Arriving at Derby early, Penny and I settled in waiting for the rest of the group to catch up after their time exploring the Gorges and Falls.

We were all booked in at the Kimberley Entrance Caravan Park. The excitement was building as most of the group had pre booked for our tours to the Horizontal Waterfalls. This tour is what we had all been waiting for. We had booked these tours well in advance through Ian at the caravan park. The benefit was that we did not have to pay until 30 days prior to the trip. 

There were 2 tours the group took. One being the 24hr overnight trip. This trip could only take a total of 6 couples and we took the spot for 5 couples. The other trip members took was an overnight trip that left in the afternoon while the 24hr trip leaves in the morning.

We were all ready to hit the Falls and us pet owners had booked our pets into a kennel for the night. We arrived at the airport ready for the seaplane. Penny and I decided to go all out and take a private helicopter to the Falls. I can tell you taking off in helicopter with no doors and flying at 100klm an hour 1000ft above the ground is a little scary but the views are great especially with commentary by the pilot. The trip only took 45min.

The helicopter pilot flew over the Falls and headed to the main base and with a handful of people taking photos of us as we landed on the roof of the large house boat, made us feel like royalty. The other parties landed in their sea plane at the same time as us. We were all grouped together and met our guide who would look after us for the next 24hrs. The first part of the trip is watching him feed the tawny sharks. They were a good size and even though not interested in eating humans there was a cage between us and them. Most of the group jumped in the water behind the cage to watch the sharks close up. The sharks suck their food in with a loud noise and the guide advised that even though you cannot see their teeth they are angled back at 45 degrees and if your hand gets sucked in while they eat it could be messy trying to get it out. One staff member did loose a finger once.

After the shark feeding we all jumped aboard our luxury fishing boat to be transferred to the groups private houseboat which is located in a quiet spot away from the main houseboat. On arriving at the house boat we were taken upstairs, the house boat has 3 levels, to the roof deck to enjoy some drinks, a light meal and take in the scenery. The middle deck has its own bar with ice and mixers and we all bought our favourite alcoholic drinks. We were then all escorted to our own private ensuite bedroom with nice big windows. There was a lounge and outside deck on the same level. 

After refreshing up we headed off on our 4 hr fishing trip. The die hard fishing enthusiasts were all keen to catch the biggest fish and again try and out do each other. Yes I know we cannot help it…We had a total of 4 rods on one side of the boat due to the strong currents which is created thanks to the 9 metre tides. We all had a go on the rods and with no luck happening we just enjoyed the scenery and the colours. Suddenly just before we were about to head back Greg, yes Greg, got a big bite on the rod. Excitement filled the air as Greg fought this monster. The fish had Greg moving up and down the boat as he tried to bring this monster to the surface. With enthusiastic support from everyone he bought the fish to the surface. It was a shark, not too big, but it was a fish. After releasing the shark we headed back to our private palace on the water for lunch. 

After a hearty lunch our next tour was a 10 min flight by helicopter. A staff member walked up to the top deck where we were and radioed asking for a helicopter. Within 2 min a helicopter appeared and landed on the roof of the houseboat near the top bar. It was new $2 million one. Talk about feeling like James Bond. The chopper would take 4 people at a time and fly around the area and you see places we missed flying in. 

After the flight we then boarded our own jet boat to tackle the falls as the tide is dropping. With 3 x 150hp motors on the back these boats can move. There are 2 Falls that you get to see. The first one is wide while the second one is very narrow. We arrived at the first Falls and after driving around the entrance we headed through. What a buzz. The second Falls were waiting and we headed towards it at speed, then slowed down. The amount of water coming through the gap was incredible, the difference in water level can get up to 4 metres. We all thought no way could we get through but the skipper had all motors firing as we flew towards the Falls, most of the women were screaming as were some of the men and at the last minute he turned the boat away from the Falls to a quite part in the bay. He explained that the safety for everyone is paramount and no one ever goes through when the falls are like that but they enjoying hearing everyone scream.

We headed back through the first Falls and stopped while we were given a commentary on the history of the area. With the incredible amount of water coming through these falls they create very large whirlpools, some 20ft across. These whirlpools would suck anything down, in fact the skipper looked behind the boat on one occasion and a large whirlpool started forming and was dragging the boat backwards, it took him only seconds to fire up the motors and move away. 

