Mount Elizabeth Station - Day 2

Finally some 4WD'ing....

This morning we drove to the private gorge that exists on the station called Munnumurra. It was some of the best 4wding we have had so far in getting there, steep, rocky accents and decents, and basically 1.5hrs to do 8klms, so not for the faint hearted. We went with a couple we met from Darwin, Pete and Lisa and their 2 kids the same age as our boys, and spent the day just lazing by the rock pools and waterfall. Once again like so many other spots, we had it to ourselves and it makes it all the more special.

Lawn Hill Gorge seems so long ago and we loved it but there is something special about this place called The Kimberley. The gorges and falls are consistently magical and like nothing you will ever see elsewhere.

The boys continue to live in the dirt, so we just give up now, they love it so it's easier for them to look like they haven't bathed in weeks. Not sure what the guys from Darwin think though, here is Z Mann and Mav inviting their kids to join them in some pure West Oz red dirt. 

It is origin night and I have clued my old mate Corey up on sending me the scores on the satellite  phone.....go the maroons. Will get the fire pumping and have a few frothies in support....

Jase.....

Mount Elizabeth Station

We drove from the falls campsite to Mt Elizabeth Station today, 340klms of the toughest corrugated roads we have seen so far and it took us 7 hrs. We are a little cranky and tired tonight but I wanted to come here because they say you can self drive to their private gorges and swim, so I wanted to be in on that. No powered sites, only one shower and no washing facility for Nat, so she wasn’t overly happy but we have the genny pumping and charging everything up. She is all good now after hand washing everything….. We haven’t seen power for a few days now so when we get down the road it will be nice to wash the dirt off. We are fast running out of food and the boys are getting a bit edgy, so that means Mum is too, they eat a crap load of food between them so it is hard to keep up and make them understand there isn’t a pantry like home. We can refuel and food up in Imintgi in a few days as there is a store there apparently - and we will find ourselves about half way. Nat is definitely over the red dust and corrugations!!!

The drive tomorrow is 10klms in and takes 1.5-2hrs, very rocky and steep in parts. Just what I want (not so much Nat!!) and why we came here. The boys love it when the monster truck (Prado) gets on a bit of a lean and goes through the water. I don’t know who smiles more, me or them……will let you know how it goes.

Jase………….

Mitchell Falls - the walk in

Today was brilliant and tragic at the same time. After I wrote the blog yesterday we went to book a chopper flight out from the falls back to the campsite because if it was going to take the 4 odd hours to walk in there, the kids would have been too much. When we arrived they turned us away because there had been a tragedy on the falls. A lady in her mid thirties from Victoria on a tour bus got too close to the cliff face and fell over, she was killed. The helicopter business had to assist retrieving the body so we had to come back this morning to see if they could do us a flight. Luckily they could and we were able to walk in/fly out, albeit a little shaken up by the bad news from yesterday.

Once again, the tough walk in is a myth, in reality we could have walked back but they ham it up before you go so they can snavel the revenue for the chopper rides. We think it’s the easiest walk we have had so far. In saying that the boys loved the flight back to camp so its good that we did it, and it really gave a great perspective of it from the air after seeing and feeling it close up – the falls are bloody amazing. We were able to spend 2-3 hrs up there - swim, have lunch, walk across all of the rocks with the kids, and just admire what is a very remote, beautiful place. There was even an old bloke who decided this is too nice not to get my 70 year old bits out and go for a skinny dip in the cold water….that was a sight for sore eyes I can tell you. We did spare some thoughts for the lady that lost her life, and we had a pretty good idea where she might have gone over, but we tried not to let it worry us too much, it is only the second death in 15 years so its not like it happens all the time. Unfortunately she just got too close because she wanted that perfect photo.

The guys from Newcastle are great, as are the kids, a fire last night and again tonight, lots of stars and all that sort of fun stuff. Mitchell falls was magical, worth the drive, and the patience to get here. Stick it on your list. It is 400klms return from Drysdale Station, so no picnic, but not to be missed.

Jase…………..

Mitchell Falls - getting there

To go or not to go?

We decided last night that we would make the effort to drive to Mitchell Falls – with the camper. There seems to be a bit of a myth about this place in terms of how hard it is to get here, but I can tell you it is a myth so make sure you take the journey.

