El Questro is a very large property on which there are many spectacular spots that tourists visit. I did not have time to take in all of them. I will cover those that I had a look at.

The next morning I continued north along the Gibb River road. There were a number of Jump Ups to be negotiated. These are climbs to the top of mountain ranges many of which seem to run east to west. The final one offered a splendid view across the next valley. One could see right across the next valley to the upper reaches of Cambridge Gulf and the town of Wyndham. This town is a Nickle ore export harbor. I could also see a number of major rivers emptying into the Gulf.

View across Cambridge Gulf to Wyndham

A while later I reached the turnoff to El Questro.  Another good many kilometers I reached the grounds of this tourist resort and was impressed by how well developed it was. Great caravan and camping facilities. The general visitor area is impressive as well. The general visitor cannot get to the upmarket facilities.

After a while I carried on touring and went on to El Questro Gorge and to Zebedee Springs.Both destinations are spectacular. As I entered these gorges I could feel the air becoming warmer and more humid. It was like stepping into the sub-tropics. Palms replaced the normal vegetation and the water in the streams became clearer and warmer. Both these gorges were similar in the type of rock and vegetation. It was close to two km up the gorge to get to the spring. Many people were doing the same thing. The water at the spring came bubbling out of the rocks and measured 32 degrees Centigrade. The natural rock formations have created a number of pools where tourists enjoy a natural spa bath.

El Questro tour bus crossing the Pentecost River

Clear water

Start of Zebedee Springs gorge

Tropical climate, palms and stream with deep pools

The water comes out the ground at 32C.

Nothing like a swim!

On the return trip I had to negotiate the Pentecost River once more. That got the adrenaline going as the water was touching the top of the bonnet and I did not have a snorkel on my Patrol. I was aware that if the vehicle stopped I would have to wade through chest high water that was the home to many crocks.

Pentecost River, wider than 50 meters

Somewhere in there Crocks are lurking

Just across the Gibb river road is the turn off for Emma Gorge. This place is sensational. After walking half an hour up a hot canyon I reached this great pool that has a river trickling down an escarpment. The icy water is very refreshing and most people have a swim before heading back.

Canyon walls closing in

Petrified river bed; see the ripples on what was sand once

Yours truly having a swim

I returned to the Gibb River road and completed the last section to the Kununurra – Wyndham road. I decided to spend the night at the Wyndham caravan park which offers shady sites and clean facilities. Wyndham is located on the Cambridge Gulf. It has a large Nickle ore loading facility.

Wyndham ore loading facility.

Cambridge Gulf

Queen Victoria Head

The road is getting rougher with more bends and steep climbs to be negotiated in the process of getting through a raft of mountain ranges and spectacular hills. Every now and then one comes across random bush fires that burn out of control. It seems that aboriginals still light fires to burn off the scrub for the next season. Every time one crosses hills, the mountain ranges and valleys are visible for many miles ahead. This serves as a reminder that the Kimberley is definitely not a flat country. A good few rivers are to be crossed; I would not want to do this in the wet season. The road would be unnavigable. Once in a while a road train has to be dodged so one has to drive with care.

Heaps of mountain ranges

What a rock wall!

A few hundred clicks further is the Mt. Barnett Roadhouse. This serves as a ‘half way house’ as there is a store and fuel is available.  They cater for overnighting of various sorts. Another good distance further is the turn-off to Kalumburu. The Gibb River road makes a right hand turn and continues to El Questro. The road to Kalumburu is very bad and rough. However it takes in the Drysedale River, Drysedale station, Mitchell plateau and falls. Kalumburu itself is some distance from the coast where you will find the scenic Honeymoon bay. I decided to give this fantastic area a miss and leave it for another trip because of time constraints. Several times I left the road to pursue tracks and explore the country side. There are many gorges in this country, some of which are very deep. Some of the rivers that are crossed have very long pools that just invite one for a swim to cool off from the heat. It is then that I remembered the Salties and so turned up the air condition instead. As a rule nobody drives at night in the Outback. It is too dangerous. No cattle properties are fenced around the road and the cattle roam freely. By the late afternoon I pulled off the road and set up camp next to a river. Some other weary travelers joined me and once again turned in for a well-deserved rest after a day’s travel and a fire.

Deep rock walls down to the river in the chasm

If you follow the rift it looks as if the land has been ripped apart

http://www.about-australia.com/attractions/boab-prison-tree/

Almost in Derby I reached the turnoff to the Gibb River road. Just short of the Gibb River road turnoff is a picnic area and a fenced off section with a Boab tree with a very large trunk that has been hollowed out by the weather. It is many hundreds of years old and was used in the old British days a s a local prison where miscreants were held by police until they could be transported to a prison.

See the link above.

Windjana Gorge

I started off along the Gibb River road and was surprised that it is a bitumen road to start off or very well maintained and graded red dirt road. All over the place one can see big Boab trees that add something special to the local scenery. I was heading to the turnoff of the Leopold Downs road, the route to two very remarkable sites.

