100 days of Mayhem

Its all a matter of attitude and expectations.

I used to be a bushwalker. These days, since I have been let down by my body, specifically my left knee, I am a camper. Central to both these activities is the pursuit of solitude, isolation and wilderness. So as I packed for 3 months 'camping' around Australia, my subconscious expectation was that these would be important elements in the trip. I now realise that isn't really what this trip is about. We are doing a lap of Australia to look at some of the country's iconic places. We know about these places because they are famous for their beauty. They are tourist attractions, and if we are attracted to them that makes us tourists. So we shouldn't be surprised or disappointed to discover lots of other tourists attracted to the same location.

We wouldn't expect to be alone in the Sistine Chapel, Ankor Wat, or even Uluru, so why should we expect isolation at Mitchell Falls, Emma Gorge or Echidna Chasm; Especially in the Kimberley when tourism is limited to the dry season, May to October. The tour operators call this the '100 days of Mayhem', though by my reckoning its closer to 150, but I guess that tour operators are hired more for their ability as raconteurs than mathematicians. Once you get your head around the idea that you are part of the crowd, you can relax, join the queue, and see some of the best scenery Australia has to offer.

From Mitchell Falls we headed to Surveyor's Pool. On a hot day, the cool, clear waters of Surveyor's Pool look very inviting, but unless you are willing to accept lunch invitations from saltwater crocs, it is better to stay back and just bathe in the view.

On the way to Surveyor's Pool we decided to take a short trip to the beach. We realised we were close to the Timor Sea, so we turned down the 'road' to Port Warrender. The 20 km trip took us over 2 hours as we crawled the cars, in low range, up and down rocky jump-up after rocky jump-up.

The view of Admiralty Gulf was well worth the trip. Port Warrender is home to a handful of rough fishing camps because it is the perfect environment for barramundi and crocodiles. Unfortunately, without a boat, catching the former involves a long wade across mudflats frequented by the latter. Inspired by pragmatic cowardice, we discretely removed barra from the evening's menu.

Another couple of hours of bone jarring rock hopping got us back to the 'main road' up on the plateau, but by now we were faced with waning light and tired, hungry kids so we found a clearing with spectacular view and set up camp.

The good road conditions allowed us reach El Questro near the eastern end of the Gibb River Road the next day. The eastern Kimberley is fringed by the magnificent Cockburn Range which is capped by a thick layer of laterite which forms an orange red scarp above a steep scree slope. El Questro is nestled on the western side where the range is sculpted by the Pentecost River. The station is home to some beautiful gorges, including El Questro and Emma Gorges, where the water is the clearest I have ever seen. At the end of the Emma Gorge is a large pool where the deep water seems to almost glow with a blue light. And the good people who manage El Questro had the foresight to place a cafe which sells ice cream at the Emma Gorge car park.  A very civilised way to cap off our rugged Gibb River Rd experience.

We'll see you when the dust settles.

Emma Gorge Pool

bush water

Cockburn Range

A room with a view

Durack River

Admiralty Gulf from Mitchell Plateau

El Questro Gorge

El Questro dingo

International Bad Hair Day

Cockburn Range

Horse and cart, Mitchell Plateau

the very inviting Surveyor's Pool

Emma Gorge

End of the road

Feral Invaders

As one travels through this vast country it is hard not to be a little disheartened by destruction of the wilderness caused by introduced pests like rabbits, foxes, cats, cane toads and tourists. Even in the remotest parts of the country, like the Mitchell Plateau, you can find them by the dozen if you know when and where to look. By day, they venture forth in small groups in search of scenic attractions. By night, they cluster in large mobs within safe distance of amenities blocks.

We should know, we are part of the invasion.

Like so many times before on this trip, we arrived somewhere 'remote' only to find a campsite full of fellow tourists all intent on walking for an hour down a rough track to watch water fall over a cliff. In this case, a lot of water fall over three big and beautiful cliffs. The Mitchell Falls campsite had one cacophonous difference, a helicopter base with four choppers making regular, noisy trips to the falls and beyond.

The intrusive presence of the choppers certainly divided opinion among the campers. Some thought that they diminished the whole experience of walking to and viewing the falls. Others thought that they were an exciting way to see the falls from the best vantage point. While we certainly agreed that the presence of helicopters detracted from wilderness experience, so did the throngs of people and their four wheel drives and camper trailers. Its all a matter of degree. In the end we decided to drop any pretence of being pinkogreenies and opted for an extended flight down to Admiralty Gulf, over Crystal Head and back up the Mitchell River to the falls. The walk back from the falls gave us the opportunity for swimming in some creeks and viewing some more of the fascinating Bradbury art. The whole day was as exciting and spectacular as it was selfish and decadent. Lord make me environmentally pure, but not just yet.

We'll see you when the dust settles.

Decadent capitalist pigdogs

Admiralty Gulf

Mitchell Plateau

Lower Mitchell River

Mitchell Falls

Top of Mitchell Falls

Jarrah discovers a rock

Little Merten's spa

Little Merten's spa

Mitchell Plateau Bradburys

Not So Tough

The Gibb River Road through the Kimberly has a reputation for being tough. A rough road where the reward for the adventurous is a remote wilderness experience filled with spectacular scenery. But like a fighter past his prime, I suspect this old road becomes less fearsome every year.

