WYNDHAM to DERBY via THE GIBB RIVER ROAD

Day 40, Wednesday 3-June-2015
KUNUNURA to PARRY’S CREEK FARM 80k
We moved the caravans to the van storage area and with the ute packed to the gunnels with only a tent, coffee, noodles and baked beans, we left the Starship Enterprise and headed of towards Wyndham via the dirt road to Parrys Lagoon, our intended camp was just a dust bowl on the edge of river with lots of weed so we

continued on to Parrys Creek Farm for our overnight stay, where we did the walking track around the farm.
Day 41, Thursday 4-June-2015
PARRY’S CREEK FARM to WYNDHAM 20k
In the morning we walked a couple of kilometers up the old Halls Creek Road through the Boab Forest then returned to pack up camp and continue our journey to Wyndham via Parry’s Lagoon stopping at the ruins of the old radio telegraph station along the way, at Parry’s Lagoon there is a bird hide and we spent some time there watching the mass of birdlife in the lagoon, plus a 4 metre saltwater crocodile basking on the opposite bank of the lagoon. We continued on to Wyndham Caravan Park where the sign in the office said “Free Van Storage” we were paying $5 per day back in Kununura ( for 5 weeks) so we decided it was worth a drive 100k back to Kununurra tomorrow to bring the vans up here.
In the afternoon we drove up to the lookout to watch the sunset over

the harbour and the 5 rivers.
Day 42, Friday 5-June-2015
High tide is at 9.00am so we went down to the jetty at 8.00am for some fishing, there were also a few other people came down from the caravan park, the water was very mirky and we were getting plenty of bites but could not hook anything, one big bite just bit the hook off the line, I did manage to land a little catfish and threw him back. We returned to camp and then headed back to Kununurra, arriving right on lunch time so we went back to that nice pub for their $10 lunch and then on to pick up the vans and bring them back to the Wyndham free storage.
Day 43, Saturday 6-June-2015
WYNDHAM to PENTACOST RIVER 81K 4WD Track
We left camp about 9am, called into the garage to re-fuel and set off on the Original Gibb River Road (now the Karunjie track) which is a 4WD track skirting the northern side of the Cockburn Ranges, we

passed the Moochalabra Dam and the Boab prison tree, it was spectacular country and for 20 Klm runs across a huge clay pan, the last 20k were the roughest through dry creek beds and deep washouts, we reached the main Gibb River Road and camped near the Pentacost River for the night.
Day 44, Sunday 7-June-2015
PENTACOST RIVER to EL QUESTRO (5464k)
We packed up camp and headed to Emma Gorge, (24k) they have a resort there, it was hard walking past the outdoor dining area to the delightful smell of bacon and eggs, but not for us, we were only there to pick up our 7 day El Questro Wilderness Park permit which also covers Emma Gorge and to do the walk up the Emma Gorge, fairly rocky climb beside and crossing the creek which ends at a spectacular rock face and waterfall with a large clear pool at the base, from there we headed over to El Questro Wilderness Park

(26k) which would be our camp for the next couple of days, there were plenty of campers already there, mainly campervans and caravans that would have come in via the main road from Kununurra.
In the afternoon we had Cappuccinos at the café and then did the short walk up to the lookout on telegraph hill to watch the sunset.
Day 45, Monday 8-June-2015
An early start at 5.30am to do the El Questro Gorge walk, we wanted to start early before it got to hot, once again a rocky climb criss crossing the creek, we went about half way which ends at a large rock and a small water fall, you can go further up the Gorge but you have to wade through waist deep water and then climb the rock to get to the start of the next section, too hard for us.
We headed back to camp for breakfast and later to the café for a spinach and ricotta roll for lunch, we also purchased a 2016 El Questro calender from the shop. In the afternoon we drove up the

Saddleback Ridge 4WD track to the lookout for happy hour while watching the sunset over El Questro.
Day 46, Tuesday 9-June-2015
EL QUESTRO to BINDOOLA CREEK 61k
John and Marilyn had an early start to do the Amalia Gorge walk, Pam and I stayed in camp, when they returned we packed up camp and then went to Zeberdee Springs for a dip in the thermal pools (not large enough to swim in), we then headed back to El Questro for a shower, change of clothes and lunch.
We were going to top up with fuel but they were out of Diesel so we continued our journey along the Gibb River Road, we were soon back at the Pentacost River, about half a metre deep water across the road in the deepest section but we drove through OK and then stopped at the Cockburn Range Lookout where to our surprise we could get mobile phone reception and took the time to phone home

