Mitchell Falls

There is not much to say about Mitchell Falls, another beautiful place.  We were going to fly in by helicopter and walk out but we got to talking to 3 couples travelling together...2 tvans and a vista RV...and we decided to walk into the falls and out again.  I couldn't resist the challenge, silly me, the heat is frying my brain, I am still doing crazy things!!!  The walk is 4.3 km one way and at 8am we were on our way to our destination.  On the way we found the first lot of aboriginal rock art (took us abit of rock scrambling and climbing through a few trees around the base of Little Mertons Falls.

Then we came to Big Mertons Falls, where we spotted a croc down below having a swim

can you see the croc?

We saw photos of the Mitchell Falls in the wet season in full flood and I am glad I am seeing it like this...

top of the falls

wading across upstream to get a view of Mitchell Falls

We had a rest, something to eat, walked along a grass track and climbed some rocks to get a better view

then we found a little spot in the water under a waterfall to have a dip to cool down

...we jumped in with our clothes on to get ready for the walk back...a lot of good that did...by the time we put our shoes back on we were almost dry.  We could have done with more drinking water, it was getting into the later part of the morning and walking through  the Savannah Wood area was hot work but we made it back to camp by lunch and we plonked ourselves in our chairs and rested and rehydrated for a couple of hours.
It was hot during the day and the closest place to swim was about 100mt walk back toward Little Mertons Fall, all we did was sit in the shade and drink...anything running for the rest of the day and night.  We paid for 3 nights to camp here but we only stayed 2 nights, it was too hot with no relief.  Our beauty sleep was woken by a thump in the night or should I say on the kitchen bench.  the night before we had something tap dancing on the roof but that little blighter took one too many steps to the right and slid off the roof.  Tonight we thought we had a visiting dingo, we jumped up with touches in hand and Steve bravely stepped out into the dark and chased a bandicoot/rat thing into the bushes but he had left his little foot prints on the bench while he got to sniff around the tea and coffee containers.  After we collected all our belongings and bought them inside we got a peacefull nights sleep...little bugger.
Tuesday 27 August:  After we left the camping ground we stopped into a parking area to look at the view of the plateau but couldn't see much...someone needs to get in there with a chain saw and chop a few trees out, hahaha, only kidding.  We stopped at another spot along the way and there was a sign walking track...so off we go again, we don't even know where, what or why we are walking but our tvan and vista friends are here also.
We find there are aboriginal rock art everywhere in the area and it is about 30 000+ years old, we walk some more along grass trodden tracks and find a fenced area and here...OMG...is a burial site in the rocks, amazing.

We stopped at King Edward River in the day area and had some lunch and then went for a walk to read a couple of signs.  I didn't take my camera to read a couple of signs but Steve and I go for a walk down to the river, bugger, always take your camera!!!  Another beautiful spot, plenty of water in the river to swim and a huge rock shelf to walk on that was coloured red and orange (and the usual black and browns) but beautiful and we followed the water flow down to another small waterfall.
We did the drive back over the same rocks, bumps, lumps and corrugations and we caught up to the tvans and vista so we had to hang behind them until Drysdale River Station and we drove on back to Plain Creek, it was so peaceful there we decided to camp there again on the way back.
Along the Gibb we have to take our rubbish with us and there are a few rubbish disposal spots on the way so we stopped at the one on the intersection of the Kalumburu and GRR.  Steve opened the car door and a million ...and one flies flew in (everyone wants to get out of the heat) so I round down my window to get rid of them...bad idea...the rest of the flies flew in the window. So I closed the window and sat there with all my new found fly friends till Steve got back in the car...then we spent about the next hour shooing and killing flies while driving down the Gibb  (the things we do to pass the time haha).
Past the Gibb River Station and Hann River Free camp and turned off to the Barnett River Gorge.
Its a 3km drive of rough, rocky track to a cleared area where we camped for the night.  after we set up camp about 6 cars come and go for a walk and then back and drive off while we sit in shade.  Just as well no one asked us any questions because we new diddly squat.  There was an arrow on a sign that said follow the piles of rocks...well there were piles of rocks everywhere.  We over heard a conversation between some travellers of where to go so after lunch when everyone was gone we took to the track and we found that there were man made piles of rocks along a rough walking track

We walked between rocks and long grass for about 20minutes and found ourselves on top of the gorge wall looking at a beautiful water hole below and can't get to it

.  .  We walk back trying to get to the water for a swim and finally back at our starting point we cross over 2 dry creek beds, through the long grass and hopping over fallen trees we found a swimming hole but not a place where I would swim freely so we hopped into the shallows and cooled off and headed back through the bush to camp.

