Mitchell Falls and the best day yet! (The Kimberley)

23^rd July – 25^th July

From this point for the next few days we were on a mission. When we were last on long service leave in 2001 doing a similar big trip to this one, we attempted three times to get to see the Mitchell Falls within Ngauwudu - Mitchell River National Park (115,300 ha) and three times we were thwarted by mechanical issues with the car and never made it past Miners Pool. This time we were determined to make this dream become a reality. The road however is notoriously rough with terrible corrugations so we were a bit paranoid that it might beat us and the car again.

We drove a further 100km north on the Kalumburu Rd and then turned off onto the road to the Mitchell Plateau. The 85km to the Mitchell Falls (Purnamii-unpuu) camping ground took about 2 ½ hours to drive and while there were some beautiful lookouts on the edge of the escarpment and a lot of the track took us through thick forests of Livistona Palms and past some spectacular Aboriginal art sites (mainly Wandjina figures who were the original creators of all the features of the land in Aboriginal legend but also some Bradshaw figures), it certainly lived up to its reputation as extremely rough and ready and the corrugations were really bone shaking. But we took it slowly and made it – the first part of the mission complete! We set up camp and did a short walk to Little Merten’s Falls and had a refreshing swim in the pool below avoiding the nude man sunning himself on a rock.

Next day – best day yet!!!! We started with a helicopter flight which took us over three different falls and almost out to the coast and back to Mitchell Falls. We both had huge grins on our faces the whole time – such amazing scenery and it is soooooo cool in a helicopter. The view of Mitchell Falls from the air was just like in the all the pictures we had seen with the falls cascading from the upper pool into the two larger pools below and finally into the gorge. The helicopter then set down on the rocks just near the top of the falls and let us off as we planned to explore the falls and then walk back to camp (about 3km).

From the top of the falls we wandered around the cliff face and were rewarded with more spectacular views of the tiered falls. It was just great to sit and soak this view up for a while. It was then time for a swim in the lovely rock pools that dotted the area. We discovered that you could swim from the pool we were in for about 800m and end up right at the pool at the very top of the falls (obviously stopping before you went over the falls!). The swim took in some lovely lilies and a water monitor on the way which added to the magic.  More ogling at the different view of the falls and then we swam back and just sat in the shade reading and dozing and generally feeling excellent.

We finally dragged ourselves away from this surreal place and embarked on the walk back to camp which skirted the cliff top taking in more views of Mitchell Falls and then Big Merten’s Falls then took us past a lily covered billabong and into the shade of the palm forests. Another swim on the way and we were back at our tent marvelling at this wonderful experience we had been part of.

A bottle of Henschke with dinner (carefully wrapped and brought all the way from Sydney for this very occasion) helped us to celebrate – mission accomplished! Now to get out of this place…….

Surprisingly the drive out the next day didn’t seem quite so bad as on the way in but maybe we were still on a high from the best day yet. We stopped at some more excellent aboriginal art on the way back and had a swim at King Edward River campsite just before returning to the Kalumburu Rd and south towards the GRR. Another night at Miners Pool – more swimming and a movie night in the outdoor cinema viewing The Kingsman - ah the benefits of having a nerd for a partner. Who else travels with a mini data projector and a sheet screen which attaches to the side of the car for an under the stars movie experience?

 Wandjina figures

Mitchel Falls

When I grow up I want to be a chopper pilot

Native Heather

Swimming with the locals

Time to celebrate

Bradshaw figures

The Miners pool

El Questro Station (The Kimberley)

20^th July – 22^nd July

Left Kununurra and after travelling 50km on the tar we turned onto the Gibb River Road (GRR). First stop – El Questro Station. Still a working station of over a million acres, it also offers secluded riverside camping and access to many fabulous 4WD tracks, beautiful gorges and swimming spots. 

Thanks so much to my colleague Sue Cairns’ son Sam and girlfriend Breanne for their hospitality and generosity at El Questro. They are working there at the moment and made sure we were looked after. Only sorry we didn’t get to spend more time with them and had the opportunity to buy them a drink. Sam was working the whole time we were there and Breanne was unwell.

A fair bit of down time here for reading and chilling out. We drove up to Saddleback Ridge for 360 degree views of the surrounding area and mountain ranges, saw a wonderful sunset from Pigeon Hole Lookout, enjoyed the sunshine on the water’s edge at the Chamberlain Gorge (criminal that you can’t swim but loads of crocs here) and sat on a rock in Explosion Gorge marvelling at the fantastic colours in the rock walls.

On our departure morning we headed into Zebedee Springs for a refreshing wallow in the warm springs surrounded by towering palms – perfect way to start the next part of our travels on the GRR.

The GRR after El Questro is gravel and isn’t too bad really as dirt roads go. They grade it pretty early in the dry season and if you are sensible and don’t try to break any land speed records the driving is fine. Fantastic views today of the Cockburn Ranges and the Pentecost River crossing which is a long, rocky crossing but not deep.