After enjoying the Falls we headed back for pre dinner drinks and after a fabulous dinner we prepared ourselves for a big night with the drinks. We freshened up and got into our party animal gear and prepared for a night of fun, lies and laughter. Our skipper said the time to beat partying into the night is 11.00pm. We said no problem, we are professionals at this and we would only be warming up by then. The 3 staff had their own rooms on the bottom level of the house boat and said enjoy ourselves as we had the run of the boat being on the second level. 

Well, we partied hard, told plenty of lies and laughed none stop but most of us ended up in bed by 9.00pm. Some of the men were bad boys and stayed up until 9.30pm. Too much excitement was our excuse for the early night and had nothing to do with our age. 

The next morning we had a big breakfast and headed off on the fishing boat to watch the sunrise. Our last tour of the trip was going through the falls while the tide was dead still. What a complete change as we headed through both falls with no movement. We headed back to the main base ready for our flight back to Derby. We took our private helicopter flight back while the others headed off on the seaplane. 

It was an adventure everyone thoroughly enjoyed and well worth the money. Everything is run like clockwork and the staff are fantastic.  

We spent a few days in Derby and the sunsets were spectacular and every night they was different. The group explored the area and having a woolies in town meant we could replenish our supplies. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The group headed off after Manning Gorge to spend a few days exploring the number of gorges prior to arriving in Derby. Tunnel Creek was mentioned by everyone as one of the most spectacular places to visit.

Penny and I spent an extra night at Manning Gorge and then headed to Derby as having a pet we could not visit the National Parks. On the way to Derby we stopped at Imintji which is located just before the turn off to Bells Gorge camping area. Here we caught up with Stephen and Janine who were baby sitting Mark and Kerry’s dog so that they could visit Bells Gorge. Mark and Kerry were spending the a few nights here.

The road to Derby has a fair bit of tar and you traverse the King Leopold Ranges where there are a number of lookouts. The dirt road past Bells Gorge is probably one of the better parts of the Gibb road. This part of the Gibb offers a mixture of rocky out crops and open plain areas that make the Kimberley so unique.

Now a short story of what happened to Mark and Kerry while staying at the Imintji Campground. This is coming from Mark who told me what happened. Two young Swedish female backpackers had pulled into the Campground. Now let’s just take this in for a second or 2. They walked over and approached Mark and asked him if he could help them as they were having battery trouble in their Combi van. Now Mark has limited 12v knowledge but being a real gentleman, he was more than happy to help. Apparently Kerry said she saw him look up in the sky and say, thank you God.

After spending some time trying to find the problem and fix it one of the girls said it was her birthday and would he like to come over for a few beers with them to celebrate. (Yes, I know the secret fantasy for all men.) Mark was unsure whether to take up their offer as they were very appreciative for his help. Now we have all ( fantasised ) heard rumours that young female Swedish backpackers have a reputation of partying like there is no tomorrow, especially when alcohol is involved.

Poor Mark was so confused as to what to do, he felt a spell had been cast over him by the girls. But thankfully Kerry saved him. Kerry used her special power, called the Evil Eye, and once Mark saw her Evil Eye he felt the power from her to break the spell the young female Swedish backpackers had cast. Mark said he could not thank Kerry enough. He had tears streaming down his face when he told me this story. Not sure the tears were for Kerry saving him or the once in the lifetime experience to have a few drinks with 2 young female Swedish backpackers. I really think it was for Kerry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mt Barnett / Manning Gorge was next on the itinerary. The road improved dramatically once we turned off the Kalumburu Rd and back onto the Gibb. Arriving around lunchtime at Mt Barnett Roadhouse we had a bite to eat, paid for a few nights camping and headed down to the camp area. There was plenty of space to camp under the trees for the whole group.