and pick up text and emails. We called into Home Valley Station for afternoon tea then continued on, we had a roadside free camp picked out for the night but could not find it, it was getting late in the afternoon so we settled for a gravel pit near Bindoola Creek, it was back off the road, nice and flat but impossible to get tent pegs into the rocky ground,
Day 47, Wednesday 10-June-2015
BINDOOLA CREEK to DURACK RIVER 59k
We packed up camp in the gravel pit and had to backtrack a few kilometres to Bindoola Falls, a bit disappointing because there was no water flowing, from there we went to Nyarli Waterhole where there was a lot of birdlife and noisy cockatoo’s. Back on the Gibb River Road we travelled through to Durack River and found a great camp spot on the edge of the river with shade, fire pit and even some firewood for a camp fire that evening.
We tried our luck fishing, lost a couple of lures and the turtles ate our bait.
Day 48, Thursday 11-June-2015
Our second day camped on the Durack River, daytime temperatures are still around 30 deg but is does get cool of a night, started the day by feeding the turtles again then retreated to camp to catch up on some reading. Late in the day another couple pulled in an Apollo hire camper.

Day 49, Friday 12-June-2015
DURACK RIVER to DRYSDALE RIVER STATION 178k
We were just packing up to leave when the guy in the Apollo hire camper strolled over to see if we had a pump, one of the tyres had gone flat overnight, the spare was OK he had just had it repaired at Home Valley Station but he needed to pump up the tyre so that he could get the jack underneath it, we gave him a hand to change the tyre before leaving camp. If you ever decide to hire a camper, don’t do an Apollo, this camper had 5 bald tyres, no wonder he is getting flat tyres on these roads. From Durack River we travelled on to Ellenbrae Station for morning tea, jam scones with cream and coffee, yummy.

From Ellenbrae to Drysdale River Station, about 40k out of Ellenbrae we caught up with the Grader, the road had been pretty good up to here but we had some rough sections of corrugations from then on, particularly on the 59 Klms into Drysdale River Station which had some very bad sections of corrugations. Along the way we stopped to see some Aboriginal Rock Art, then onto Drysdale River Station for tonights camp where we fuelled up, had hot showers, got some frozen bread and had cold beer and dinner at the restaurant.
We also met some fellow travellers here that we had camped next to in Darwin and at El Questro, they were going to do a flight over the Mitchell Falls from here.
Day 50, Saturday 13-June-2015
DRYSDALE RIVER STATION to KING EDWARD RIVER 99k
Packed up camp and headed out along the Kalumburu Road, our camp tonight would be at the half way mark to Mitchell Falls at King

River Munurra camp ground, there are some small waterfalls, swimming and fishing here. The road varied from smooth to corrugated to very bad corrugations. Travellers are advised to leave their caravans at Drysdale River Station, but there are always some who choose to ignore this advice.
Day 51, Sunday 14-June-2015
KING EDWARD RIVER to MITCHELL FALLS NATIONAL PARK 85k
Packed up camp again to head for Mitchell River National Park camp ground, more of the same road plus a few creek crossings and temperature is around 30 deg, the vegetation is a mix of gums and fan palm trees we stopped at Lawley Hill Lookout along the way for morning tea. When we arrived at Mitchell Falls National Park we set up camp then booked our Helicopter flight for the next day, we planned to fly into Mitchell Falls and then walk the 3.3klms back to camp. Late in the afternoon a guy pulled in in a pop up camper, he

