the rocks, little fresh water crocodiles in the water, wallabys and a great big sky.