Dreamtime like spindly arms of a Boab; making it look like a night time ghost.

I intended going down this road to visit Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. This road leaves Gibb River road heading east towards Fitzroy Crossing and eventually terminates close to Kununurra in the north. It is an average gravel road, but takes in the two spectacular sites above.

Shortly after turning off I could see a dark mountain range on the horizon. I had read about this range that it was in fact a coral reef from the Devonian period some 370 million years ago. Some planet upheaval had raised this up and the reef had now petrified into hard rock. It is absolutely massive and tens of kilometers long and in parts wider than one kilometer, There are valleys between the ranges where water has carved a passage over the millennia. The sky in the Kimberley is a fantastic blue and the vegetation is sub-tropical trees and scrub.

I turned into the Windjana Gorge camping area and proceeded along the path towards the massive wall of the reef. The path leads towards the mountain until a small triangle shape gap appears that takes you through the rock into the valley beyond. The path takes you along the river that is filled with some prehistoric fish and many Freshwater Crocodiles… Not the man eating Salties, but the smaller Freshies that feed on frogs and the like. A bit further the path takes you onto the dry river bed which is filled with soft white sand that looks like a great beach. Of interest are some of the side walls of the reef that still contain fossilized shells.

Tunnel Creek

I left the gorge and travelled another 20 km to get to Tunnel Creek. It is named so as there is a river that has tunneled a passage way under and through the coral reef/ mountains from one side of the reef to the other. The tunnel is around 700 meters long and pitch dark. You need a good torch to get from one end to the other. You have to wade through the river up to waist high in ice cold water and there are Freshies that live there.

When I stuck my foot in I did not know how deep it was going to get. It was cold and I thought ‘no, bugger that’. As I was about to chicken out I saw a light approaching from the other side. It turned out to be a 12 year old boy and his skinny mother that had done the trip and returned. Well, they shamed me into doing the trip into the unknown.

12 year old boy and mother exploring

As you approach the entrance to Tunnel Creek you walk around some massive rocks and then enter through a triangular opening. Next thing you know you are in the tunnel which at this point has a huge vaulted ceiling that stretches off into the dark distance. You are walking on dry river sand that suddenly is replaced by water that is cold and waist deep. Bring along a good bright torch as this is the only light around. About one third of the distance in, the roof has collapsed on the side and the light shows the opening where bats are hanging in the dark corners. You can see the vegetation on top of the reef as you look up the valley from the point of collapse.

Looking back to the entrance

I turned back into the dark and headed through the rest of the tunnel. Just after the half way point it makes a left turn and then heads for the exit. This is visible from far away. The exit is beautifully structures by the natural forces. At the exit one looks into a pretty valley and river which is located on the other side of the mountain. See pics.

Exit

I returned the way I had come and drove back to the Gibb River road. By then it was getting late . So I set up camp next to the Lennard River some 50 meters from the road. I enjoyed a peaceful evening before turning in.

 Fitzroy River

It was time to leave  Broome and say goodbye to my friends. The next morning, after a coffee I hit the road north into the Kimberley. Rugged country, tough country that is what I was expecting. Beautiful and stunning country that is what I got.

Some 140 km north of Broome there is a turn off that leads to the lower reaches of the Fitzroy River. There are no signs at the turnoff except for the Boab trees (baobab in Africa). The road quickly turns into a track that goes on forever.  Eventually one reaches the banks of the river. It is wide, especially at high tide. You can see the course of the river for a few kilometers. There are a good few tents and caravans camped in the bush on the banks of the river as the insiders know that this is a killer Barramundi spot. The place is littered with massive Boab trees and it is dead quiet here; very relaxing. There are heaps of big crocks in the river as well. Luckily the bank along the river is very high.

The land is privately owned/leased and there are many mobs of Brahman cattle running around so you have to be careful on the tracks as the Brahmans loom over your vehicle and do not always get out of the way.

Fitzroy river

The tracks follow the river bank for miles. I did carry on towards the mouth of the river and eventually found a great camping spot under some trees where I could set up my camp and roll out my swag. Conditions were perfect for open air camping. Had a look around the general area and as the pics will show, the river banks alternated with grassy areas and treed sections where one could find shade and shelter…and ants and other surprises. Read on.

Home sweet home (:-))

I walked around and found a few fishing spots. Finding firewood was a bit harder as it was late in the season and much wood had been harvested already. I made a fire, cooked some food and turned in. I was getting comfortable in the dark but it was very humid so I stuck my one leg out from under the sheet. I was just falling asleep when I heard and felt that ‘plop’ as something wet and cold attached itself to my leg that was resting in the fresh air. It felt like something slimy had sucked it self onto my leg. Not one to panic I Reached out for the torch (I never sleep in the bush without a bright torch and heavy stick next to  my bed). As the light switched on I saw the two eyes of a green Australian frog look at me from my leg; see pic. He left me and continued hopping around the camp for the rest of the night. Talk about strange sleeping partners.

My sleeping mate!