Tonight was the first State Of Origin game. This was a test to see how fanatical the supporters would be. The die hard blue supporters Stephen, Janine, Greg and Lyn got out their NSW bunting and hung it around their campsites.  Brett had his van positioned with the Sat tv ready for an action packed night.  The sneaky NSW supporters even had been carrying balloons and  streamers with NSW colours and even placed their chairs early near the tv to grab the best spots. They even decorated the van in NSW colours. The usual QLD and NSW sledging had begun early and with the game approaching we all wandered down to the van to watch the game with drinks in hand. We bought Phil out of retirement for the night as head of Security, being an ex security guard, just to keep the crowd in line. Any one playing up Phil would let our guard dog Bisket loose, 6.5 kilo Malchi killer. On many occasions Phil would have to point his security torch at people to calm them down. Bisket was ready to take anyone on once he was woken up.

The Victorian members in the group, who were not die hard NRL fans, were pressured to join either side to barrack. Little did we know what special deals were being done for the next game. More on this down the track.

The usual cheering and booing started as each team scored but as NSW got the upper hand it was like demons had taken over the cockroach supporters. I am pretty sure they were drinking some strange NSW wine as once the final siren went and the game was over they just went berserk. At this point we did have quite a crowd of people watching the game as they had no choice due to the amount of noise we were making. NSW 1 QLD 0.  The next game will be a thriller. 

Walking back to our camp, Stephen had music playing from his phone and some item that was flashing blue. He did some strange pelvic dancing and thrusting at us QLD supporters. We were not sure whether he was possessed or not but when his head spun right around and he said in a demonic voice “NSW” we knew he was. A massive thank you to Brett and Natalie for setting up the tv and allowing us to watch the game. They knew if they changed the channel to MKR during the game they would not be with us today. 

The next day, some with sore heads, the group headed to the river to use the boat to pull themselves across to tackle the walk to Manning Gorge. Watching some of them get the water out of the boat was quite amusing. They all boarded and one person in the boat would pull the rope to take them across. It was fun pulling the rope on the bank that would stop them halfway across and even drag them backwards.

As Manning Gorge is the start of the Kimberley Gorge trail other places close to Mt Barnett, such as Galvins Gorge and Adcock Gorge were explored.

Greg was having some issues with his car so we had the normal 4 people on hand to assist.One to look at the issue, one to pass what parts needed to fix the problem, one to supervise and one to make sure WH&S rules were being followed.

The evening fire side chats with the group were always funny but one night while at Manning Gorge stood out. Con, after alot of red wines, made a funny comment to his wife Alison and then she made a funny comment back to him. It was on then, comments were coming thick and fast. It was one of those many memorable occasions from the trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left the group at Mitchell Falls and us pet owners headed off to Kalumburu and Honey Moon Bay. The road conditions made traveling very slow as the road just had just enough work done for it to open. We arrived at HoneyMoon Bay to the beach shack we had pre booked which would be used by the group as a central place to cook and catch up for afternoon drinks. 

The rest of the group arrived 2 days later and we spent the next 6 nights relaxing with a beachfront setting, fire going each evening with laughter and banter. Most of the group took advantage of the fishing tours each morning with plenty of fish being caught. The competition was fierce with the men trying to out do each other on who would catch the biggest fish. Janine got the prize in the end for the biggest fish when she hooked a large 8 ft lemon shark that ended up breaking the line. On the way out to the fishing grounds we stopped at a place called the lost city. There were rocks protruding out of the water in all shapes and sizes. We stopped here to get some live bait before hitting the secret spots. We all ate well with the amount of fish caught.

A group also went oyster gathering and came back with quite a few nice fresh large oysters that were cooked in a number of ways. The beach shack was very handy as there was a decent size kitchen area for everyone to use and at night I could run the genny to power the lights. There was a large shower area at the back of the shack which I set up a joolca hot water system and everyone enjoyed the nice warm showers. We had a low key cocktail party one evening where Penny and Alan L concocted the Honey Moon Bay cocktail, not sure what was in it but a bottle of draino went missing.

Another afternoon, while sitting on the beach, Phil noticed my rod had been taken by something big as it was pulled out of the rod holder and was being dragged down the beach to the water. I am sure he waited a few seconds to see how quick I could run and then said casually your rod is being dragged. I was shocked that I could cover the 50 metres to grab the rod before it disappeared into the water. I swear I ran that distance in under 2 seconds. I not only missed the fish but was lying on my back on the sand asking for oxygen.

