Gibb River Road Tour!!

We had no idea what to expect when we started our Gibb River Road trip. Some people had said they drove everyday for a week, just trying to get off it. Other people said they knew people who did it in a day. A lot of people came up to us at camp saying "yeah, mate, it's rough. It's really rough. I broke a shockie/tire." So, needless to say, we were a little apprehensive before we started, but it turned out to be fine. The road was a corrugated dirt road with some river crossings, but better than the Savannah (that shook our spotlights right out of the front of our car).

I won't say that it was the most beautiful drive I have ever been on. The first bit had some beautiful escarpment (you can see us in front of a great chunk of it) but most of the actual Gibb River Road was just dirt and trees, nothing too spectacular.

The gorges and pools were all located about 8 - 12 km off the track, on some very dicey roads. Even at the hight of my being "gorged-out" they were all beautiful and all different. Some were huge, others were small. Some wide, others narrow. You could swim in some (the water was icy cold enough to drive Phil out, so Heather and I stayed warm, dry and on the bank) but not in others. They were great.

The hightlight of the road was, luckily, what we saw last: Tunnel Creek and Windjana gorge. Tunnel Creek was awesome - you walked along the floor of a creek surrounded by high cave walls. The water was chilly, but it seemed a lot warmer at the end of your trip than the start because by the end your feet were totally numb. It was a really nice trip because of the staligmites and staligtights and because it was something totally different from a gorge.

Windjana was spectacular. It was one of those places where you have to stop, jaw gaping, and just drink it in. The gorge is formed by a petrified coral reef, which is incredibly cool, but after a walk through a little tunnel, you end up with a great view of this amazing ... well, gorge. It is lined with freshwater crocs (we saw maybe 50 of them and you are warned to stay a measily 4m away from them) and you can hear the cockatoos screetching while they're flying all over the place. It is truly amazing.

Big Red came through most of the Gibb River Road almost unscathed. He had a slow leak in one of his rear tires on the second day, but a kind traveler plugged it for us in exchange for some beer and cookies. The only major problem came just as we hit the pavement - we got a serious flat. Poor Phil had to crawl around on the dusty ground getting the spare out, then had to drive the car up on some sandbags so we could get the jack underneath (why would they build a jack too tall to fit under where you need to put it?!) then change the tire as fellow travellers are barreling past at shocking speeds. We got it all changed, hopped in the car only to find that there was a hole in our exhaust pipe, so we essentially limped into Derby, all praying that it was just a hole in the exhaust pipe that was causing the noise. Anyway, all's well that ends well and it was just a crack in the pipe that we got fixed in Derby.

Kununurra

It was nice to finally arrive in Kununurra and get all stocked up. We took in a bunch of the local sites. We took goofy pictures of us as boab trees (as seen here) which are the best trees I have ever seen; they have so much personality.

We also got down to the Zebra Rock Gallery which included a "feed the catfish" feature (it was definetly the highlight for us). You got some pieces of bread and after chucking a few in, the catfish formed a big, writhing mat. It was so awesome that we all walked back to the car to get our cameras and I think I took about 6 pictures.

We went down to the Hoochery to try some of the local rum, reported to be the only rum produced in Western Australia. The guys working there were awesome - very chilled out and incredibly friendly. Phil sampled the rum, Heather and I tried the rum cake which is, hands down, the most delicious cake I have had in Australia thus far. Hmmm ... I could go for another piece right now!

The main attraction of Kununurra was that it had two companies that would fly you over the Bungle Bungle ranges. We all loaded up on a plane (with Heather getting to sit beside the pilot!) on July 9 (my dad's 60th birthday - Happy Birthday Dad!!!!) and got some wonderful views of Argyle lake, the diamond mine, the irrigated area where they farmed (a big draw, apparently, as you can take tours of just that area) and, most importantly, the Bungle Bungles. It was really cool. We took the 6:00 am flight and saw the light catching the ranges beautifully. It was shame that we couldn't drive down and had the chance to walk around the mounds, but it would have taken another 3 days.

Our campsite in Kununurra was right on the side of a national park and we got a great view of another little outcrop of rock. We all went tromping around there at sunset to see the setting sun turn the rock bright orange. Phil took our didgeridoo and we both played a bit. The resonance and echoes off the rock was really cool (Mom, since you weren't sure what a didgeridoo looks like, here is Phil playing our didge - it's about 5 ft long). What wasn't so cool was getting lost on the way home and having to walk through shoulder-high grass for 20 mins in the general direction of town.

Kakadu not "Kaka-don't"

Kakadu- what do you say? It's huge, so much bigger than you would assume. It's beautiful. It's walks are short and easy, with most sights very accessible. It's campgrounds have warm showers that feel like you're showering in the rain, for $5.40. It's rangers are nice. Kakadu was great, though perhaps not as "spectacular" as it's touted to be.

The first day we went up to Ubir, in the most Northern part of the park, and checked out some wicked aboriginal art and a great lookout. It was beautiful.