We stopped at Ellenbrae Homestead, an oasis of green lawns and flowers in the vast dryness all around us. Ellenbrae is a working cattle station but they cater to passing visitors and are famous for their scones, jam and cream which of course we had to avail ourselves of. You can camp at the homestead and if you do, you get to shower under a boab tree but we decided to press on. After reaching the intersection of the GRR and the Kalumburu Rd, we headed north towards Kalumburu and camped the night at Miners Pool near Drysdale River Homestead. It never ceases to amaze us where people choose to camp. You can camp at the Drysdale River Homestead where there are showers and food however, the campground is dusty and everyone is in really close proximity or you can go a further 5km down the road and camp at Miners Pool – no showers but right on the river where you can swim and there were only us and one other group camped there. Each to their own I guess!

Underwater selfie (the next big thing and you saw it first here)

Zebedee Springs

Purnululu (Bungle Bungles) National Park and Lake Argyle Flight (East Kimberley)

20^th July

We had to set our alarm this morning which isn’t what you want to do on a holiday however, it was for good reason. We had a 6am flight in a light aircraft – an Australian made Airvan. Wow – what an incredible experience. We took off from Kununurra airport and firstly flew over the agricultural farms of the area. With the Ord River irrigation system, the Kununurra region has lush, fertile areas where a variety of things are grown including mangoes, melons, citrus fruits, chia and sandalwood.  A popular place for backpackers to come and do seasonal work.

From there we flew along the Ord River, the 6^th longest river in Western Australia and then over Lake Argyle. Lake Argyle is the largest man-made lake in Australia (2,000 square kilometres) and is often referred to as an inland sea. It was formed by damming the Ord River in 1972.

From this huge expanse of water, we flew over two enormous cattle stations and then entered Purnululu National Park (the Bungle Bungles). The Bungle Bungle Range is renowned for its striking sandstone domes, striped with orange and black like a beehive. The orange layer is iron oxide and the black layer is formed by a bacteria. Purnululu is the name given to this sandstone area by the Aboriginal people and covers an area of almost 240,000 hectares. The Bungle Bungle Range was only discovered by accident in the 70’s, have been a tourist destination since 1983 and was granted World Heritage status in 2003. Stephen and I drove into Purnululu National Park in 2001 when we were in the Kimberley and walked amongst these massive structures - quite awe inspiring. To see them this time from the air was also amazing.

Too soon we were turning around and heading back to Kununurra, passing over the Argyle Diamond Mine – a huge scar on the otherwise beautiful landscape, then over Ivanhoe Crossing and a smooth landing at the airport. Such an incredible experience – will let our pictures tell more of the story.

What's the movie on this flight?

Lake Argyle

The amazing Bungle Bungles

When I grow up I want to be a pilot

Devil’s Marbles, UFOs and lots of driving

15th & 16th July

Stephen here.
It's been a while since our last update, internet access out this way has been hard to come by and that's really not such a bad thing. Jo has still managed to find time (amidst our very busy schedule) to sit and write a few words most days about our adventure. I personally have been a little lost for words since our Wycliffe UFO Centre of Australia experience, that and at the end of the day I am quite content just to sit and enjoy a cold beer under the stars (and there are oh so many stars)

Jo Here
The temperature is a lot colder than we anticipated given where we are. In Alice Springs last night it dropped down to -2 degrees. Pleased we were staying in a hotel room rather than the tent. Stayed at the Chifley Resort on the Todd River (yes dry!) and would recommend it. Nice rooms, pleasant environment, just a short walk to town and most importantly, a very good laundry.

It has been windy every day which keeps the day time temperature down too – I’ve only ventured into shorts a few times. At least we are warmer than we would be in Sydney – we hear there has been a real cold snap back home.

I had a good run before we left this morning. There is a walking/running/cycling track all along both sides of the Todd – very pleasant with beautiful gum trees lining the banks. Running is always a great way to see parts of a town I might not normally get to.

Our original plan from Alice Springs was to get onto the Tanami Road which goes diagonally north-west from Alice to Halls Creek and once in Halls Creek to head to Kununurra in order to access the Kimberley where we plan to spend quite a bit of time. Did some reading however and the Tanami Road sounds horrific – over a thousand kilometres of poorly maintained dirt road with lots of corrugations and camping only in dust bowls on the side of the road. Not that appealing and given that we have done this drive before in the opposite direction we decided on an alternative route.
So a long day of driving – Alice Springs to Tennant Creek which is approximately 550km. Not so bad though – all on really good tar roads with an open speed limit and we are listening to our first audio book along the way to pass the time – The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowlings. Her first book for ‘grown ups’ after the Harry Potter series – we are hooked and enjoying it very much so far. Highly recommended.

Today wasn’t all driving though. We got to stop at Wycliffe Well - the UFO capital of Australia!! Didn’t see any aliens unfortunately. We also stopped at Barrow Creek which many of you will remember from the disappearance of Peter Falconio in 2001. The road house there has some information about the disappearance and the ensuring investigation and court case which saw Bradley John Murphy convicted of the assault and kidnapping of Joanne Lees and the murder of Peter Falconio. Who knows what really happened but certainly if there is a body out there it will never be found – so much emptiness here.

