After doing the big lap in 1986 we have always wanted to return and explore the Kimberley we missed on that trip. The Gibb River Road, Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles) and a trip out to the Horizontal Falls were at the top of our must-do list.
We placed our motorhome in a Derby storage facility (for 24 days), unhooked the Suzuki, packed our camping gear and off we went in company with my husband Phil’s sister and brother-in-law. To say it met all our expectations is an understatement. What follows is just a mention of the highlights.
We visited Mornington Wilderness Camp (322,000 hectares) owned by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, which aims to deliver effective conservation for all Australian animal species. It owns 23 sanctuaries around Australia and does wonderful work. We enjoyed three days of magical scenery and birdwatching there.
Next was Mitchell Plateau – which has the beautiful falls of the same name – where we hiked the challenging three-hour track from the campground to the most beautiful series of waterfalls. I opted for a six-minute helicopter flight back to camp – an exhilarating ride and view of the whole area.
We travelled on to Kalumburu on the Kimberley coast on a not so good road. Kalumburu is an Aboriginal settlement with a population of 400. The Kalumburu Mission has been there for almost 100 years and now offers a good campground with cabin accommodation as well as the town church, art gallery and interesting museum.
As Kalumburu is 263km from the Gibb River Road you won’t find many tourists up this way. We camped on the coast at a beach campground nearby, experiencing a beautiful sunset into the Timor Sea. Many keen anglers make the journey every year during several months when the fish are abundant – we were lucky enough to be given a bag of red emperor fillets by a friendly fisherman.
A close-up view of the Horizontal Falls
Among many beautiful camp spots a stand-out was Home Valley Station on the Pentecost River. As it overlooks the magnificent Cockburn Ranges it afforded an equally magnificent view. While we were there a grey nomad lady went on a 4WD fishing tour and returned with the only barramundi caught that day. It was a record for the station at 1.25 metres; duly photographed it was released as the fish are protected at that size.
I think everyone has heard of El Questro Station. It is a beautiful place and can be visited by vans and motorhomes as it’s a sealed road from the Kununurra end with only about 17km of well-maintained dirt road to cover to reach the established campground. There are a couple of river crossings at around 300mm deep and while we were there we saw a huge tourist bus go through as well as regular vans and motorhomes.
In a squeeze through the Echidna Gorge
We enjoyed the Zebedee hot springs after a short rainforest walk, hired a tinny with an electric outboard and spent three hours totally on our own travelling up a beautiful gorge. El Questro has 26 private creek-front campsites and we spent four nights in one which allowed us access to swim in the crystal-clear croc-free creek. We also enjoyed a beautiful barra meal at the restaurant overlooking the river as a special treat. There is a big campground at the station with powered sites and excellent amenities.
After a short visit to Wyndham to restock with food we travelled down the highway to the Bungle Bungles (Purnululu); one of the most amazing places we have seen.
We camped for three nights in one of the two national park campgrounds, while we spent almost one day walking the northern end then the next day the southern end.
Three years ago cane toads arrived in the Kimberley. It’s a very disturbing situation now. A sign at our campground advised 40,000 cane toads had been collected in the campground over two weeks in April/May. We saw them trapped in deep rock holes by the dozen while we walked to the Cathedral Gorge. Rangers collected 200 the next day from these holes. Unfortunately, at present there seems to be no solution.
Sadly, we parted from our companions after the Bungles and travelled back to our million dollar penthouse (motorhome) – well, that’s what it felt like after 24 days in the tent.
It was a wonderful trip; it wasn’t easy by any means, especially at our age. We were always covered in dust, some of the walks were very challenging and putting a tent up and down for this amount of time is not what I call fun, although we were getting pretty good at it by the end. We crossed about 50 or more rivers and creeks (with water), travelled on some awful by-roads, (the Gibb River Road was quite good at the time) paid up to $2.75 per litre for fuel and did it all in our 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara. While we didn’t have a puncture we did have a shock absorber fail. Apart from that she came through unscathed. We had the time of our lives.
The final part of our Kimberley adventure was two days later on our 50th wedding anniversary when we did the Horizontal Falls overnight trip. It was a 30-minute flight by seaplane from Derby out to Talbot Bay where there was a small floating hotel (large houseboats). The hotel was positioned near the amazing phenomenon of the 11-metre tides that squeeze through two narrow gaps in the cliffs.
Windjana rock art preserved in the Kimberley
We were transferred to a powerful 900hp fast boat to traverse the falls. I did my best to take some photos while hanging on for my life during the most thrilling ride through the churning water that was trying to push through this narrow gap.
We did lots of runs through the wider falls, although the second, narrower falls were too dangerous at the time with the water being 2.5 metres higher on one side.
We then cruised effortlessly along the coast to Cyclone Bay where the houseboats are moored during the wet season. During sunset a yummy barra dinner was served on the top deck and conversation flowed for the rest of the evening with the group of 16 guests and the six staff. The latter, a wonderful group of young people who know and enjoy their job here in the wilderness for seven months every year, enthralled us with stories of their experiences while living and working out there in Talbot Bay.
After a peaceful sleep in our cabin we were up at sunrise with breakfast served and another fast boat ride through the falls before the flight back to Derby over the most amazing coastline. We can highly recommend this trip – it was a wonderful experience.
Enjoying the hike to the Horizontal Falls
