The Kimberleys, Part 2

Yes.......we've done the 4WD to Windjana Gorge

Before leaving for Halls Creek we had one more gorge to visit.  Rather than take the boat trip we walked the rich sand bank of the Geikie Gorge.  The colours of the canyon amazing as it cradled the water in between banks.  The fauna of gay galahs, bush cockatoos, babbling white cockatoos flying overhead never left us alone.  It was pretty hot but the canopy lining the bank provided some cool relief as we walked in their shade.  At one time, as we were in conversation with some people we met in Darwin who'd travelled the Gorge as much as 10 years earlier, it was packed with people swimming in the gorge along side freshwater crocodiles. Today because it's Heritage listed you're no longer permitted to.  Oh what a shame to have missed such an experience in this beautiful wilderness.

Hiking along the Geikie Gorge

  
Departure day came, packing and on the road in half an hour...we're getting better.  Washing done, dried, ironed (on the bed of course)put away time spent on the road was full of breathtaking scenic moments.  Soaring ranges, covered in lush green shrubs, small trees growing out of cracks in mountain tops everywhere and this according to everyone was a rarity but due to the recent heavy rains and flooding the landscape was just abundant with wildlife, bursts of green as far as the eye could see.

Arriving at Halls Creek around midday we decided to stop to buy a few necessities.  I went to the supermarket to buy just a small loaf of bread and other bits.  Daniel spotted the local bottle shop, to his surprise it was open so best thing to do was after spending almost a week with nothing to investigate what was available and allowable to purchase in this neck of the woods.  On return to the car with our bag of goodies we inspected each of our purchases.  Mine were just the staples, Daniel's only purchase could be a slab of 30 beer at 2.7 alcohol volume and that was it, nothing else was permitted other than Cider.  The only two things you could purchase here at Halls Creek.  Happy to have that as an ale we decided that the next stop would be Bungle Bungles.

It was a pretty hot afternoon for a pretty long walk.

Having been on the road for about 5 hours Daniel thought that it was perhaps time to start looking for a stopover for the evening becuase we weren't going to get to the Bungle Bungles that night.  We stopped by a wayside just before the Bridge over the Ord River.  The night was cool, Daniel had positioned the van just by an open fire place, collected wood, walked around, spotted the free grazing cattle in the midst of our company, one could almost say in the middle of nowhere we started the evening's fire celebrating with a very light ale.

A beautiful panorama at Geikie Gorge

Next morning the plan was to head on further north to Warnum Road House, Turkey Creek leave the van there for the night, turn round come back another 50ks to do the Bungle Bungles, which we did.  On arriving at the entrance to Bungle Bungles we'd seen that a new caravan park had recently been opened.  Had we known that we wouldn't have driven 50 ks up the road, to drive another 50 ks back!  Hey! what does it matter, we're on holiday.....

Anyway from the entrance information point to the Visitors Information Centre at Bungle Bungles was only 50 ks.  That's not too bad, so we thought! However, 2 hours later on nothing but a 4wheel drive track, with so many water crossings, we couldn't believe that we'd finally arrived.....at only the Visitor's Information Centre and to see from the information panel that they were just about to close for lunch only to reopen at 1.00pm. 

Time to let down the tyre to do this 4 wheel drive

Needless to say that we raced up to the centre to stop the poor woman from closing for her lunch break only to see that behind us there were at least another dozen or so people rocking up for the same thing....oh well lunch would have to wait but she was absolutley fantastic about that stepping up to the challenge giving everyone here utmost attention, now that's what you call dedication.

Information in hand, half the day gone we had to make quick tracks, to take in as much as we could.  Due to the fact that we'd left our sleeping gear behind when visiting Windjana Gorge we'd also both come down with sore throats and had since decided that we wouldn't stay under tent for the night at Bungle Bungles.  We only had enough time for a quick lunch, before walking out to Echidna Chasm, returning to set back to Warnum Road house which again was going to take another 2 hours return drive through even rougher water crossings than the entrance had been.  In hindsight we said that we would have to return here to spend at least 3 days to give it's beauty the justice it deserved.  In fact, a must do would have to be a scenic flight over this total area to appreciate it's real beauty.

Run for cover from the dust as Helicopter lands!

Okay one of the first water crossings to Bungle Bungles

Yes we're crossing this in the car

Waiting for us to get to the other side

A quick bit of lunch before heading for the Chasm walk

The entrance is all rock and only rock all the way

This is getting quite warm here, but the palms were lovely

Thank goodness that we're inside and it's so coooool

I am so glad it's coool!

Still have some walking to do, Have I got my stick?

I am really very small in this huge crevice

I think we deserve a Beer now!

Just one view of the Bungles

Spotting a Dingo on the way back

And more water crossings on the return trip