At Drysdale Station I wandered around several camper trailer sites asking for detail around the drive up there and the walk in – nothing was consistent. I heard things such as “the drive is the toughest corrugated road in Australia, it will take 6hrs minimum to get there from here, there are potholes that will swallow 4WD’s hole, King Edward River is over the bonnet, the 7klm in from Kalumburu Rd is the worst you will ever see, if you value your equipment don’t take the trailer- camp here and drive up in the car, the steep rocky decent in is tragic, flat tyres galore, we are choppering in and out, the walk is 8hrs return.” Needless to say I wasn’t overly keen to go – well I was, but Nat was quite rightly concerned with the kids and everything, so as a last resort I went over to see a bloke that didn’t have a trailer and had just rolled in. He put my fears to rest as he had just come from there.

The reality is that it is very corrugated, no doubt, the potholes swallowed my wheels, that’s about it, the King Edward didn’t get over my running boards, the first 7klms in was a little rocky, but nothing serious, the decent in was medium at best and not challenging, and if you are smart, you won’t get a flat – you just have to slow down. We got here in 4hrs, with the trailer, and the walk is tomorrow. I am sure that will be an overstatement too.

To summarise, we are here, it was not as treacherous as everyone thinks, we are glad we made the journey as long as the walk isn’t too hard tomorrow. Nice quiet campsite, we travelled with the family from Newcastle who left their caravan and brought a tent. He was a little dirty because there are caravans here and he would have made it in OK. We are pumped for the walk tomorrow.

Jase……………

Ellanbrae & Drysdale River

We reluctantly left Home Valley (I could easily have stayed another few days) and headed to Ellanbrae for morning tea as they are famous for their scones. And they were delicious but of course Jase made a snide comment about the price! I guess they have to make money out here somehow.

We continued to Drysdale River Station to camp for the night. The family we met in Home Valley; Dave, Natasha, Jye (4 years old) and Emma (2 years old) also arrived here and we were deciding weather or not to travel to Mitchell Falls. Jason really wants to go and I do too but the walk is 9kms return and we have been told it takes 6 hrs to drive there on very rough roads. I am not worried about getting there, the car and trailer will have no dramas, I am more worried about the walk with the boys. Personally I think we are biting off more than we can chew but I will guess we will see who wins that argument!

Jason spent the whole afternoon talking to every camper here to suss it out. You can get a chopper ride either in or out and just walk one way - so guess what? I lose again, will will head there in the morning! But the good thing is our new friends are coming too so hopefully the kids will help each other along....

Nat

 

Home Valley

We arrived at Home Valley just after lunch and camped in the general camping area (much to Jason's dissappointment!)  It is quite nice here, lots of green grass, a pool and a playground - not to mention a nice bar & restaurant. The boys spent the afternoon playing in the playground, making new friends and swimming. They definitely cater more to kids here than at El Questro, but you can't compare the two as they are very different.

We decided our second day here was going to be a well earned "rest" day. It was a perfect place, the boys were occupied in the playground while I had a never ending mountain of washing to do!  We had bacon and eggs for breakfast, the first time on our trip. Lots of campers left this morning so it was a quiet, enjoyable, relaxing day.

We ended up at the pool all afternoon, the kids swimming and playing soccer while Jase and I read our books. We even indulged in a glass of wine and beer. It doesn't get much better than this!

We decided to indulge further and we had dinner at Dusty's Bar. A good feed, a few drinks and some live music always makes for a good stay.  Why not? You only live once!

Nat

Emma Gorge

We left El Questro early to tackle Emma Gorge. It was a 3.2 km return walk over some very rough and challenging rocks. We made it there eventually and it was spectacular! Jase was the only one brave enough to have a swim - it was icy cold! Even the boys didn't get in! After carrying Mav most of the way we finally made it back to Emma Gorge Resort for a well deserved ice cream. Back in the car, we headed to Home Valley. It wasn't far, only about 29kms further along the Gibb River. We crossed the mighty Pentecost River & I must say it was a bit of a disappointment! It was easy going and not a lot of water. The rivers we crossed yesterday at El Questro were far more challenging then that!

Nat