Tue. 11th June 2019
After four nights around Broome we are ready to move on. We are due in the Bungle Bungles in three days time so have two nights accommodation to sort and we have settled on camping somewhere. We have deliberated long and hard on what route to take and what to see en route. The first draft itinerary had us driving on Highway 1 and spending two nights in Fitzroy Crossing but that would miss out Windjana Gorge unless we drove 110km there and back on unsealed roads.
Then a route via Derby and the beginning of the (in)famous Gibb River Road hit my radar. The Gibb River Road is an adventure junkies dream as you are told to take two spare tyres, massive provisions and a gazillion litres of water to traverse this 660km dirt track, fording rivers and negotiating rough roads. The down side was Google kicked up three days of 7 hour driving which would be too much with sightseeing as well. Now we are here both those myths have been broken. The lady in the Broome Information Centre told us that Google calculated unsealed roads at 20km per hour which is a ridiculously slow speed and also that the first bit of the Gibb River Road is now sealed. Our plan was then decided.
We booked the National Park campsite at Windjana falls, bought food we could cook on our little gas burner and set off at 8:30am fuelled up after our cooked breakfast. We were in Derby (pronounced Derrrrrrby) by coffee time and so progressing well. What a difference to Broome, with its one main street lined with boab trees. This early start also gave us time to see the main highlights of Derby. The first being the Boab Prison Tree, which is about 1,500 years old and when its trunk was hollowed out it was possible to put the prisoners in the tree and watch over them so that they could not escape. I say prisoners but it was more likely to be kidnapped Aboriginal people taken for divers and workers in the pearl industry. As it is an important Aboriginal site it is not possible to get too close.
A tour group was also there so it was a quick step to the cattle trough and bore before them to get a photo. The trough is 120m long so 500 cattle could drink at once. I am just reading a book about a cattle worker so this brings the droving of cattle into reality. This is fed from a 322m deep bore which was sunk in the early 1890s. Right next door is Frosty’s Pool, built in 1944 as a bathing area for the many troops stationed here in WW2 and named after Charles Frost. Not very exciting though, just a small square concreted hole in the ground.
Due to the reputation of the Gibb River Road it was never on our radar to drive along the length of it, so it was a surprise to find the first part tarmaced. Just past our turn off from the Gibb River Road was the Lennard River Crossing so we detoured to see this. We expected the road to go though a river bed crossing to give us a taste of what we were avoiding. Disappointedly it was a bridge crossing! As time goes on all these things become more tame. We have now heard of “tag along tours” where a leader guides a groups of independent travellers in their own vehicles to travel the length of the road together, giving added security in case you get into trouble.
It was only 22km off the GRR to our camp site and quite easy driving on the gravel road. We had a sweepstake over how many vehicles would be on the campsite and we both undercalled it by a long way. The quiet site (no generators allowed) had about thirty vehicles and the other site had more. Not quite as off the beaten track as we expected. It even had an unexpected showers block, but no kitchen. We are now getting quite speedy and setting up camp so we were soon sorted and ready to explore.
Windjana Gorge was a short walk from our campsite so we had plenty of time to explore before sunset. The terrain on our drive had been mainly flat savannah with dry grass growing but as we turned into the campsite area we saw the rockfaces of the gorge emerge. Our walk took us through a small gap in the rocks to the riverbed.
This bed was initially mainly dry but soon we saw there was water and it contained about a dozen fresh water crocodiles lazing either on the bank or just under the water surface. Fresh water crocs will only get aggressive if you bother them so we kept our distance. Salt water crocs are the complete opposite and to be avoided. Between the docile crocs and the sun on the cliff faces we had great fun with our cameras.
On our return walk we detoured onto the Savannah trail, which was completely different scenery, walking through the parched grassland on flat terrain, interspersed with boab trees. We caught a glimpse of a wallaby jumping through the tall grass. Back at base we had an early supper, as it is easier to cook and eat before it gets too dark. We are getting used to sunset around 5:30pm and being tucked up in our roof tent by 9:30pm. No partying in the campsites and it is soon all quiet as everyone turns in. This does mean everyone will begin to stir around 6am. Just mentally adjust your internal clock and you get used to it.