We walked off the track into an open space and found the water running over some rocks about 100mtr from camp...argh.

By about 4.30pm we were by ourselves and sitting in the quiet we could actually hear the water fall near our camp. The sunsetting makes for a beautiful background.

Plenty of bugs here at night so we turned off all the lights after dinner and sat in the dark looking at all the ufo's flying around in the sky.  I was getting a bit uneasy as I was hearing movement in the long grass right in front of where we were sitting and seems I saw a big snake slide in the dry creek bed my satellite watching was over pretty quick.  7.30pm I was getting ready for bed and we heard a car coming down the track...desparate for a camping spot to come here at this time of night but we didn't here a sound from them.

We were woken at 6.30 this morning by our late comer and they were off.  Our next stop was Manning Gorge, still plenty of water we had been told We paid for one night at the roadhouse and it was half price because the showers were not working in the camp grounds but the roadhouse showers were available to use, you just had to drive the 7km from the campground to get here.  As soon as we arrived we saw Charlie and Sandra's van and car, we parked in the shade and went and had a cuppa with them.  The campground has a huge part of the river that everyone can swim in

and you have to cross it to go on the Manning Gorge walk but things have improved...now there is a tinnie we can hop into and pull ourselves over to the other side.
After we set up once again, we go on the walk to the gorge,  did not read the sign properly, again, thought the walk was 1 and a half hours return. no no no... 3 hours return. (Should have taken more water and a bigger lunch).  Lots of rocks to climb, thank goodness I was born with long legs but there was a couple of times I could have used that extra 14mm in my right leg hahaha.

It took us an hour to reach another beautiful place to swim....but we did have to walk back.

After about an hour, shoes were back on shirts were dunked in the water and put back on and we were back to cross the river in less than an hour and it was straight back in the water for another swim.
This morning we were fore warned that the Variety Bash Car Rally were arriving and the cars started rolling in about 2.30pm.

A dozen of them came down to the river to have a swim, a few beers and goodness knows what else in the river, but a funny bunch of blokes.  One bus had run off the road, driver fell asleep at the wheel and trucks with spare tyres, portable loos and showers, food, fuel and everything else they needed.  They were driving from Echuca Vic to Broome WA.  There were about 60 cars so we decided to stay another night and let them get way in front of us before we got back on the road again.  Met another couple, Jan and John, from Geelong, Steve's home town, and they had met Sandra and Charlie before and we had seen there car at Mitchell Falls, anyway the 6 of us got together tonight for 5 o'clock drinks after our 4 o'clock swim/bath and our happy hour went till 8pm.  We never did get to try Jan's cake she baked in the dream pot!

Saturday 31 August and a another month has flown by.  We pack up today to go to Bell Gorge, Sandra and Charlie are heading to Derby and Jan and John are staying to do the walk to the gorge.  We drive to Silent Grove campground and another hot day is ahead of us.  It is never much off 30C by 8am.  We have by passed a few more places on the Gibb as we are told how dry it is, the travellers grapevine is a great line of communication and we have so many new friends. 
Our first stop today is Galvans Gorge, it is close to the road.  A couple of cars and a tour bus is there and it is only a 15 min walk to the water hole.  We aren't dressed for the swim and it is crowded with the tour bus people so we take our pics and head to Adcock gorge.

We have to drive 5km off the road and through a water crossing

to a turning circle where we park and then a walk over rocks to the water hole full of small fish and a tree full of cockatoos that fly the circle of the amphitheatre of the gorge walls.

We see a water monitor swimming, rock wallaby and 2 wallabies with a tail like a ring tail possum, curled and very fluffy.  So peaceful and cool here I would have loved to hope in the water here but didn't.  On our way out we passed 2men and a lady, one man had a german accent and saw Steve and said "more people, a real Australian with a beard and everything" hahaha.  Then the lady says "is that a real croc on that rock or a plastic one!"; and sure enough on a rock was a very well fed freshie.

We got to Silent Grove and here we have solar hot showers and flushing toilet...we haven't had these luxuries for over a week.  We park in the shade and we have drinking water on tap that comes from a permanent water supply from the Bell Creek.  We stayed here for two nights, and today Father's Day we have to drive 10km to park the car and do the 1km walk to the gorge and then another 500mtrs over rocks to the water hole...ahhhh swim...there is plenty of water coming over the falls.

