Overland Australia

The days have still been really warm and we packed up reasonably early this morning in the hope that we would avoid a hot and sweaty pack up. Our destination for today wasn't far away and we were soon at the King Edward River cap where we managed to grab a really nice spot that offered plenty of shade and wasn't far from the river. We spent the afternoon swimming in the river and chilling out in camp. The kids caught up on some school work and Anna and I watched the world go by as people slowly arrived in camp during the afternoon. The facilities here are some of the cleanest I've seen in a National Park and the camp host Neil was a very friendly guy who does a great job looking after the camp ground. After dinner Anna made a delicious looking Apple Tea cake in the camp oven and I can't wait to get into that over the next few days. Once the cake was out of the oven it was off to bed. Distance Traveled = 107 km Total distance traveled with camper = 30,320, km   T

Last night Anna and I put our heads together for some over due planning and worked out that we needed a few more lunch time meals and snacks before continuing on to the Mitchell Plateau, so we had to back track a little to Mt Barnett Roadhouse and restock before we continued on towards Drysdale Station. We stopped in at the rest stop at the junction between the Gibb River Road and the Kalumburu Road and I discovered an issue with the passenger side wheel on the camper trailer. The brakes were very hot and giving off a nasty smell, after pulling the wheel and hub off we discovered that the magnet had sheared off and the brakes on that side were stuck on. I couldn't repair it with out new parts so decided to disable that brake and continue on. I had hoped that Drysdale station offered mechanical repairs but they only repaired tyres, so over a beer and a very tasty Kimberley Burger  we decided that we would continue on with one trailer brake rather than miss out on the Mitchell fall

We didn't have far to travel today, we hadn't planned on staying at Mt Elizabeth Station but we thought it might be a nice change from the busier attractions along the Gibb River Road. Before leaving Mt Barnett we filled up with diesel ($2.09 per liter) and water then departed, the roads are still in good condition and we were at Mt Elizabeth Station just after 10.30. We selected our campsite setup and then had an early lunch before we left on the 4wd track to Wunnumurra Gorge, the track is a little over 10km long and pretty slow going taking us just under an hour to complete. From the car park it was an easy 30 minute walk to the gorge which we had to ourselves which was a very nice change from the last few gorges that we visited. After a refreshing swim we walked down stream and found some of the aboriginal art work which was well worth a look, it was then one more swim before walking back to the car for the slow bumpy ride back to camp. When we arrived it was almost dark

After breakfast we got all of our gear and lunch ready and then departed on our walk to Manning Gorge. We had to line up at the river crossing and wait for the boat to cross the river and then we were into it.The walk to the gorge isn't overly difficult but its challenging and on a warm day like today its hard work. We eventually arrived at Manning Gorge and were blown away with the beauty of the place, it would seem that every gorge we visit we rate higher than the previous ones. We spent most of the morning enjoying the cool water and jumping in from various rock ledges, the kids had a ball and for the first time on this trip they had heaps of other kids to play with. Just after midday we ate lunch and completed the return walk back to camp, it was very hot and we all enjoyed cooling off in the Manning River near camp. We then chilled out in camp for the rest of the arvo before going for one more swim just before the sun set. Distance Traveled = 0 km Total distance traveled

Our destination today was the Manning Gorge campground and it wasn't far to travel today. This weekend is a long weekend and we decided to drive straight to Manning Gorge in an attempt to get a decent camp site. We arrived at about 10.30 and checked in at the Roadhouse and grabbed a few supplies before driving the 7km out to the camp ground. The campground is very big and you are able to spread out and find a bit of space which is a nice reprieve from the last few nights where we have had people camping right on top of us. Unfortunately all of the prime spots near the amenities and closer to the river and swimming hole where taken and these areas were very crowded and not for us. After setting up we drove back out onto the Gibb River Road and back tracked a little to Galvans Gorge. This place is awesome and well worth the short hike, Bells gorge is spectacular but this place is a much better swimming hole with a rope swing and plenty of rock ledges to jump off into the deep pool.

We left camp after breakfast and drove back out to Bell Gorge and then walked down to the bottom of the falls. We had packed our lunch today and spent the majority of the day swimming and exploring the swimming holes that are downstream of the falls. It was great to see more of the beautiful gorges and smaller waterfalls and a nice way to escape the crowds. Late in the afternoon we returned to camp and had an early night as we were all knackered from all the hiking and swimming. Bell Gorge has definitely been the highlight of the trip so far and today was a day that will stay in our memories for a very long time. Distance Traveled = 20 km Total distance traveled with camper = 29,798, km   Total number of nights in the camper = 187

The last couple of days have been very hot and all of the locals have commented about how unseasonably warm it is, we packed up early and we  were on the road by 8.30. Our destination today was the Silent Grove camp ground which wasn't very far away so we decided to stop in at Lennard Gorge to have a look around. All of the information we had read suggested that the road in was in terrible condition but we found the road to be in excellent condition. The walk to the gorge wasn't too difficult but the warm temperatures took it out of the kids and we were a little disappointed that we couldn't swim. It is possible to make it down to the water but National Parks ask that you don't and the kids are a little too young to tackle the very steep rock hopping that is required to get down to the bottom of the gorge. With so many other beautiful gorges and waterholes ahead of us we decided not to take the risk. After having some morning tea we walked back to the car and made o

It was very warm overnight and the morning was heating up quickly. After breakfast we got ready for the day and then drove down the road to Tunnel Creek. This is another very popular attraction and the short drive took much longer than it should have as we were stuck behind a procession of tarmac tourists and hire car drivers that have no idea about driving on dirt roads. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come... the roads are in very good condition and with lowered tyre pressures there is no reason most drivers could travel at 80km an hour. Once we arrived we found an almost full car park and I was worried that the crowds may impact on our experience, luckily the crowds dispersed and we felt like we had the place to ourselves for most of the walk. We had a great time exploring the cave and were lucky enough to spot a few fresh water crocodiles just before the very end of the tunnel. We chilled out in the shade back at camp for the afternoon whilst the kids caught up on sc

This morning we packed up early and were on the road to Derby to grab some fuel and check out the Prison Boab, Myalls Bore and the Derby Jetty. From here we turned east and eventually drove onto the Gibb River Road. Not much dirt today as most of the sections we traveled were sealed and the dirt sections were in good condition. Just after lunch we arrived at Windjana Gorge and I'm glad we arrived early as there weren't many spots to choose from and there was a stream of new arrivals throughout the afternoon. You'll never guess who we crossed paths with... Peter and Kerry and Brad and Jane, the kids have adopted them as their surrogate grandparents on the road. Today was a very warm day (35 degrees) and we waited until it cooled off a bit before walking down to the gorge to take in the scenery and spot some crocs. The kids had a great time looking at all the crocodiles and counted about 30 or 40 in the one pool. We returned to camp and all enjoyed a nice shower before se

 Late last night I realised that I had left all my fishing lures in Bryce's tackle box and we had collected a few of their bits and pieces so we had to swing by Broome after leaving Middle Lagoon. The drive to Broome was an uneventful one and we refueled in town and grabbed a few more supplies before heading out towards Derby. our destination tonight was a free camp called Telegraph Pool on the Fitzroy River. Its a little bit out of the way which is great as it keeps most of the Grey Nomads away and we were looking forward to camping with a bit of space around us. We found the turn off and were soon setting up on the banks of the Fitzroy River and surprise surprise guess who pulled up along side us... Peter and Kerry and Brad and Jane who we were camped next to at Middle Lagoon. There was plenty of space and they found a site just down from us and we then joined them for a short walk along the river where we saw our first crocodile of the trip. Distance Traveled = 328 km Tota