Windjana Gorge is about 130 km east of here along the Gibb River Road for 110 km, then turning off to the Leopold Downs Rd for the last 20 km. Unbelievably, the full 110 km of the Gibb River Rd is bitumen, and only the Leopold Downs Rd is corrugated dirt.
Compared to the Bungle Bungles, the dirt road, whilst heavily corrugated was a dream. This time I got a better balance with tyre pressure and speed. We were at the park entrance by 10.30 am.
Near the carpark there were information boards outlining the walks available. We ended up doing both of the available walks.
Two busloads of tourists also arrived at the same time as us, so it seems this is a popular spot. There were also a number of carloads of independent tourists.
The view is imposing as soon as you leave the carpark.
Sheer limestone walls form the sides of the gorge
The 1.9 km walk is graded as difficult, but other than a few tight passages and rocky trails, it was mostly sand and not too steep.
Edging our way through this chasm was a a bit squeezy and rocky under foot
On the other side, the gorge opened out and we could see the huge gorge cut through the limestone by the Lennard River.
Of course, it is now the dry season, so all we see are pools of stagnant water in the deepest area areas of the river. Despite a claim that the place is riddled with fresh water crocodiles, we saw only one or two floating in the water.
Everything was so still the refections off the water were a highlight
We managed to get ahead of the tour groups and headed back to do the second walk which was dead flat and wound through the savannah forest. The usual boabs were plentiful.
We did find another plant or two to add to our photo collection, this one known as the Camel Bush, Cattle Bush or Northern Bluebell.
The one below is the Australian Camel Cabbage, an introduced species. It is said it was introduced as Camel Food. It is toxic to humans but not to camels.
Eventually we ended up back at the car park to enjoy our picnic lunch (sandwiches). The tour buses had taken over most of the undercover seating, but we did notice one free table a little distance away. A young family was also eyeing it off, so we invited them to join us. They were from Darwin on school holidays for 3 weeks camping. We chatted for quite a while. She came from Sydney originally and her parents live opposite Mona Vale Golf Course, so she was very familiar with the Northern Beaches. What a small World.
One option from here is to continue on the dirt road to the nearby Tunnel Creek National Park. The main activity there is to wander waist deep along a creek that literally goes through a tunnel in a cave system. We decided that wasn't really for us, so we headed back to Derby. The bumpy ride went reasonably quickly, and after re inflating our tyres we were back on bitumen with a smooth ride back to Derby.
On our way back to our campsite we called in at Birdwood Downs Office to see what beef they had on sale. They sell meat from their property at very reasonable prices and judging from the hamburger night last night, the meat is worth buying. Today their fridge was restocked with a fresh cryovaced meat. We purchased a few items to add to our freezer.
Tomorrow we head off to Broome.
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