We got back to camp before lunch and boy it is hot, about 40 in the shade...we went in the showers in our clothes and just sat in the shade all day in wet clothes.  Tonight the air is still and plenty of bugs and beetles hanging around.  After my shower I had to shake out the bugs and beetles off my towel and then shake my clothes to make sure I was the only one wearing them.  In bed by 8pm and it is 29C...yuk.  Our little 12v fan is getting a work out.
Monday 2 September:  We are going to Windjana Gorge today and the only stops on the way to look at the views of King Lenard Ranges,

the ranger at Silent Grove told us Leonard Gorge was dry don't bother stopping there and we got to Windjana well before lunch.  It is very dry and very windy and the ranger is driving around the camp picking up all the timber at the fire places.  We waited till the afternoon and went for a walk into the gorge to look at the crocs.

We saw about 40 freshwater crocs.  There is not much water here so all the crocs are in one area and they were on the sand bank where we were walking and the crocs didn't even blink an eye lid as we walked past.

At Windjana there is solar showers and flushing toilets and I soak down in my clothes in the shower and sit in the shade. (I've never had so many cold showers in my life).
Another hot night at Windjana, Steve had to unplug one of the engel fridges from the car and plug it to the battery on the tvan because everything is working overtime in this heat.  Only one night at Windjana and we are off to Derby.
 Day one at Derby, we pull into our site at the West Kimberley Lodge and we have real plastic grass, oh so nice to take your shoes off and not walk on rocks and a rack and bag to tidy up the leaves on the back fence; how novel we can do domestics...just like we were at home!!!

But we still have to do the ususal, set up and sit in the shade...its hot, hot, hot.  Too hot to even get up and change to go for a swim or get lunch, we just have snacks...salami and biscuits. I did get some washing done but more still soaking in the bucket.  We found a local fish and chip shop for dinner...no maccas or kfc here.
Day two Wednesday is sightseeing day, drove out to the prison boab tree (we saw this 20 years ago and it has changed a little),

Frosty's Pool, built for the Army soldiers to cool off in

 

60foot water trough that was used back in the day to water the cattle being mustered up to the pier. 

 Out to the Waste water wetlands that has been made from the overflow filtered water from the towns waste water then out to the mudflats to the "Dinner Tree".

 Navigated Steve through the neighbourhood to find the Windmill Café...Steve needed a coffee and it was a good one he said.  Then to the pier and watch the 10metre tide coming in, only for a while and had a look at the centenary pavilion with a mosaic of 30 000 pieces of tiles put together by the local community...quite impressive piece of art work.

 Back to town found the local newsagent and bought a couple of lottos to try and win our fortune and then found the old gaol where the aborigines were locked up in.  What a horrible place with horrible conditions for these people, but that's how it was back in the day. 

 Well that's about it for us back to camp for lunch...too hot for lunch just more snacks.  I went for a swim to cool off and had a chat to the owner of the caravan park, Sean, the park is up for sale so he and his wife can travel.
By the time I got back to the tvan I had dried off.
We sat around till about 5pm and it had cooled off enough and we went and did some grocery shopping, maybe no maccas but there is a Woolies supermarket but first we went up to the pier to watch the sunset but not quite late enough.


Woolies was nice for a while in the air con but how long can you walk around... until the staff start looking at you funny and ask you to leave because the store is closing for the day?
Today is Thursday 5 September and it is office work day:  bill paying, emails, working out our travel plans and blogging.  First we went for a walk back to Woolies (I had bought a bag of dark choc bits to ice  my no bake mint crisp slice and I want milk choc bits).  Across the road was a camping shop...ahhhh yes air con...so we went in there for a while, bought nothing but cooled off before the walk back to the caravan park and had a swim in the pool now sitting here getting bitten by midges but at least it is getting cooler!!!

Tomorrow, Friday, we have to pack up because we are going on the overnight Horizontal Falls Tour and we will be back Saturday morning and we will be on our way again, via the poling booths and taking the short cut (gravel road) to Middle Lagoon on the Cape Leveque Road so we will be out of contact again till we get back into Broome.

Cheers
Got to go the midgies are driving me crazy...got get the bushman's!!!