Maybe its because it is early in the season and the road has only just been opened and graded, but we are two thirds of the way along and have sat comfortably on 80-90 km/h most of the way. Unfortunately, good roads make the country less remote. Every camp ground seems full of grey nomads, foreign travellers, and families like us 'doing a lap'. Normally we would try to avoid the crowds by camping in the bush but this is discouraged by those who run the huge cattle stations that dominate this region.

If the road is less challenging, and the wilderness less remote, the scenery is still spectacular. Like the Pilbara, the gems are the gorges. Same, same but different! The Pilbara gorges are shy; narrow and almost hidden in the landscape. The Kimberly gorges are big and brash. Beautiful gorges like Bell and Manning with majestic waterfalls and deep big pools. But also fellow tourists. Lots of fellow tourists, often ferried in by the ubiquitous off-road tour buses.

In an attempt to escape the crowds we turned north off the Gibb River Road and headed for Mt Elizabeth Station. This station is home to beautiful waterways, aboriginal art sites and rough roads (and a chorus of dingoes howling us to sleep each night). We took a station tour to see several examples of Wandjina and Bradshaw art, and a burial site where a skull and bones rested on a ledge above a quiet pool. The Wandjina art is up to 3000 years old and depicts the dreaming of the present day indigenous peoples. The Bradshaw Art is about 20000 years old and is the work of a long forgotten culture. The present day Aborigines believe it was drawn by birds.

The next day we set off along a rough track to another gorge on Mt Elizabeth Station. The 20km drive took well over an hour and was followed by a hot, steep walk down into the gorge. Nic almost earned herself a helicopter ride out when she fell off a ledge, but her fall was broken by her backpack which saved her head and back. The effort seemed well worth it for here we were finally in the wild Kimberly, surrounded by beauty and not another human in sight. And so it was for about an hour until another family turned up, then four foreign tourists and we packed up and headed back to camp.

If Mt Elizabeth couldn't deliver us from the crowds perhaps the Mitchell Plateau could. The roads of the plateau have an even tougher reputation than the Gibb, and Mitchell Falls are supposed to be the most spectacular in the Kimberley. There was also the considerable attraction of a cold beer at the bar at Drysdale River Station along the way. After turning off to our campsite at Munuru, a moderately challenging river crossing offered the prospect of deterring some of the crowds but even though we had passed only a handful of cars all day, the campsite was well populated.

Despite the crowd, the campsite was beautiful and a great place for kids. Big swimming holes and spacious sites. Mallee and I wandered downstream in the morning and found a delightful little waterfall. After a bit of fishing and swimming and no sign of another human, we decided to go back to camp and tell the others we had finally found a piece of secluded Kimberley. On the way back we were almost run over by a tour bus. A little disappointed we nevertheless encouraged the others to join us back at the falls. We passed the tour group having morning tea in the car park but none of them took the short walk downstream. And that was the story for the whole day, despite many comings and goings at the main campsite, we were all alone at the falls. It seems that most people just use Munuru as a transit stop on the way to Mitchell Falls and don't bother to explore. Its a great place to spend a day, just please don't tell anyone.  

We'll see you when the dust settles.

road to gorge on Mt Elizabeth

Wandjina art

beers at Drysdale River Station

Bell Gorge

the kids at Bell Gorge

Fridge phone? Good thinking 99

crossing King Edward River near Munuru

King Leopold Range

spider monkeys Manning Gorge

Manning Gorge

Bell Gorge

Bradshaw Art Mt Elizabeth

Crocidyllic

We met some travellers who had done their lap of Oz anticlockwise who warned us not to compare the gorges of the Kimberly to those of the Pilbara. As we walked through Windjana Gorge we were reminded of this good advice.  The orange grey limestone of this gorge does not provide the breathtaking contrast with the sky which is typical the gorges of the Pilbara, but is nevertheless beautiful in its own right.

Windjana is also rich in history which is well documented and readily imagined. This is the country of the Banuba, at the time of colonisation one of the most densely populated places in Australia. It was also one of the last frontiers of settlement, a settlement that was vigorously resisted by its inhabitants. Prominent among the resistance leaders was Jandamara, who during the 1890s led a successful campaign against the incursions of the colonisers. The formidable limestone walls of the Balili (Napier Range) with its intricate crevices and caves were his refuge, particularly in the vicinity of Bandilngan (Windjana Gorge) and Baraa (Tunnel Creek). As you walk through these places, it is easy to imagine Jandamarra and his band disappearing into the gorge walls when pursued by the hapless police. After many raids to try and capture or kill him, Jandamarra was finally shot by an equally skilled black tracker brought in from the Pilbara.

Another interesting contrast with the Pilbara is the presence of crocodiles. In the case of Windjana, only freshies, but nevertheless the girls seemed curiously less keen on swimming.

We'll see you when the dust settes. 

Tunnel Creek

Tunnel Creek

Entrance to Tunnel Creek

Colours in the Limestone, Tunnel Creek

Mertens monitor

Boab tree against the Napier Range

Entrance to Windjana Gorge

Mallee trying hard not to smile at a crocodile

Ritual sacrifice of the last born child

Windjana Gorge Resident

Tunnel Creek flowstone

Moonrise over Napier Range

Windjana Gorge