Adam decided to play a trick on me one evening by running the line from my rod around a chair and as I was walking to the fire he pulled the line which had me running in world record time to try and grab it. That started the pranks. One night was quite hilarious as Con and Alison forgot to put the extended stabiliser legs down on their Kimberley Caravan. So they extended the bed out but not the legs. That evening while sitting around the campfire Con and Alison decided to head to bed. In jumped Con and as Alison walked down to the back of the Van their whole camper tilted back on a 45 degree angle trapping them both at the back of the van. It took a few members to jump on the front of the van to pull it back down to earth. Everyone was laughing. Con said he planned it that way so that Alison could not escape from him.

The sunsets and sunrises were typical Kimberley style, and the local supermarket being a 30 min drive away, was very handy obtaining fresh fruit and veg and topping up with other grocery items. The Fuel was not cheap but expected having to be barged in. Unleaded was $2.99 a litre and diesel $2.69 a litre. There is also a number of places to explore around the area which the group enjoyed. A highlight for young Toby and Kenna was the seeing their hero truck driver from the show Outback Truckers who traveled from Kununurra to Kalumburu each fortnight and they were allowed to travel in the truck doing some deliveries.

Our time was coming to an end at Honeymoon bay ( Kalumburu) and we started our trip back to Drysdale for a 2 night stopover so that we could get some washing done and do some car maintenance.

The trip back to Drysdale Station was quicker than expected with the road being a lot better thanks to the graders that had made the roads a lot more smoother. In fact we shaved close to 2 hours off our travel time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Munurra Campground was our destination next which is on the way to Mitchell Falls. This is the main campground people stay at and leave their camper or van and travel by car only to Mitchell Falls. The road conditions leaving Drysdale started ok but then deteriated.  Unfortunatly, on arriving at the campground we went and spoke to the caretaker about the new rules for pets and he advised that there was nothing he could do and pets were not allowed due to the change in regulations that came into force at the beginning of the year. This meant 4 of us in the group had to miss Mitchell Falls, due to having pets, so we continued on up to Kalumburu and Honey Moon Bay 3 days earlier, while the rest of the group stayed back.

The leadership was handed over to Stephen and Greg, their role was to make sure everyone made it to Kalumburu on time. As we were not there, unnamed sources from within the group, reported that as Greg was running low on beer, he was charging “Kimberley Currency” (beer) to assist people and give directions to places.

Not sure what happened over the coming days but the group did leave on time. The word “Mutiny” was mentioned a few times we heard, again unnamed sources, but we took the pressure off “Bill and Ben” when they arrived at Kalumburu a few days later by demoting them back to civilians.

We said our goodbyes to Geoff, Kaye and their son Mark, prior to leaving the campground, as they were heading back to Broome after Mitchell Falls. It was great traveling with them once again. Our 4th trip together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The scones at Ellenbrae were calling and after stopping at telecom hill to make a few last calls we all arrived to relax in the gardens and sampled the delights of having freshly made scones. To give you an idea Ellenbrae sold around 14,700 scones in 2017. Phil was the fourth member of the group to get a flat tyre with the side wall getting damaged on the camper and a new tyre purchased in Ellenbrae. Drysdale Station was our next stop and unfortunately on the way  I had a speeding vehicle, coming the opposite way, flick up a “cricket ball’ size rock that hit the bottom part of the windscreen. What a mess. Thankfully we could tape part of the windscreen up, thank you Alan L, and continue on to Drysdale. The road to Drysdale can be hit and miss with corrugations and we got the “hit” part right just as we turned onto the Kalumburu road, which to our joy, was just opened 2 days prior. The corrugations made the journey slow going but eventually we made it.

After spreading out in the large campsite area at Drysdale, the fire wood crew were deployed to gather plenty of wood for the 2 nights we would be staying here. (The power I have being chief organiser). I reiterated that I like a big fire and with their chainsaws fueled up and hockey masks on, the Friday the 13th movie lookalikes headed off.

Drysdale has the famous phone in the fridge and also their famous burgers are delicious. We all enjoyed the lunchtime treat instead of making lunch and then washed down with a few beers and wines.

The temperature in this part of the Kimberley can get cold, in fact that night it dropped down to 8 degrees. I had to warm my hands up just to have a pee and that was after coaxing him out. Now the fire place antics really started here. The chainsaw massacre crew did a great job and I think cleaned out nearly all the dead wood within a 5 kilometre radious.

