The Gibb River Road and the West Kimberley 2008 - we continue along the Gibb River Road and visiting various features and waterfalls.

A number of stations provide accommodation and camping facilities, and allow access to selected gorges on their pastoral leases. We chose to visit Charnley River Station (previously known as Beverley Springs).  To get there we travelled 40 kilometres through Mt House Station before reaching the Charnley River homestead, which is near the southern edge of this vast station.  Several gorges are open to the public. 

There are numerous river and creek crossings along the Gibb River Road and side tracks.   On the road to Charnley River Station we crossed the Isadell River which was flowing rapidly due to recent rain, although flow was much reduced compared to when we first crossed a few days prior.   

The native deciduous Kurrajong trees were covered in bright red flowers known locally as Kimberley Rose.

Dillie Gorge has a lovely big pool for swimming, fed by small cascades.  It is quite a drive there on station tracks, so may have the beauty of this wide pool all to yourself.

Some way further along station tracks is Grevillea Gorge, where a slippery waterfall tumbles down large steps into a green pool framed by orange brick like walls.  To get down into the gorge at the top of the waterfall involves a climb down a ladder.  We did not attempt to climb down the large and slippery steps that comprise the waterfall. 

Lovely Galvans Gorge features a boab tree right on the top.  

This pretty pool on the way has water lilies and reflections of wildflowers. 

It was well into the afternoon when we reached Galvans Gorge, which is a short and easy walk from the roadside car park. 

Climbing into the gorge itself is a bit tricky, and involves crossing the top of a small waterfall past prickly leaved spiral pandanus. Not so many people come to Adcock Gorge, so it is nice to enjoy a swim in such lovely seclusion.

Adcock Gorge is a lovely cool pool where you can swim across and sit under a waterfall against a ferny backdrop.  The way in is through a narrow track, with access being allowed courtesy of the station proprietors.  Sometimes the track is closed due to weather damage.  It is narrow, so be alert for oncoming vehicles to have time to get off the track where there is a safe opportunity.  Using a UHF radio is an advantage.

Visiting just these these two gorges was a 98 kilometre round trip on the station tracks which involved three hours driving; even slower when wildlife such as this Bustard take their time on the tracks.    

One hundred kilometres from the Gibb River Road is the Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary, owned by the Australian Wilderness Society, where there are some spectacular Gorges.  With so much to see close by, we did not take this diversion. 

Looking onto the pool from the top of the falls with water rushing down. 

When we reached the Manning Gorge camp area (access after paying an entrance fee at Mt Barnett Roadhouse) we were very surprised to find over a hundred campers, including from several tourist buses.  With a large camping area spread amongst the bush, there was plenty of room.  Other places we had been had only a few campers.

At dusk, I checked out where we were going to cross the Manning River next morning.  There were eight poly foam boxes to take across clothing and cameras.  With so many people in the camp, I opted for an early start next morning.  The nights were quite cool and early mornings rather chilly. 

Near the falls, is a face with Aboriginal rock painting.  This was the first time we saw ancient Bradshaw paintings, with later paintings over the top of them.  We saw this combination many more times in the Kimberley region. 

However when we arrived at the crossing point in the morning, the boxes were all on the other side, as one of the tour groups had made an even earlier start. 

It was a rather cool and cloudy in the morning when I swam across to bring back as many boxes as I could for ourselves and others waiting.

The two kilometre walk across a ridge to the Upper Manning Gorge was very pleasant, particularly in the mild weather.  We looked across a vista of vast Kimberley plains and a range in the distance.  The yellow flowering shrub is known locally as wild kapok, and grows throughout the Kimberley region. 

Looking downstream as the river came into view again.

On our return to river crossing, people were still heading in both directions across the river.  There is a small rocky island in the centre of the river, and the following day, as swimmers made their way across on the return from the Falls, a Johnston (freshwater) crocodile was basking on the rock, giving way to no-one. 

Soon after this, we left the Gibb River Road to go to the Mitchell Plateau and Kalumburu.

This patch on the Gibb River Road shows what damage can be done by driving on clay roads when wet.  There had been recent rains, and the roads had been closed.  The wet in this patch had persisted for longer and wheel damage was evident.  There was plenty of room for us to avoid the sticky patch. 

The track into Barnett River Gorge was not an easy one, and the gorge not a spectacular as others, so if pushed for time, this would be the one to miss. 

We started out walking with others, following little stone cairns, and soon we could see members of a group from a tour bus swimming in a nice pool way below, but could not see any way down.  Other walkers said just keep following the cairns, which we did, as gradually all the others gave up and went back. 

We continued along the top of the gorge, heading upstream for quite some time and distance, before finding a path that finally led us down to the river way below, at a point where the gorge cutting was ending and the river valley was becoming wider.

Cooling down in the fast flowing shallow cascades, tiny red finned fish nibbled our knees.  After all that walking, the cool waters were refreshing, even if not dep enough for swimming.  We returned, without finding out how to get to the big pool where the tour group had been.