Derby part 2

Waking up this morning we are all super excited. Finally we are off to Windjana Gorge, and more importantly Tunnel Creek.  For this little adventure we get to drive along the southern end of the Gibb River Road. Mostly black top but still the Gibb River!!!!

 At the turn off onto the Gibb River Road we are greeted by this piece of machinary. This is to become more familiar as we continue to travel west. This belongs to the miners and is one of their toys. More about this in future posts. To grasp an idea of size, check out the man leaning against the front tyre!!!! 

Note: Timna took this photo.

It was being hauled by a road train. It dwarfs the towing vehicle.

  We are so loving the experience of going off road. Thanks always to Glen, Steve and family for taking us out on our first off road adventure and giving us the confidence to do it solo. It has enabled us to see many things we would have otherwise missed.

Some of the gorges to be seen on the Gibb River road.

Dropping our tyre pressure to lessen the impact of the corrugated road.

Entering the Windjana Gorge National Park

This gorge is regarded as a geological monument of world class as it is one of the finest Devonian Era limestone reefs in the world.

Freshwater crocs apparently abound however we didn't see any. Archer fish and many different birds we did see!

Fossils  are easily seen in the limestone, part of the gorges natural attractions.

Then off to Tunnel Creek National Park. 750 metres of wading through water, underground and in the dark. Past crocodiles, fish and bats. Torches on, shoes on, senses set to overdrive and off we go.

To enter the tunnel we have to clamber over these beautiful rocks.

The entrance to the tunnel. Not knowing what to expect we set off, all holding hands. Kids started off very cautiously but by the half way mark were running off ahead without a care. Water came up to our waists at its highest, chest high for Boaz!!

The view from inside the tunnel looking back to the entrance. Inside we saw bats, stalagtites, butterflies, fish, wasps but fortunately no crocs!! We think the amount of noise we made splashing through scared off any scary monsters.

After surviving the Tunnel Creek challenge, we set off, tired but happy, back to our camp at Derby.

Passing the time while dad pumps the tyres back to the proper pressure for bitumen, with his 12v compressor, after the dirt and corrugations of the Gibb River Road. Notice that no-one gets out to help poor old dad!!

But at least we get another beautiful sunset!!

Derby proved to be a wonderful place to spend a couple of days. Don't listen to anyone who says it may not be worth visiting.

The Kimberleys has so much to offer and we have really just scratched the surface. What we have managed to do is collect a list of places and things we must come back to experience when we have more time.

Derby day here we come (part 1)

This is the time of our departure from the caravan park. It is a combination of smart preparation from the previous night and waking up with the birds.

More  ECS (ever changing scenery!!!!)

We are so close to Broome, we are all getting super excited. But first things first. A little further north west we travel to see what Derby, pronouced der-bee not dar-bee, as corrected by the locals, has to offer. We read up about Derby. From here you have great access to the southern end of the famous Gibb River Road, and all it has to offer. Something, that this trip we are not prepared for, but something we will most certainly attempt one day.

We thought we had left the bushfires behind but it seems they are everywhere up here in the dry north.

More ECS!!

If you are wondering how our kids are managing on the long drives, an ENGEL freezer full of icecreams goes along way to keep all happy. For those not familiar, the ENGEL is our portable fridge/freezer that lives in the back of the car.

Second stop after the visitors centre, the Derby Wharfingers House Museum. This building was originally the house of the wharfinger and is filled with memorabilia of the early days in Derby. A wharfinger is a person who owns or has control of the Wharf. It was a very interesting museum and our visit only cut short by someone who shall remain nameless who needed to go to the toilet...BOAZ!!!!!

The old wharf contorl system.

Next stop, another Boab Prison Tree. This tree is thought to be about 1500 years old. Like the Boab Prison Tree in Wyndham, this was used to hold prisoners being walked into Derby. This one is now a registered Aboriginal site. We read that the Boab tree is very sacred, and that should one harm the tree in anyway, then retribution will follow. This leads us to reflect on our car incident in Wyndham. Whilst at that tree, Linda was fascinated by how people had been able to etch their names into the bark, so with a small twig scratched the surface of the trunk. The boys also intrigued with the tree being hollow, banged some Boab seeds up against the tree to see what sounds it would make. Perhaps the spirit of the tree was dissatisfied with our behaviour???????

Luckily for us this time, they fenced this one off. This is as close as we could get!!!! We also drove passed a 120 metre long cattle trough. Built in 1917. In its day it could handle 500 bulls at any one time. Sorry, did not get a good pic of this one.