Over the next few days, we managed to see a sight or two a day (nothing compared to the 6-8 daily activities suggested by the Kakadu Itinerary Planner) and enjoyed all of it. We saw a saltwater croc (slowly) stalking a duck in one of the rivers. We met some great guys who were discussing their favorite aspects of "spondonicles" for hours and asked us if we'd seen any on the track as we passed them (to which Phil proudly proclaimed "not here, mate, but I used to make 'em!"). We saw the same two guys on the way to Jim Jim falls and were greeted by a loud cry of "Spondoes!". Speaking of which, we lucked out and got to go to Jim Jim falls which is accessibly by 4wd track only and was shut until just a few days before we arrived. We also took a very cool night cruise with the two rangers who ran our campground and got to learn all about file snakes (mom's favorites) and the "itchy bush tree", though we didn't get to see many reflective eyes of crocs.

I have to say the devastation of the forest was very evident. Phil and I weren't sure what the park would look like after the cyclones that went through a few months before, but there were broken and uprooted trees all over the place. The upside? Lots and lots of firewood for Phil.

Jumping Croc Fiesta

On the way to Kakadu from Leitchfield we took in an amazing, though very touristy, jumping croc boat trip. It was great! You get loaded up in a boat, taken just a little way down the river and the boat captain ties pieces of pig head to a big pole and starts slapping it against the surface of the water. In a few seconds, you see big crocs come swimming up and after about 5 mins one will slowly "jump" out of the water, up to about its waist (if they have such a thing) and snap at the piece of meat. They will repeat this trick about 3 times, with their final attempt earning them the meat prize. We got to witness about 6 crocs doing this trick, one ("Stumpy") was missing an arm.

To sweeten this already great natural show, these big birds come swooping down and try to steal the meat from the snapping jaws of the crocs (Phil got a perfectly timed shot of a bird grabbing a hunk of meat from the pole). It was really great.

Leitchfield National Park

We drove down to Leitchfield after we left Darwin and were all pleasantly surprised. Perhaps because Kakadu is so close, Leitchfield doesn't get a lot of press, but it was wonderful. We stayed at the Wangi Falls campground which boasted a gorgeous waterfall crashing down about 200 m away (replacing the night sounds from Darwin's traffic to rushing water, definetly an improvement). Heather and I did a nice little walk around to the top of falls through the forest which was lovely and cool (I have included a pic of Wangi).

We checked out Tolmer falls which were great. You could only see them from the top, but they had a very inviting pool at the bottom that looked perfect for swimming in, especially when you see it during the afternoon's heat. The highlight of Leitchfield was an afternoon spent lounging in a shady pool in the forest, complete with a nice little waterfall. It was filled with tiny little fish that we spent hours trying to catch (a local told us spit works best - don't ask).

Darwin - Heather Arrives!

We got to Darwin a few days before Heather arrived with a few days to get things sorted out (and stay in a hotel so Phil could catch some World Cup action). It was so wonderful seeing Heather again, and so strange meeting a friend anywhere but Calgary International Airport. We spent the next few days enjoying some of Darwin's best attractions and eating and drinking our way through the nice selection of pubs and restaurants that Darwin provides - finally a choice of restaurants, not just a town with one roadhouse! We each won a crab in the Fox and Fiddle's hermit crab races - Phil's crab, Ian, won 4th prize (a free pint of beer) and my crab, Rodriguez, won first prize, a shocking $30.00 tab!! We also headed down to the Casuarina Coastal Reserve and enjoyed a few hours on the beach collecting shells and sand dollars (and taking goofy pictures).

Despite the collosal rudeness of the women working the front desk of the caravan park, I enjoyed Darwin no end. It was lovely - enough of a big city to have nice shops, good restaurants and a bunch of pubs, but small enough that it never felt too busy or stressed out. It was one of those cities that maintained a perfect balance.

On the way to Darwin

Okay, I have decided to skip over most of the Alice Springs to Darwin portion of the trip because I have so much to catch up on as it is. That bit of the trip was great. We did our second bout on a dirt road when we drove the Savannah way from Boroloola up to Roper Bar and out to Mataranka. It was so great! We got to do some great creek crossings and enjoyed being jostled for the few days we were battling the corrugations.

When we got to Mataranka we chilled out for several days, reading books and catching up on our journals. Phil found a huge, fat tree frog that we named Leopold seen here - he was so great.

We also took in Katherine Gorge on the way up to Darwin and spent a horribly afternoon paddling up the river. The winds were blowing a gale and the stupid kayak we got had no steering ability so after 30 mins of paddling with the world's heaviest paddle, we could still see the boat ramp. Anyway, I perked up a bit after we spent 45 mins portaging our heavy plastic boat around two little sets of rapids (with no trail marked!) and got to the second gorge which was beautiful. We paddled around there for a few mins and turned back (manging the portage in 20 mins on the way back) and arrived home in record time, though the winds had died down so we got no boost from nature.