We left Timber Creek and arrived at Zebra Rock just before lunch.

This unique family run business is not that well known, with the turnoff being not far from the WA / NT border, it’s a must stop for anyone who wants to experience a mining lease that offers down to earth hospitality and has opened their door to tourists without the tourism hype. Forget the usual stubby coolers, shirts etc you will find the only source of memorabilia of this place being Zebra Rock, which is found no where else in the world and with no 2 pieces of the rock alike. 

The camping area is a generous size with numerous shady areas, there are no powered sites but has the convenience of showers and toilets. The 4hr sunset tour of the wetlands has to be experienced. The knowledge Kim has, the owner of the mining lease area, of this part of Lake Argyle is second to none. The tour weaves its way through thousands of dead trees with Kim stopping now and then to discuss the bird life and edging close to some rather large freshwater crocs. We stop at a grassed area where we are given nibbles and 2 big eskies full of wine and beer. You can even have a swim behind the boat while enjoying a wine or 3. The slow trip back is timed just right as the sunset shows it’s colours over the water. A highly recommended tour.

Other tours on offer include the fishing tour and the mine tour which is run by his wife Ruth, that gives you an insight into how the Zebra Rock is mined, are not to be missed. Regarding the fishing tour some of the men that partook in the trip where keen to show off their fishing skills. Naturally I caught the first fish as expected being the silver cobbler catfish. In fact that’s all we caught in various sizes. With another esky full of free alcohol the fish seemed to get bigger the more we drank. Our catch was filleted on the boat and we all had the chance to enjoy our hard effort in drinking, I mean fishing on the trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Zebra Rock gallery has an amazing range of pieces, that will have the wallet out ready, with the hardest decision being which pieces to buy. The small dining area is a great place to meet people with large slabs of Zebra Rock as table tops, some weighing close to a ton. Here you can enjoy a hearty breakfast or fresh fish and chips. The group thoroughly enjoyed their time here with most not knowing this little piece of paradise even existed. 

Next stop, Lake Argyle.

After a group photo we had a leisurely 3 hr drive, crossed the Victoria River and headed to our overnight stay in Timber Creek. Arriving just after lunch gave us plenty of time to set up, explore the area and continue the meeting ritual over a few drinks.

Timber Creek, is a small stop off point between Katherine and Kununurra, with 2 caravan parks and shops and nestled between numerous ranges bordered by the Victoria River.

Next stop Zebra Rock Mine.

Finally, after 3 years in the planning, numerous changes to the itinerary, on going emails and phone calls, the Ultimate 3 Month Kimberley Adventure itinerary was set and we were ready to go. The convoy of 10 with a range of vehicles, campers and vans all arrived in Katherine, the meeting place for the trip. A lot of our travelers took their time exploring places along the way before arriving at Katherine.

A few days were spent relaxing and meeting everyone, we even set up the mobile cocktail bar, yes we carried one, to give everyone a rundown on what was installed for our adventure ahead and to also hand out our custom made Kimberley shirts.

One member, Karen, who was suffering from a sore back, found a masseuse in Katherine who in the end, had a lot of the ladies going to see her for massages. In fact she even came to the caravan park to give 4 ladies a quick massage before we all headed off. A very big thank you to Wendy and Craig from Riverview Caravan Park for looking after everyone.

Last minute shopping was done to replenish our alcohol reserves and our convoy of excited travelers headed off for the adventure ahead. With an average wet season experienced across most of the Kimberley we knew the water crossings would be low and that the Kalumburu Rd would be opened by the time the group arrived.

First overnight stop was Timber Creek.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After years of organising and leading trips to Cape York and the Gulf Country a good friend asked why not organise and lead a trip to the Kimberley. A new challenge sounded good so back in late 2014 we decided to arrange a trip to the Kimberley, not for 2 weeks like most Cape York trips I have arranged, but for 3 months. To give us time to organise things, the trip was planned for 2018. We spent some time in the Kimberley, working for a few months at Mt Barnett Roadhouse in 2016, which helped us immensely in the planning.

Now the things we had to consider would be, allowing plenty of time at places, be flexible in the itinerary, visit as many places as possible, have a set limit on the number of vehicles and travelers and the biggest hurdle would be how do I get all these people to travel and enjoy each others company. Naturally there would be a diverse range of personalities that either would all gel together or it would be like a series of Survivor and we would be having a tribal council each week.

So the planning commenced and as the time got closer we had a total of 10 vehicles with another one to join us for part of the trip. A total of 24 people, most we have never met, have locked themselves in to explore the Kimberley. Have I bitten of more than I can chew, taken on a too bigger challenge, will I be able to carry enough alcohol to drink away the stress, but the challenge was there to guide and show these Kimberley virgins an incredible part of Australia.

 

The adventure was about to begin……