Next stop Mowanjum Art and Culture Centre. Here we learn about the Wandjina. To the people of the Mowanjum Community, the Wandjina is the supreme spirit being, the creator of the life. The art of this Aboriginal community is very different to any Aboriginal art we have been privileged to see so far. We were very lucky to receive some one on one time with the curator of the gallery, who helped tell the stories of some of the art work.

As this is an Art Gallery, we are asked not to take any pictures. But here is an example of the Wandjina. Can you recognise where this is from??? This was used during the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics 2000.

A reminder once more that we are still in crocodile country. This sign is at the begining of the Derby Jetty. This jetty was originally used during the gold rush at Halls Creek in 1885. Miners and prospectors arrived at the port on their way to the goldfields. It was then used for the export of live cattle. Today you can see big tanker ships filling up with seafood and fuel.  We come here to enjoy the beautiful coastline and the watch the oceans incredibly huge tidal range. Some of the highest tides in Australia are experienced here, up to 12 metres at the highest.  

This was taken at around lunchtime. Whilst standing on the jetty, one of the workers points out a croc swimming in the shallow mud flats.

This one taken around 5pm.

Once again, this picture taken around lunchtime.

This one taken around 5pm.

We try our hand at fishing with handlines. No success in catching fish, but success in feeding them.  Hard to miss the beautiful sunsets.

Our compensation for not catching dinner, is buying it at the local cafe on the beach looking over the Jetty.

To cross or not to cross, that is the question

We set up camp at Fitzroy Lodge Caravan Park. This is a very large and beautiful campground. We are all very excited to go to Winjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. However, after much debate, map reading and listening to the locals, we realise this is better tackled from Derby. The road from Fitzroy Crossing to Windjana and Tunnel Creek is all dirt, 130kms of it, ' and BAD dirt' as the locals say. We are learning to trust the locals.This is compared to 124kms of black top with only 55kms of the bad dirt. Tunnel Creek will have to wait one more day.

So instead we join the crew a for a boat cruise on the Geikie Gorge, in Geikie National Park. We learn that the flood waters of the Fitzroy River have carved the 30 metre deep Geikie Gorge through the limestone junction of the Oscar and Geikie Ranges. Amazingly, the Fitzroy River can rise aprox 16.5 metres, and fill the National Park with about 7 metres of water!! It is hard to fathom such numbers, for when we are there the gorge is a calm and still river. The proof for us is in the pics and flood markers at the rotunda in the national park which shows how high the water has risen over the years. To put it into perspective, in 2002, the Fitzroy River had 50 times as much water running through it as in Sydney Harbour.

The walls of the gorge are limestone. The wet seasons high water mark is at the top of the white stone, on the otherwise grey and orange limestone walls. The gorge is home to fresh water crocs, bird life and much more.

Showing you a different perspective of the high water mark.

The park will close soon in preparation for the wet season. They experienced flooding this year in March, the level was a couple metres shy of the peak in 2002. They say that at the the beginning of the wet, they are often required to use excavators and other machinery in order to clear and recreate the paths that were washed away.

After our leisurely cruise we continue on a little tour of the town, and head towards the Old Concrete Crossing. This bridge/crossing was built in 1935. During the wet season there was no way to cross for at least a few months at a time. The current bridge in town over the river was built in 1974. This spot here is a popular fishing and swimming spot during the dry season. Feeling a bit tentative at first, we park up the top and take a stroll down...

The signs at the top of the road say no swimming, but as we get closer we see locals fishing off the road and their kids having a ball in the water. It looks so inviting, and with pleading eyes the kids beg to jump in too.

The kids eventually win and get their swim!! This little boy in the picture took a real shine to Benj. He quietly crept up to him and started splashing water on him. When Benj would turn around, he sunk under the water like the crocs do. This little game continued until Benj splashed back. They then all played together for ages. He spoke very little English, but play is a universal language! He told Timna she has a white face, and he played a game of pointing at things to get the kids to say what is was, and would then parrot them. It was hard to break up the party, but with the sun setting it was time to go home. 

Just before we drive off, time to capture yet another beautiful sunset.

This sunst pic taken as we crossed the Old Concrete Crossing, our first true river crossing!!

N.B The sign of a dufus newbie caravaner  -  one who leaves their towing mirrors on even when not towing!!!!

We have mentioned many times already the benefits we are receiving as a result of travelling outside of the peak, and they are truly numerous. It must also be acknowledged that due to this, there are some sites that are all ready closed in preparation for the wet that we have missed out on. We were not prepared for how much we would love exporing the Kimberleys, and for how much there is to do here. This most certainly is on the list for places to return to in, hopefully, the not too distant future.

  

Next stop, Derby.