Most interesting was our stop at the Devil’s Marbles. The wonder of nature never ceases to amaze me. Just off the side of the road in the middle of vast, flat nothingness is a series of boulders of differing shapes and sizes rising up out of the dirt. Some are balanced seemingly precariously on top of one another looking like they could topple at any moment. This outcrop is a reminder of just how ancient a county Australia is as the formation of the Devil’s Marbles would have taken millions of years.

From the Marbles it was not too far to Tennant Creek which is quite a busy town on the route from Darwin to Alice. We got accommodation in a ‘deluxe room’ (this term is very relative) in the Bluestone Motor Inn and had dinner at Tex’s Schnitzel House with 29 different types of schnitzel to choose from (who’d have thought!). Don’t think I’ve seen so much melted cheese and chips for quite some time!!!

Our second day of driving out of AIice saw us leave Tennant Creek (unfortunately the café which claimed the best coffee in the Northern Territory was closed on our departure so this will remain undisputed until we return one day) and continue north. Not much to see on the way today so the audio book got a workout.  Just over 300km north of Tennant Creek we turned left at Dunmarra, onto the Buchanan Highway (highway in name only as this is a gravel road for its entirety) in order to bypass Katherine and get onto the Victorian Highway (tar) to make our way to Kununurra. The Buchanan Highway is named after legendary stockman Nathaniel ‘Nat’ Buchanan who was one of the first to travel in these areas  in the 1870’s, found droving to be practicable in the region and held a number of pastoral leases. Quite a reasonable road for gravel so we made good time and pulled in at the Top Springs Roadhouse with time to set up our chairs in the sun, have a G & T and read for a while before dinner (steak for Stephen as we are in cattle country and more chips) and a chat with the locals in the pub (quite an eclectic crowd of road train drivers, cattle drovers and aboriginals from the outlying communities) before bed.

UFO centre of Australia, whatever!

Devils Marbles

Traffic has been really bad at times

Gregory National Park

17^th & 18^th July

Left Top Springs (top spot) and continued on the Buchanan Highway till the turn off to Judbarra/Gregory National Park which covers 13,000 square km in the transition zone between tropical and semi-arid regions of the NT. The park is renowned for its 4WD tracks so we thought we’d have a look.  We travelled on the Humbert Track from Humbert River Station at the entry of the National Park heading north. This track was used by Charlie Schultz as a stock route and to cart supplies between Bullita Outstation and Humbert River Station. The driving was quite rocky with some challenging bits. Did our first real river crossing for this trip and saw our first boab trees – they are really amazing. Had a pleasant walk out to the Gunturungjawun water hole where we sat in quiet contemplation for a while. Bush camping on the first night at Fig Tree Yard – flies are coming into full force – the fly nets had to make an appearance!

We often laugh when we are on the road at the ‘serious 4WDrivers’ who are up and at ‘em, driving well before we have even emerged from our tent. This morning was no different. We didn’t see any other cars but we didn’t manage to get on the road until 10.30am today – you can’t rush a good  porridge!! Who cares – we are on holidays.

Not far from where we camped was a lookout that we climbed up to and could see all over the Figtree Valley. Very beautiful but there have obviously been some fires recently as lots of black patches.  Continued along the Humbert Track and popped out just near Bullita Station. Worth a look as the National Parks Service have recreated the Bullita homestead with fascinating interpretive signage talking about life in cattle country – wow, what a tough life it must have been. There is also a recreation of the stock yards and explanation of how the cattle were brought in, sorted, branded and prepared to go to market.

Now on the road out of the park we took a detour on the track to Limestone Gorge were we saw tufa dams and took a walk along the calcite flow. Good to be travelling with a mad, keen Science teacher – I’m getting interesting science facts along the way to complement and explain what I’m seeing.

Not long after that we exited Gregory National Park (glad we took this route) and had a brief ice cream stop at Timber Creek to reinflate the tyres now we are back on the black top. Decided to head into Kununurra tonight so another fairly decent drive leaving the Northern Territory and entering Western Australia for the first time. This is the third time change we have had so far this trip – a bit confusing but watches are off and it is holiday time so who really cares. We also had to pass through quarantine and get rid of all our fruit, vegies and honey.  We always seem to end up with food we need to dispose of at these border crossings no matter how well we plan. We ended up giving our excess to a nice couple in the road house at Timber Creek rather than throw it away.

Finally made it to Kununurra. Mixed feelings driving in here as some of you may remember we spent a lot of enforced time in this town during our 2001 trip due to various car problems. It was nice to be driving in and staying by choice. For old time sake, we decided to stay at the same hotel – Hotel Kununurra. Nice room, good pub food for dinner (yes, more chips) and even open mic night in the beer garden for entertainment. Decided an early night was a better option.

Calcite flow caused by calcium rich waters, also present in the area are stromatolites, some of the earliest living organisms on earth

 The amazing and most unique Boab tree

Blue-winged kookaburra ( Dacelo leachii)

Old stockyards Bullita Homestead