The Gibb River Road

Thursday 22 august, this morning we are leaving Kununurra after finding out we can't vote here and we collected our mail from the Post Office and we are on the road by 8am and it is already 30C.

There is bitumen all the way to El Questro Station (ELQ), we pass the turn off to Emma Gorge and we have been told by many Emma Gorge is not worth the walk in, a couple of hours and not much to see so we turned off into ELQ and pulled up to the first gorge walk, it is a minimum 3 hr walk and we have to get a visitor's pass to be on the property at the homestead first. We know it costs $40 for an unpowered site and $10 pass pp for the day. We have been told a 2 day stay is $120. We would have to stay a few days to do all the walks and we didn’t want to commit ourselves for so long when we have only just started the Gibb River Road (and others had told us that Home Valley Station was a nice place to stay as well). We didn’t even make it to the ELQ homestead we drove to Home Valley Station (HV8) instead. The gravel road started on the Gibb River Road as soon as you drive past the ELQ turn off and there is a lot of upgrading going on …maybe more bitumen on the way.

It didn’t seem far and we reached the Pentecost River crossing and as we expected the water level is very low, the crossing is all rocks and easy to get across.

this is suppose to be a video...oh well

A few kms up the road and we get to the turn off for HV8 and it's another 2km of dirt till the gate of HV8,

 

it’s like a big park: grass, trees, horses in the yard, powered and unpowered sites, playground for the kids, pool, bar/bistro and varied accommodation. We arrived fairly early and have a choice of spots to choose from ($34/n unpowered) and we park next to a shelter shed with a picnic table.

 

 

We are here for about an hour and others start to arrive. It is hot but at least there is a breeze, it is quite pleasant if there is some breeze and of course a pool to swim in is even better. A couple, Bruce and Libby, park behind us in a big rig (truck) and we realized they were up at Cobourg Peninsula when we were there. Another Trakky (trackmaster caravan owner) pulled up next to us, Charlie and Sandra from Victoria, and they knew the other Trakkys we had met previously. We are heading in the same direction so I’m sure we will keep bumping into each other.  Any spare time we have...which is plenty...we spend cooling down in the pool.

Friday morning 7.30am and we are off on a walk to Mt Baldy.  I pack a back pack full of water and food for an up hill battle of 84m, expecting a hard climb in the hot sun...we had an easy gradual walk and we arrived at the top in half an hour..."Are we here already?"...and there was a sign to prove it that was falling over so Steve added some rocks to prop it up a bit more.

afternoon sun  on the Cockburn Ranges

 

We had a great view of the Cockburn Ranges and the mouth of the Pentecost River.  We took our mobiles  with us and got 3 bars of Telstra up there so we took advantage and rang Andrew.  On the track all the way up were snake slides in the soft dirt but we didn't see a one, not a big one anyway.  We were nearly back at the start of the track and I heard a rustling in the leaves on the ground so I stood still and there on the ground was a baby snake, about 12 inches long and as thick as my pinkie, almost cute but we left him alone, probably will be a bird's lunch later on.
Back at camp by about 9am, what do we do now...go for a swim of course.
After lunch we went for a drive down to have a look at the River Campground.

The campground is beside the Pentecost River and if you camp here you have to camp on the far side of the track away from the bank of the river and we soon found out why.  About 200m up the river we spotted a saltwater croc on the mud flats that we thought (looking through the binoculars) was a sizeable animal, then all of a sudden a head popped up on top of the water and then disappeared in the water just as quick and the head looked about 1/3 of the size of the full croc on the bank...we think he was a VERY big croc. The word is there is a salty about 5 metres long that owns this stretch of the Pentecost. This camping ground is dry and dusty and has mangroves close by...mangroves means mozzies and sandflies, no thank you; we were quite happy where we were.
The days are hot but the nights cool down, the temp only has to drop to about 20C and we are pulling up the doona.  Back to camp we put a stew in the dream pot for dinner and have a few drinks with Sandra and Charlie.
Saturday we were all packed up and ready to move on to Durack River (a spot we were told about to free camp).  The GRR is pretty good and easy to drive on and the jump ups (up hills) are bitumen.  We stopped up the road abit still on HV8 property to check out a lookout over Bindoola Falls.