Several hours later I was woken up by the snorting and hoof thumping of a mob of Brahman cattle. Turns out I had set up camp on the trail for their nightly migration along the river bank. They were about to walk over me when the camp smell and the car spooked them. Once again my torch saved me. I switched on the bright light in the middle of the night and that shocked them and spooked them. They turned and fled as one.

I got up early and did some exploring and fishing for the mighty Barra. After losing most of my lures I eventually caught a decent size Barry on a crappy old lure I had purchased at Kmart for less than $4 some years ago. I apologise for the bad pic, but just to make sure I did catch & land one Barra.

I need to explain that I ate very well as I have a 40ltr car fridge that allows me to carry milk and meat etc for days without spoiling. The fish was tied to a tree branch with some rope and within an hour the ants had found it and had navigated to the fish via tree n\and rope, I had to wash them all off and store the fish in the fridge.

After another brilliant evening in the bush I departed early the next morning. I planned to get back to the main road to Derby and head for the Gibb River road. This iconic outback road heads north a few kilometers outside Derby.

Time at James Price Point (JPP)

My good mate Watto and I decided to spend a day visiting this spectacular destination on the Dampier peninsula. We got away fairly early and turned onto the road to the Dampier peninsula and JPP. When we left the bitumen and rode onto the red dirt the immediate impact was sensory. The color of the sky and the landscape changed and became more vivid. One also noticed immediately that the bush was dry. Much of West Australia is enduring a prolonged dry spell.

James Price Point shot to prominence when Woodside Petroleum wanted to level hundreds of acres here to build a harbor and gas refinery. It caused an international outcry and many hundreds of people involved themselves to either protest, camp and obstruct at the site, lobby politicians or collect signatures to send to their local members of Parliament. Even Sea Shepherd was  involved.

As you can see from the pics this place has stunning colors, has a thriving marine life and is close to the breeding ground of Southern Right Whales. At the southern end of this area turtles emerge during winter to lay their eggs on the beach at night, see pic.  Beautiful reefs exist just 50 meters from the beach where a multitude of shells live. I have seen massive clams, textile cones and many cowries when I dived there 2 years ago.

And this is the area that politics and business were happy to sacrifice for profit when there are alternate options available!!!

On this visit, my third, there are  signs still standing, maintained by dedicated protesters / campers who come here year after year to relax, soak in the natural beauty and just chill. I am sure they keep an eye on things too.

As this was my first visit in two years it was interesting to see the changes from the heyday of the protests. The major camp at the turnoff to JPP had totally disappeared. The smaller camp 2km from the coast had fallen into neglect. It had been used by campers during the winter season but was empty now. Campers fill this area during the winter months year after year. At JPP itself a few campers remained. By end of September it is getting quite hot already and the winter campers, who came to enjoy the benign weather, had gone back south over the last month.

We saw a Fish Eagle sitting in the tree and it was in no way concerned by us. The aboriginal elder / spokesperson (Janet) was no longer at JPP. She had left the place months earlier to return to Broome to live with family. I have included pics of the great spot she had used for years. Only a broken down panel van remains.

Our friend Dave still remains. He has been coming here for 9 years I think. He still rates this as one of the top spots in this area. See pics of his camp. He is known for finding dinosaur footprints amongst the rocks at low tide. There are some really good fishing spots in this area. Dave manages to catch a feed quite often.

We drove north along the coast on the gravel road to explore more of JPP. Pics of some of the stunning coastline below. At low tide many reefs emerge from the water and reveal great fishing spots. There is vehicle access to a great beach which leads to the next rocky point 9 km up north.

Also see this link:   https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=144528419227958&set=ms.c.eJw9ybkRACAMA7CNOOw43%7E%3B6LUQQodYLkLJlXK2gL1%7E%3BQAez%7E_zyWzP73k8Y74OgNsQCw%7E-%7E-.bps.a.105255276488606.1073741827.100010124012478&type=3

Unfortunately I had to head back home after two more days. It was great to catch up, catch some fish and recharge my batteries.

I had not been to this most beautiful part of Australia for 2 years now. The time has come to visit some good mates up there once more. It is generally accepted that Broome is the southern end of the Kimberley region in the north west of Australia. For my money the Kimberley region is the most magnificent region in Australia. It is one of the few regions in this country that is still largely untamed. It is stunningly beautiful. It has a great diversity of landscapes from 320 million year old coral reefs that stand as mountain ranges to billion year old, ochre colored mesas that are crumbling to dust and reflect mind blowing colors at sunrise and sunset.

This will be my fourth visit to this area. I look forward to time spent fishing, camping on the beach, boating, yarns around the camp fire and the odd beverage. Broome is the southern delimiter of the Dampier peninsula which sports a number of Aboriginal settlements and has the famous Cape Leveque as its westernmost tip. Broome itself owns the world famous and stunning Cable Beach. I cannot wait!

OK, I will confess. I am sitting at Perth airport waiting for my connecting flight to Broome. Look at my destination pic below; the magnificent Cable Beach, Broome