The men started drifting over to the fire that had just been lit with their chairs as the woman finished washing up. It was always a men’s meeting after dinner, prior to the ladies joining us, to discuss the trip, any issues, how things are going etc. But in reality it was a just a discussion about nothing and if any one discussed anything about their wife there would be a lookout to make sure no lady was coming over or could hear us. Watching some of the men look around first to confirm their wife was not nearby before expressing their views about said wife was hilarious. Once the women arrived we would change tack and whenever the women bought up a subject their husband would agree with them. Adam had this down pat. It was liked he had trained for this. The campfire chats , discussions, jokes etc were always a funny occasion.

This is when we found out some funny quirks about people. Alan L, like everyone, enjoyed a fireside drink but at the stroke of 7.30pm he would fall asleep in his chair still holding his glass of beer. It was like he had a spell put on him. This happened on most nights and even if we said to him it was 8.00pm he would laugh and then nec minute he was asleep. Christine would give him one chance to get up and go to bed by waking him up otherwise she leaves him there.

I can tell you those hot showers in the evening were lifesaving as the record sits at 45 mins from a recent person staying there we were told by the owners, being unimpressed, as there was only a certain amount of hot water available. During the day the temperature would rise quickly and only a short drive down the road was Drysdale River. A nice safe place to swim and relax.

We used the time at Drysdale to go over the vehicles and double check everything as we knew the road further north was going to be rough. Stephen, our mobile 12v specialist, was kept busy fixing loose wires that had worked themselves loose on a number of cars. Red dog (Allen) was now becoming very skilled in getting himself invited for dinner every night, I am sure at one stage we heard another camper, not in our group, yell out go away, shoo. Yes, Red Dog went to the wrong campsite. We did consider a lead for him but did not have a rope long enough. At least he was toilet trained.

As mentioned we planned this trip for 3 years and at the start of 2018, the Indigenous owners of the King Edward River Campground, which is the campsite used to leave campers and caravans prior to visiting Mitchell Falls, decided to stop pets being taken into the Campground. As we had 2 dogs in the group and the uncertainty whether this was correct we decided that the only way to find out was to head up that way as we were heading to Kalumburu anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home Valley Station was next on the itineray and the group spent some time getting the iconic  photos crossing the Pentecost River with the Cockburn Ranges in the background. Just before the crossing the third puncture happened on Stephen’s car. Naturally if Janine was driving this would not have happened. The road from Elquestro to the Pentecost River crossing is synonymous for punctures due to the sharp rocks embedded in the road. Tyres pressures were adjusted prior to leaving Elquestro but these things happen.

Being only a short drive from Elquestro we arrived at Home Valley early and set up camp. Home Valley has a large undercover dining and bar area (which all the group enjoyed) a small swimming pool and large fireplace. We had a group dinner one evening and the meal was fantastic. Due to the group being so large, 27 in total, the waiters gave each person a bill with a number on it after we ordered our meal. They were very professional. You don’t get service like that in the cities.  

Home Valley has powered and unpowered areas with some of the group deciding to utilise the powered sites while others decided to camp in the unpowered sites. There are numerous large shelters set up around the camping area and we utilised one to kick off the first of a number of cocktail parties. With a fire going, (our first fire for the trip) a dinner cooked up by everyone for 27 people, the party was in full swing with a menu of cocktails to please everyone. Now the bar we carried was a portable bar with everything you could think of to make cocktails and as mentioned we even had a menu in a frame, so that people could choose what cocktail they wanted. Yes we carried the ingredients and the alcohol for all these cocktails, 27 bottles all up. Naturally Penny, the cocktail Queen, was happy to make cocktails to order that were not on the menu and with with the blender working overtime the drinks were flowing. We even had the bar sign and flashing lights going to set the scene. A great night was had even with a few hangovers in the morning.