There was a cyclist having a rest under a tree waiting for another cyclist who was supposed to catch up to him from Kununarra but we had seen no one.  What an effort riding a push bike along the Gibb, I take my hat off to him.
There was no water fall but still water in the lower part of the gorge and we could walk further but the lookout was enough for us this morning.
We got to Durack River about 10am it was not far from HV8 and on the left side of the road a lovely spot by the river but small and if anyone came in after us we would not be able to get out

so Steve walked over to the right side of the road and there was more room and shady trees and the other side of the river.  Steve's plan was to drive over the sand, circle back and up between the trees.  Only one problem...he didn't count on the sand being so soft and a little damp...but thankfully not too damp.

From that moment on we spent about 40 minutes digging and 3 attempts to get out of the bog, moving rocks under the wheels and finally a bit more air out of the tyres and Steve headed straight for the road and I followed out on foot carrying the shovel.  We would have gone back over to the other side but there were two cars parked there having morning tea so we pumped up the tyres back up for the gravel and off we went.
We came upon Ellenbrae Station (great scones apparently) but we stopped in and had lunch...great toasted sandwiches too and we even got a choice of bread.  The insignificant things at home are such a luxury out here sometimes.
On our way out we asked if we could stop in and look at the campground even though we weren't staying there and it was ok to look at the 'Ringers Campground'.  It was a huge flat area amongst the trees with a covered place to eat and a donkey heater for the hot shower and there was a full size bath and a flushing toilet.  We saw a sign on a path to a swimming water hole and all for $15pp/night...nice bush camp we thought.

camping area

donkey for the hot water and bathroom and toilet in the background

We kept on driving, the best place to be in the heat of the day is driving in the air con snacking on lollies and drinking plenty of water.  When we met Ron Moon back in Katherine, he told us about a nice spot just on the other side of the Gibb River.  We got to the intersection of the GRR and the Kalumburu Rd where we turn to go to the Mitchell Plateau and we crossed the Gibb River, there were tracks in along the river on the right hand side (left hand side was on the edge of the road) and no thanks...soft sand...we had dug out of enough sand in this heat today so we kept on driving; looks like it might be Drysdale River Station for the night.  But  further along the road we found a graded road to our left just before Plain Creek crossing, we think it was probably for a roadwork campsite.  We drove in nothing here and parked ourselves about 100m from the road under a nice shady tree and that was our camp for the night.  It was so cool under the shade of the tree and over yonder a dingo roams in the bush and I watch it  until I lost sight of it among the trees.  We watched a few cars flying up the Kalumburu Rd, heading for Drysdale I guess. Dark came, we cooked some chicken for dinner and had a nice fire under the stars, we are loving the bush camping.
Today, Sunday, is Scotty's 28th birthday (happy birthday Scott) and it is 7am and 10C; we slept in, it was nice and cool but unfortunately it's only a matter of 30-40 minutes between pleasantly cool and bloody hot so up and adam, brekky, pack up and we are off...should have got up half an hour earlier!!!
We drove into Drysdale River Station to have a look and we bought a BLT to share for morning tea and it was pretty good.

All the stations are very dry and dusty this time of the year but the stations water around the homestead for a bit of green.  There is a shop, licenced bar with food and fuel for a bargain price of $2.40/lt for diesel.  I found out the camping was $15pp and the amenities were very nice. 2km down the road still on their property was Miner's Pool a bush camp for $10pp, I think, which was a huuuuge flat area beside the Drysdale River with (9) thunderbox toilets (by the looks, I didn't do an inspection) spread out along the camping area.  Moving on, this road was pretty rough...88km and they say to allow yourself 2-3hrs to get to Mitchell Falls Campground.  We thought the road to Coburg Peninsula was rough but we did over 300kms in 4 and a half hours. We passed King Edward River campground, which you now have to pay for and we came to the turn off for the Mitchell Falls camp and we had 18kms of the absolute "worst" road we have travelled so far.

We did pass a patch of road after Drysdale Station where the grader had been but that was short and sweet, the road is full of rocks, lumps and bumps, corrugations, rocks and more rocks.  We arrived at Mitchell Falls NP about 2.30pm; there is self registration for camping of $11 per car and $7 pp/$4.50 concession...yes, Steve's DVA pension is starting to pay off ...hahaha.   I did not want to get out of the air con but my stomach got the better of me...I was starving.  Pulled the awning out of the car and I got lunch together while Steve set up the tvan.  The cars that drove past us while we were camped at Plain Creek were already here; there are pit toilets, water in a tank to use pumped out of the creek, ranger on site and helicopters to give you a birds eye view of the area.
Everything that one needs for a couple of days stay.