opened up the camper and threw out a shock absorber with the end chewed off, it had come off his caravan.
Day 52, Monday 15-June-2015
We arrived at the Helipad just beside the camp ground at 8.00am for our 8.30am flight, it is only a short flight, about 6 minutes but it was fantastic, a great view of the Mitchell Falls and Merten Falls from the air, the pilot gave us a commentary and did a couple of figure eights over the area so that everyone could get photos, we landed at the top of the falls and did a short walk of about 200 metres for the full view of the Mitchell Falls at ground level, when we walked back past the Helipad, people were calling up the helicopter base on the UHF radio to get assistance for a woman (wife of the guy who came in with the shock absorber last night), she had fallen backwards and cracked her head on the rocks, very bloody and the group was helping her to get to the Helipad, it took about 30 min for the Helicopter to arrive and take her back to camp, the park rangers looked after her until the Flying Doctor arrived to fly her out to Derby. We then had a 3.3klms walk back to camp past Merten Falls and through rainforest and open plains, arrived back at camp just in time for lunch with the rest of the afternoon to recover.
Day 53, Tuesday 16-June-2015
MITCHELL FALLS NATIONAL PARK to DRYSDALE RIVER STATION 184k
As the Chinese say, life is made up of Ying and Yang to balance everything out, yesterday was our High ( Ying) with the helicopter flight and the falls and today we were balanced out with the Yang of 2 empty gas bottles, fridge and gas stove, which meant we would have to go all the way back to the closest gas, El Questro to get them filled, our fridge works on 12v while we are travelling in the car so this was a bit of a plus. John & Marilyn went to Port Warrender and we headed back to Drysdale River Station where we camped for the night, did some washing, got a bag of ice for the fridge and had dinner at the restaurant
Day 54, Wednesday 17-June-2015
DRYSDALE RIVER STATION to HOME VALLEY STATION 335k
We got an early start for the horror 59Klms of Kalumburu Road and the rest of the trip on the just graded Gibb River Road to EL QUESTRO where we got our gas bottles filled, had lunch at the café and then headed back along the Gibb to Home Valley Station, the place was packed but fortunately we had a tent and were able to squeeze into a tiny camp space. All was not lost on this return trip because Home Valley Station had a large outdoor screen which meant we could watch the NSW – Queensland State of Origin match, unfortunately the result was NSW 26 to Queensland 18, one game each for the series. Oh, and we also had a nice dinner and cold beer.
Day 55, Thursday 18-June-2015
HOME VALLEY STATION to KALUMBURU ROAD Junction 178k
We got an early start again so that we would not get stuck behind any caravans on our return trip along the Gibb River Road, they are almost impossible to get past, travelling at 40 Kph and throwing up great clouds of dust so that you cannot see if anything is coming the otherway and most of them refuse to pull over to let you past, luck was with us and we had a clear run back to the Kalumburu / Gibb River Road Junction, we met up again with John and Marilyn a few K’s back up the Kalumburu road on the Gibb River for our overnight camp.
I also took this opportunity to blow the Red Dust out of the back of the fridge and clean the gas burner and jet, its now working better than ever.
Day 56, Friday 19-June-2015
GIBB RIVER to MANNING GORGE 117k
Our first stop today was at Barnett River Gorge, nothing spectacular here (we’ve been spoiled)so we moved on to Mt Barnett Roadhouse, had a Pie and a Coke for morning tea and did some shopping, fresh fruit and veg plus some frozen cuts of meat, we also purchased our camping permits here for Manning Gorge which was another 7 Klm drive. Manning Gorge was also very busy, we found some shade and set up out camp.
Day 57, Saturday 20-June-2015
An early start again today for the walk into Manning Gorge, the start of the walk is to pull yourself across the creek in a boat with a rope on a pulley system,we were the first on the walk this morning and the boat was full of water so we had to bail it out first before we could get started. The track was very rocky and about 2klm one way, very scenic and then returned to camp, just a relaxing afternoon exchanging info with fellow campers who had come from the opposite direction.
Day 58, Sunday 21-June-2015
MANNING GORGE to SILENT GROVE 79k (6854)

We stopped again at the Mt Barnett Road house on the way out from the Manning Gorge camp ground for ice creams, fuel and water before travelling on to Galvans Gorge, a short walk into the Gorge from the road and then onto Silent Grove where we set up camp and had a camp fire that night.
Day 59, Monday 22-June-2015
This morning we went into Bell Gorge, it is a 10Klm drive from here and then a 1.5Klm return walk, very spectacular and some great photos.
Returned to camp for a relaxing day catching up on the trip diary and some reading and another camp fire, day time temperatures are still in the low 30’s getting down to 9 deg C over night.
Day 60, Tuesday 23-June-2015
SILENT GROVE to WINDJANA GORGE 127k
Packed up camp today and moved on the Windjana Gorge camping area, once we had set up camp we drove to (32Klm) Tunnel Creek, this was far different from the Gorge’s that we have been to, it is a tunnel made through rock by many years of water erosion, this large tunnel is about 500metres long and requires wading trough ankle deep water at many sections of the walk, you also require a torch because it is pitch black for most of the walk.
Day 61, Wednesday 24-June-2015
First tweet (Birds) on ya feet, we wanted to get an early start before it got too hot for the Windjana Gorge walk ( 5klms return), we got up at

5.45 for a 6.30am start, the Gorge is spectacular and we saw 17 fresh water crocs, most of these up to 3 metres in size, it took us two and a half hours with plenty of great photos.
Day 62, Thursday 25-June-2015
WINDJANA GORGE to DERBY 149k (7215)
Packed up camp today to travel to Derby and the end of the Gibb River Road section of our trip.
We called at the information centre first to book some camp sites at Cape Leveque, we wanted 2 nights but were only able to get 1.
Set up camp in the Kimberley Entrance Caravan Park and then off to the to top up our supplies then out to dinner.