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Western Australia 4 - Gibb River Road and Purnululu

Sunset at Windjana Gorge.

Windjana Gorge is arguably the best place in Australia to observe fresh water crocodiles. In fact there's plenty of them and you can get as close as you dare, the rangers recommend a minimum distance of 2,5m.  Freshies are mostly harmless. They only grow up to three meters.

Courageous Great Egret hunting for fish.

The northern entrance to Tunnel Creek. For about 800m the Lennard River flows through this cave. You can walk the whole length. At this time of the year, the water is rarely more than knee deep. There are frogs, fish, eels, bats, and other lovely creatures but at least currently no reptiles.

The Boab tree is typical for the Kimberley region. Its blossom usually flourishes just for one night, so this one obviously missed the right time to wither.

 

Queen Victoria's Head on the Gibb River Road

Black Breasted Buzzard

Bell Gorge offers a quite refreshing bath. The water is really cold.

Next morning we are passing several bush fires. Obviously the farmers set the bush in fire at times, to take the fuel out and thereby prevent bigger fires. Maybe also they do it generate fresh plants for their cattle. It is quite controversial, some say it is necessary others argue, that many animals are killed in these fires and they should therefore be banned. 

Bremach Gibb River Road Drysdale

Typical Aussie shop talk. If you're driving a Bremach in Australia some blokes talking to you, at a certain point will start to crawl under it. At times almost the whole conversation is held this way. Anyway this chap at Drysdale Station is the record holder. For ten or maybe even fifteen minutes he is inspecting the details of our vehicle from underneath. "They've done a bloody good job mate" is his final judgement, "Fair dinkum!"

On the Kalumburu Road we are driving north for 250kms to Mitchell Plateau. The last 80kms are quite rough. "Are we there yet", is the title of a wonderful child's book describing a families journey all around Australia. Unfortunately we are not there yet, it's still 20ks to Mitchell Falls.

Bremach Mitchell Plateau

The Gibb River Road kindergarten on the way to Mitchell Plateau. 

Walking track to the falls.

Aboriginal Paintings at the Upper Mertens Falls.

Although there's currently not much water on the falls, it is a stunning view. You can take a bath in the upper pools, but not at the bottom, as there's crocodiles in there.  

Alice, Uli and Anna crossing King Edward River.

Bremach Gibb River Home Valley

Huge Boab tree at the Home Valley Homestead Campgound.

Urs crossing Pentecoast River. 

Bremach Purnululu Bungle Bungles

On the way to the Bungle Bungles. Our friend Urs says, the road is much better than it used to be, anyway it takes us about one and a half hours to drive the 53kms to the entrance of the park. The views are magnificent.

Don't panic, nobody will be eaten by a crocodile in Little Palm Valley. It's much more likely to suffer a heat stroke.

Even for down-to-earth people Echidna Chasm is a magical place. You have to visit it late in the morning to see this incredible play of colours. 

If you're standing there and see how huge this place is, it's hard to believe, that it has been discovered just a few decades ago. Of course this statement just refers to the whitefellows, the blackfellows surely knew the place for thousands of years.

Cathedral Gorge.

Beehives in the morning

Masked Lapwing and Comb Crested Jakana, both seen in Kununarra. For us this means goodbye from WA, an amazing land with a lot of nothing between countless treasures, that are all worth a visit. We hope to come back very soon.