The next day the men decided to try their luck fishing the Pentecost and headed to the river camping area which was only a short drive away. The view across the river towards the Cockburn Ranges is quite spectacular with the setting sun highlighting the incredible Kimberley colours. Unfortunately, only a few fish were caught – young Toby caught a small jewfish, a small Barra was naturally caught by me while Mark caught a shark. Mark’s attempt to throw the shark back into the water was quite funny. The shark was heavier than a pen he would only lift normally for his job. The wind up to a big throw was awarded with a 10 plus from the boys but unfortunatly the poor shark went straight up in the air and landed 3 feet in front of him with a big thud in the mud after falling 6 feet from the air, (a 6 year old could have thrown further.) We thought the shark was dead but instead it was just winded from it’s sudden impact into the mud from the fall.  The shark woke up and then naturally became quite angry, in fact the way the shark landed his head was facing towards Mark and not the water and it started wiggling it’s way up the mud bank with Mark in its sights. Adam and Stephen jumped into action and grabbed some wood to try and make it easy to stand above the mud while pushing the shark back in the water with a stick. Finally, after 5 minutes, the angry shark was finally freed. It was one of those, you had to be there, moments. We told the girls, when we got back to camp, that it was a big shark but it was only 18in long but we had to make the story more dangerous than what it really was.

With Karen away recouperating in Brisbane, Allan started wondering the campsites looking for a free feed to save him cooking for himself, he had that feed me look on his face, we named him Red Dog, always scrounging for scraps. Penny and I felt sorry for him, like everyone in the group, and asked him one night would he like to have dinner with us, his reply was, what are we having as he has numerous offers on the table and depending on the menu he would decide who he would be privalidged to have his company. He ate like a king while Karen was away.

Now Karen had made some special port for the trip called Rummy Port, which a few of the men enjoyed immensely ( Adam). With Karen away Allen was not sure where Karen had hid all the port. He did find one small batch which did not last long, but the rest was hidden in a spot no one could find. It wasn’t until Karen rejoined the group that it was found. Hidden where the clothes washing gear was, naturally the perfect hiding spot. I must mention that this Rummy Port has numerous usages such as, taking paint off walls, cleaning old bearings and taking all sense of taste and smell away from you, but it was nice, well after a few other drinks to get you in the mood. 

Bindoola Falls was not far from Home Valley and we all went for a drive to check it out, unfortunatly there were no Falls but a good size swimming hole which some took adavantage of. On the way back we all stopped off at Telecom Hill which is overlooking the Pentecost River and Cockburn Range and is one of the very few places where a Telstra signal can be picked up and calls made to loved ones back home.

Lyn, at this stage, began her fetish (this is what Greg said, I swear) of collecting tea towels from every place we would stop at. Harmless as it may seem, the amount of tea towels being collected started to impact the very little space poor Greg had for his alcohol. Greg had carefully worked out how much alcohol he would need to carry, as we all did, before we would stock back up in Derby. He used the trusted Russell Coight water theory being, (three litres per day, per person, per man, per degree over 25 degrees celcius, per kilometre if walking on foot, in the winter months dividing it by two, plus another litre at the end ) as we used beer to carry the water, we doubled that theory. I swear poor Greg had a carton of beer he would sit on while driving to make room.

 

Home Valley is so different to Elquestro and both places offer so much. Both places are worth staying at.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Adrenalin was pumping as we said goodbye to Kununurra and headed to the start of the Gibb River Road. We had pre booked sites waiting for us so the group spread out and headed off at their leisure. Seeing the famous sign advising what roads were opened, is what we were all waiting for. At this stage the Kalumburu Road was still closed but we were confident it would be open by the time we head that way.  The standard photos at the sign were taken. Ahead of us lay the dust, the waterfalls, the unique locations and the corrugations….the real Kimberley Adventure was just about to begin.

Arriving at Elquestro we met up with the bike riders who were just finishing the final leg of the The Gibb River Challenge. Exploring the lookouts and swimming holes at Elquestro kept the group busy over the five days we booked in for. Places such as Pidgeon Hole lookout, Explosion Gorge, Emma Gorge, Saddle Back Ridge, Chamberlain Gorge Cruise, Zebedee Springs and Explosion Gorge and Branco Lookout Tour just to name a few. The Branco Lookout tour gave some of the group on the tour an opportunity to see a saltwater croc stalk a bull at the waters edge. Thankfully the bull walked away to live another day. 

