13th May 2016

We decided to bid farewell to Cable Beach and drive onto Derby and start the Gibb the following day. We had one last wonder down Cable Beach. It's such a lovely beach and cliff setting, unfortunately this is probably the last beach we will have this trip, it's going to be croc infested rivers and red dirt from now on!

The drive to Derby is only a couple of hours. In Derby we visit the jetty, it's an odd shape compared with other jetties we have seen, it's in a C shape connecting to the land at both ends. There is the boab prison tree, where the police and Aboriginals rested on their way to gaol. We also visit the old goal, now there are boards detailing some of the horrific conditions the captured Aboriginals had to endure, the old cells still stand, I tried to lock the boys up!

In the visitor's centre I overhear a couple in conversation with a staff member, thankfully I did as I learn that the roads off the Gibb River out to the gorges are still closed after the rain. Evidently the Gibb River Rd (GRR) is managed by main roads (I had spoken with them back in Broome, they confirmed the road was open), as I learn in the visitor centre the side roads are managed by the shire or parks. We now have to amend our plans, as we see no point in driving GRR without being able to see the gorges. There are no indication as to when they are likely to reopen (it's been dry now over a week) and it's currently 4pm on Friday afternoon, there won't be any shire updates until Monday. Despite what the shire road reports say, the Derby Visitors centre say the road to Tunnel creek and Windjana Gorge are open from the Fitzroy Creek end.

Initially we thought we would pass the weekend by leaving the van in Derby and driving out and staying a night or two in Windjana Gorge in the tent. After some packing we came to the conclusion that we would not fit (the back of the car is near on full with just the 80 lt Engel, storage draw, water jerries and the Weber). We could put our storage box onto the roof, but then there is more to clean when we return. In the end we decide to drive to Fitzroy Crossing, set up the van in a caravan park and do a day's drive into Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge.

14th May 2016

Departed Derby this morning headed for Fitzroy Crossing.

After a couple of hours driving, we come to the turn off to the road into Tunnel Creek, it is marked closed. There are others parked at the entrance in deliberation as to what to do, everybody is like us and getting contradicting information. (There are three govt. departments involved! Not speaking with each other, one depts. online report contradicts the other, and then the visitor's centres providing a different version). We have met others who had driven out 100 odd kms to the turn offs from GRR end to then learn the roads are closed. We are meeting a lot of frustrated travellers. We were very glad we made this decision not to leave the van and set off in the tent.

So the plans change again. We will continue driving today, aiming to be in the Bungle Bungles early tomorrow morning. Then continue onto Kununurra, then do what we can of the GRR from the northern end.

The country side is very lush and green. There are a number of good sized gum trees and large sections of large rocky outcrops.

We spend the night at the Mary Pool 24hr Rest area, a free camp approx. ½ km off the main road along a flowing creek. This is the best free camp we have had all trip. There are a number of other campers here tonight, one of them is a friend of the Brad's mother..

15th May 2016

Today we are on the road at 7am and drive a couple of hours to the Bungle Bungle Caravan park. We drop the van and drive into the "Bungle Bungles" Purnululu National Park. Despite conflicting reports on road condition (more people's interpretations on the conditions) we find the road is no problem, there are only a few small patches of corrugations and sand based river crossings, there were a couple of sections were it was like being at the top of a roller coaster, we could not see the road below without descending down it. It takes 1.5 hrs to drive into the parks, the visitor's centre, then a further 45 mins drive to the start of the walking track into the Cathedral Gorge and Fractured Rock. What an amazing natural setting, unlike any other gorge we have ever seen. After the rain, there are still a few rock pools and there is water under the Cathedral.

We then drive around to the other side of the Bungles and do the walk into the Echidna Gorge. This walk takes you straight into a rocky river bed surrounded by palms and rock walks, you then walk along the rocky surface, deep into the gorge, we appreciate the drop in temperate with the sun being hidden. The gorge winds in approx. 1km, slowly narrowing the further you walk in, some sections are not much wider than our shoulders. This was our favourite of the gorges.

We don't have too much time to spare if we want to be out before it gets dark. With the sun setting some sections of the roads meant we had moments of driving blind, only being guided by the rock edges left by the grader. We get back to camp on sunset.

16th May 2016

On again we travel this morning, heading north. We drive out to Wyndham a small town on the coast where the Ord River runs in from the Timor Sea.

We then continue onto Kununurra and set up camp. There is an old river crossing on the Ord River called the Ivanhoe Crossing, the boys are keen to fish for Barra. It's a very pretty setting, if only there were no crocs.

We visit the Hoochery Distillery, we ordered some of the paddle shots, trying the rum, whiskey, coffee chocolate liquor, mango liquor & the aniseed liquor, they were all good.

Back to camp for a lazy afternoon swimming by the pool.

17th May 2016

The boys go fishing first thing this morning, there are many others out there also trying. The locals are not concerned about the crocs, they wade across the cause way, mid calf height into the water and half way across the river, the river would be between 150-200 meters wide with a good flow of water. No luck today, one of the locals suggest just on dusk is the best time, so we will go back this afternoon. One local is flying his drone around the river crossing, his camera records a 2.5m salt water croc & a freshie of the same size.

We have some more R & R around the pool in the afternoon.