- Home Valley to Kununurra -

The next day we had to cross the widest river of the Gibb, The Pentecost, complete with it's crocs. Thankfully the water level was only about 30cm, though still flowing fast and we crossed without a problem... or seeing any hungry lizards!

(The mighty Pentecost River... )

Our next stop was El Questro Station, now wilderness park,on a million acre property. We booked in for a night and set off to explore. Moonshine Gorge walk, 4km return, was beautiful with creek crossings, palm trees and red rugged cliff faces. At the end was Sprung Hole, a perfect spot for a swim, although a little cold!!

(Sprung Hole, at Moonshine Gorge... was so peaceful)

Next we walked into El Questro Gorge, a 6.8km return walk. This was more challenging than we expected with the gorge fairly narrow with large boulders and a lot of rock hopping. Part way along is a little water hole with big boulders Bren had to put me up!! Ferns lined the walls of the gorge and finally at the end we reached a deep plunge pool with a little waterfall called "Mac Micking Pool" It was amazing and well worth the effort! We then headed back to camp for a bite to eat & headed off on 4wd track to Branko's Lookout for sunset. Crossing creeks etc to get there!! It was awesome looking out over the gorge cutting through the escarpment...

(Branko's Lookout, El Questro.)

The next morning we rested our exhausted bodies in Zebadee Springs, a series of thermal pools fed by an underground spring. It was total heaven, with the water temp around 34 degrees... which made it rather cold when we jumped out! We pushed on to Amalia Gorge for a walk in to a slightly more open gorge to a large plunge pool at the end. However the waterfall had almost dried up, otherwise it would've been even more inviting to jump in!

(Bren & I, in Amalia Gorge...)

Next was Emma Gorge, a 1.6km walk into narrow escarpment cutting into the Cockburn Ranges. A little challenging in sections, though well worth it when you reach the end. A large pool of water, complete with waterfall... however the cliffs are so narrow the water would only receive 1 1/2hrs of sunlight making the water a VERY freezing 12 - 15 degrees!! I swam to the little waterfall.. though couldn't stay in for long!






Emma Gorge marks the end of the Gibb River Road, which we completed in 2 weeks. Driving just under 2000km of gravel , corrugated roads, creek crossings and exploring all the wonderful places along the way. It was everything and more than we expected. We definitely recommend it to anyone, with El Questro, McGowan's Beach and Manning Falls among our favourites!

We're now in Kununurra, staying a few nights to clean out the dust & explore....

- Manning Falls to Home Valley Station -

After a wonderful swim & look around at Manning Falls we headed off to our next stop, Drysdale River Station, situated 60km up the Kalumburu Rd. The station is famous for its outback hospitality with the "Kimberley North Bar and Restaurant" and we were looking forward to splashing out on a few drinks, catching up on laundry etc. We spent two nights there, exploring nearby Miners Pool during the day.

We set off early the next morning towards the Mitchell Plateau. The road was very rocky & we seemed to be climbing hills higher into the surrounding escarpment. We finally reached the turn off into Mitchell Falls and about 2.4km along is the King Edward River crossing! Which was an estimated 80cm-100cm deep and much wider & faster flowing than any crossing we had come across!! With our hearts racing a little we crossed without a problem! From the crossing it was a long 80km trek to the Mitchell Falls campground, over loose gravel, tight corners and steep inclines averaging 50km p/h!

(King Eward River Crossing...)

That afternoon we made a short walk down to Little Merten's Falls to cool off and check out some of the Aboriginal Rock Art found just beneath the falls. It was awesome! We woke early the next morning to get a head start on the 3.3km walk trail to the Mitchell Falls. On the way we saw more Rock Art and got an awesome view of Merten's Gorge cutting narrowly through the sandstone plateau. We finally arrived at the Falls and it was in every way IMPRESSIVE! The size and sound of the water cascading over the 3 separate levels was unbelievable!!

(Bren sitting in the rapids at the top of Little Merten's Falls)

(Some of the Rock Art we found on the walk to the Mitchell Falls)

(The mighty Mitchell Falls... It was an awesome sight!)

We camped the night back at the King Edward River, and pushed on the next morning to Kalumburu.To enter the town and surrounding areas we needed an access permit, $40 valid for a week. We decided to stay at McGowan's Beach about 30mins out of town. With campsites right on the beach, lawn, all amenities we had found our little oasis! We claimed a site closest to the beach nestled under a boab tree. PERFECT!

(Sunset from our campsite at McGowan's Beach, Kalumburu)

We spent 2 nights at McGowan's, fishing (with no luck) and exploring nearby Pago and Honeymoon Beach. On the way out we stopped to visit the Mission Museum, which is rich in history about the war, mission and local aboriginal culture. Well worth the visit. We pushed on with a full day of driving to arrive at Home Valley Station, which was made famous as the setting for the movie "AUSTRALIA". We spoiled ourselves with dinner at the "Dusty Bar & Grill".