Elquestro is well set up for tourists and there is a lot to do there. They have since built two new toilet and shower blocks since our last visit back in 2016. The sites are small and you do camp on top of each other but when a place is popular this is the only choice. There is a small shop, meals and a bar. The sunsets over the 4 nights were typical of what the Kimberley offers.

Adam got the first punture while exploring one of the tracks and the plug kit came out and tyre fixed. I only charged one beer per tyre repair. Some of the group travelled the Karunji Track where Greg had the second puncture on the trip. The track starts just south of Wyndham and exits just east of the Pentecost River. It follows the northern side of the Cockburn Ranges. Janine drove some of the way in the mighty Jeep and made the track look easy lifting the front wheels of the car at one of the jump ups. Last we heard Janine was giving Steven advice on how to drive. 

Each evening pre dinner drinks and nibbles were had to discuss the tours taken that day. The group was starting to gel well together and we never really needed an excuse to have drinks but there was always a reason, cannot remember all of them but they were important.

At this stage of the trip Karen’s back had gotten worse and we had not hit the corrugations yet and would be getting further away from good medical help so the hard decision was made and she had to leave the group and fly back to Brisbane for scans. She ended up having 2 compressed discs. She would rejoin the group at Derby. This left husband, Allen, traveling alone but young Toby was more than happy to keep Allen company and take over radio duties.

Next stop Home Valley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was time to head to Kununurra to spend 5 nights and take advantage of the Ord Valley Muster, a once a year 10 day event, that showcases the East Kimberley area.

Members of the group enjoyed the Ord river cruises, the Melbourne Comedy Festival, Kununurra rodeo, Kimberley Moon Experience just to name a few. Trips were also taken out to Wyndham to explore the town and take in the incredible view from the lookout. 

The pump house restaurant was one of the groups favourite places to enjoy a meal and drinks, as well as the lookout at Mirima National park.

Kununurra was also our last chance to top up with food, alcohol etc before the we hit the Gibb. We also had Geoff, Kaye and their son Mark join us for the next few weeks traveling the Gibb which brought our convoy of vehicles to 11. 

So who has joined us on this adventure:

Mark (organiser) and Penny (assistant organiser) and bisket our little dog. NT, Qld and NSW

Mark and Kerry ( assistant organisers) and their dog, Bear. Qld

Con and Allison. Qld

Alan and Karen. Qld

Lynne and Greg. NSW

Stephen and Janine. NSW

Alan and Christine. Vic

Brett and Natalie. Vic

Adam, Tracy and kids Toby and Kena. Vic

Phil. Vic

Geoff, Kay and son Mark. Vic.

One of the main things we had to try and arrange when doing the itinerary were places where the group could watch the State of Origin. Thankfully Brett and Natalie had a van with a sat dish and a tv. Little did we know what was in store for us on game nights. 

With last minute checks on cars, vans and campers, we were all busting to start the real adventure.

Next stop, we hit the Gibb and head to Elquestro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our adventures then crossed into WA heading to Lake Argyle for a 3 night stay.

We gained an hour and a half driving into WA. After setting up camp, a trip to one of the lookouts was mentioned and with some drinks and nibbles in hand we headed up in the afternoon. With the mandatory tables and chairs arranged we all sat back and took in the view overlooking the Lake. As the setting sun slowly disappeared behind us, cameras were out in force, to capture the ever changing kaleidoscope of colours reflecting off the mountain backdrop across the lake.

A number of tours were taken at Lake Argyle to experience what was on offer and learn more about the area. The mandatory swim in the wet edge pool and a picnic below the dam wall. We were lucky to obtain permission to park all the cars and campers on the road that crossed over the dam wall and get some aerial photos of the cars lined up with the lake as a backdrop. Unfortunatly Brett could not bring his van down for the photo. 

We tried our luck at fishing in numerous locations and let’s just say we found out the levels of fishing experience from some of the men. I will not mention names but let’s just say a Knot tying course was started back at camp that afternoon, naturally over a few beers.

Being just under a week traveling as a group, it was good to see people enjoying each other’s company and getting to know each other. The personalities started to show and we soon found out the jokers in the group.

The change in time zones, being 1 and a half hours behind NT, is something the group needed to adjust to over the coming months, as the first morning most of us were up at 5.30am.  

Next stop was Kununurra.