Left Broome on Boxing Day morning after a quick, unsuccessful fish for supper.
I drove the short 180km to Derby, which I didn't much care for, but needed to head there to start making enquiries about the Gibb River Road. Now I know how you all like the compulsory, comparative facts, so here's one... The Kimberley region (to which Derby lies on the west) is 3 times the size of England but only two roads traverse it: The Great Northern Highway skirts along the south and then the east of the region whilst the Gibb River Road goes straight through the middle...
I really wanted to drive the Gibb River Road! The 700km, former cattle, road is unmade for all but the first 100km. In the Dry season it is an easy if slightly rough undertaking and is heavily used. In the Wet season it is a little more challenging and prone to being shut due to flooding. There was a difference of opinion in town so the only solution was to head 30km or so along the first section of sealed road to the official start...
Disappointing! I'd be able to get 450km or so but that was of no use as I'd only have to back track from Kalumburu. Although I really wanted to take this route, this was far from unexpected.
However!
A consolation prize was on offer! If I drove the 100km, or so, on the sealed bit of the Gibb, I could then turn south on the Windjana Gorge road which is a mini version of the Gibb, is 170km long, and joins up with the highway to the south. Perfect! And also a real surprise as it had been closed the day before when I rang the highways agency for info.
So I formulated a plan... I would drive the sealed bit of the Gibb, turn off on the Windjana Road and then after 20km I could pull into the Windjana National Park where you can camp in designated areas. The next day would be a perfect, if little, adventure along the newly re-opened road...
The road may have be reopened but, when I got there, the access to the National Park (and camping) was not! Don't you hate it when that happens...
I had the choice of returning to Derby or pressing on, both of comparable distance so I pressed on. It was only 4:30 and how long could 150km take? There was a 24 hr 'rest area' just along the main highway I could then head to. A perfect plan...
The gorge and scenery were spectacular and the road was, well the road was interesting. It started off ok...
That's where the photo's stop because after then I was concentrating rather hard! From heavily corrugated sections to parts of the road washed away, bone-jarring gullies, gravel, deep sticky mud...
And circa 15 creeks to cross. Many were dry, some were littered with boulders, some wet sand, some muddy, some shallow and some steep, and some with branches and debris to overcome: each an interesting challenge! It was like a 4WD track back at home but for 150km. In and out of low-range constantly and I was always thinking back to the 4WD-day I did with David to remember what to do next.
I really loved it, all with a hint of trepidation. Then, I guess, there were two significant points...
I'd forgotten that, being so far north but still in the WA time zone, the sun goes down around 6. And...
This rather stopped any further progress. It was a creek crossing and, with the direct sunshine gone, I could not see how deep it was. It was also attached to further water in the creek, to the right, so there was no way I was going to walk it with a stick to see how deep it was... Salt water crocodiles! (apparently they float around in flood waters and then end up wherever pools are left!)
There was no choice (you don't drive after dusk because of wildlife activity and the rapid darkness) but to retreat 50m (crocs don't like walking more than 25m so I thought I'd double it!) and wait until morning to reassess. It was an 'interesting' night and a fantastic night in equal measure:
Interesting: miles from anywhere it was pitch black by 7. A packet of Cheezels for supper and it was 7:05 with a long night ahead. I quickly realised that although the 'windows' of the van have fly/mozzie screens the internal lights or even reading a book on the iPad meant a million tiny bugs coming in through the screen holes so it was 'lights out' by 7:15. My brain then went into action and I realised how easy it is to get stranded as there are just so many creek crossings and anyone of them could flood in front or behind to keep you there. The floods can last from hours to weeks. All fine as I have so much food and water but unnerving and now I understood why these roads are so unreliable in the Wet... Took a few hours to get to sleep!
Beautiful sunset
Exciting: The sounds in the bush were deafening at sun-down, sunset, the smells, there had been both cattle and kangaroos in the last half hour of light with me all the way... I must have seen 30 Roo's, all bounding along the edge of the road. (and then, generally, trying to cut straight in front of me). And then the stars... Quite amazing. I could see Venus looking very orange and like I'd never seen it and Beetlegeuse (sp?), a Red Dwarf star looking incredibly red. (thanks iPad star walker!)
I had a stilted night's sleep, mainly thinking that the slighest breath of wind through the van (which was in fact very welcome) was a huge storm brewing!
Anyway, the sun came up, as it does, around 4:30 and I went back to view the hurdle in question...
Still there annoyingly but now I could see it was crossable and bottomed in sand, not mud. After much recollection of the Nene 4WD course, I made across ok and indeed at the deepest it was only top-of-wheel-arch deep.
I had a celebratory bowl of cornflakes and carried on the last 40km at a more leisurely but still challenging pace with another 6 or so creeks to cross.
Morning girls! (or probably boys)
Still great scenery.
It's amazing how quickly the sun gets up here... This must have been around 6am.
And so that was that. I got a great 4WD experience and a night 'in the bush' rolled into one.
You'll maybe be pleased to know that it's Tarmac pretty much all the way to Darwin now. However (and you really couldn't make this up) cyclone Grant is currently sitting over the centre of the Kakadu National Park. I have written off seeing any of the Kakadu but yesterday storm waters washed away a section of the Stuart Highway, near Katherine, which is the only road in/out of Darwin! A freight train was also washed clean off the tracks and the whole thing has made national news with the Transport Minister flying over the region to show 'willing'. (quite unusual apparently, for the highway to be damaged rather than just flooded).
So I am currently sitting a very safe 500km away from the excitement in Kununarra waiting to hear when the road will be rebuilt! The authorities are currently saying a single lane will be re-established by the weekend but also that, with no rail access to Darwin, it will then be heavily used with freight/supplies into Darwin.
I suspect these last few days will be just about 'getting to Darwin' rather than enjoying the Kakadu region. Still the Kimberley has been amazing... And exciting enough!
All good. Happy New Year.
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Location:Kununarra
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