Driving back down that angled sandy road that is Cape Leveque Road and I began to feel myself scratching… At dinner on the balcony at Cygnet Bay last night I had remembered to put on our repellent but I hadn’t put anything on while we walked around the farm on tour. The itching was relentless and I soon realised that I had in fact been attacked by midgies!

My only solace was that I was on my way to Broome for two more nights (though I had started to seriously contemplate extending that to four nights before I even got there). We stayed at Cable Beach Caravan Park again only this time, we weren’t by the pool but up the back against the shed (I’m sure it was their last and only ‘spare’ site) this was peak time and school holidays for WA so the place was jam packed.

We got in to Broome again on a Thursday afternoon but didn’t bother with the market this time around and opted instead for an early night as we had booked a scenic flight over the Horizontal Falls the next day. We were picked up by the airline mini bus early in the morning and shuttled to the airport to board our little plane with just two other passengers Pip and Mike (their son played for Carlton but I don’t remember his name – wrong team for me to care about).

I got to sit next to the pilot for the flight up which was a little exciting until I realised that planes are designed for tall people (there are no short pilots) and I couldn’t see out the front window and there were no phone books on hand to give me a lift. I could still see out the side windows though and the kids were right up the back where they could see out the side windows and out the back one.

As we flew over the falls we could see some of the jet boats driving through the falls and I felt a little disappointed that we hadn’t been able to do this (they were booked out weeks in advance) until I was told that it’s a pretty rough and fast ride and that despite being securely strapped in, I’m sure would’ve frightened the crap out of Miss6 enough to make it less enjoyable. The view from the sky however, was calm and equally spectacular as we got to take in the surrounding area and see just how unusual and rare this water mass is – it would’ve been even better if we got to fly over them just one more time around before leaving though. After circling the falls a couple of times we flew to Cape Leveque and landed here for a huge hot breakfast and coffees followed by a couple of hours of free time to go and swim or explore.

There wasn’t much to explore there so we opted to go to the beach for a swim. The views were gorgeous but the water wasn’t very kid-friendly. The waves were coming into shore with great strength and speed and you only had to walk a metre from the shore and you were in shoulder high water. This meant that I had to hold Miss6 on my hip while trying to plant my feet firmly in the sand as the super strong currents pushed me in to shore and then tried just as hard to pull me out to sea. It was more hard work than it was worth so I took Miss6 back to shore and had a little paddle on my own before we opted to stay on the sand and look for shells and go for a walk. Master14 stayed in the water a bit longer – he seems to really be enjoying the beach life and swimming in the ocean.

Back to the plane and this time Master14 got to ride shotgun with the pilot and Miss6 and I sat up the back. It was a lovely day and I’m glad now that we’d stayed at Cygnet Bay and not Cape Leveque earlier in the week (all except for the midgee bites that were now making me start to look like a junkee with red blotches all up my legs, arms, back and neck).

With our plans to leave Broome the next day and head south I knew that we would officially be ‘on the way home’. I wasn’t ready for that just yet and still felt pretty exhausted from the first half of our adventure so I extended our stay to cover the weekend. We opted for a sleep in on Saturday morning and Miss6 woke deciding that since we weren’t going to the Saturday morning markets, that she’d make her own market stall and make her fortune.

She started drawing some Broome inspired pictures of sunsets, camels and the beach and set herself up with a sign and stool out the front of our van. I managed to persuade her to only charge 10cents per picture rather than the original $10 she was thinking. The family camped next door to us, with three kids of their own under 7, came over and bought her first four pictures to stick up on their caravan wall. I was amazed that someone with kids and hand-made drawings of their own to find space for, paid money to have someone else’s pictures on the wall.

Miss6 was amazed she’d sold out so quickly and had to get cracking on a new batch of pictures. Another neighbour, who was retired and came to Broome for four months every year (I’m seriously looking forward to retiring at this rate), bought a couple of pictures off her and then gave her the lowdown on who to go to to ask if they wanted to buy pictures. By lunchtime she’d made over $5 including a couple of young guys who’d seen the sign she had me make and put on the toilet block noticeboard, and got her to walk to their site so they could give her $2 each for a picture – she was rapt!

The market stall continued for the rest of our stay at the caravan park and in the end she managed to make over $12 and had roped in the little boy next door to spruik for her and walk around the park with her yelling ‘roll up, roll up, get your handmade drawings here for just 10 cents’ – it was very cute.

Master14 took Miss6 to the pool for me while I caught up on some ‘real life’ duties. When we’d arrived back in Broome this time around we noticed that the interior light was on when we opened up the van – this isn’t supposed to be possible as there’s a safety switch to either turn lights off if you’ve left them on, or to ensure that the lights don’t get switched on as you drive. As we pulled out the beds, we also noticed that the canvas on the beds was black and melted and had even burnt holes straight through – it was lucky the whole van hadn’t caught fire while we were driving!

I didn’t want to risk this happening again on our subsequent drives after Broome and had arranged a caravan repair man to come and check out the van – he was so busy that he didn’t turn up Friday afternoon as originally booked and only turned up on the Saturday really late in the afternoon. The safety switch had a bend in it so it was a quick and easy fix to straighten that out before I set him to work to unblock the lock on our rear box – it was so full of dirt that I hadn’t been able to open it to use our jerry can funnel or grey water hose in ages. He finally got all of the dirt from the lock and fix it up for us leaving us 10 minutes to get to the outdoor movie cinema to watch Finding Dory that I’d promised the kids.

At the end of the movie Miss turned around to find one of her little friends that we’d met in Kings Canyon and hadn’t seen since Katherine! We ended up chatting for so long out the front of the cinema that we got home from our early movie really late. The next day the kids swam in the pool in the morning before we headed off in the afternoon to visit Malcolm Douglas’ Wilderness Park and see the infamous croc feeding session where we were hoping to see a death roll live.

The park has a huge population of saltwater crocodiles all living in the one lagoon together plus a number of other smaller areas with just the one male and one or two females – some of which had their own claims to fame. The park provided a guided feeding tour where we got to walk around with staff and watch them feed the crocs while they talked about each one and the crocs put on a bit of a show as they fed. At the end of the tour the park was still open for another hour so the kids and I took a walk around the park and made the most of the time there – everyone else it seems, left as soon as the tour concluded – the park was empty as we walked around and the carpark deserted when we left.

When we got back to the van I said to the kids ‘let’s not leave tomorrow’ and booked us an extra night – some serious denial about this ‘going home’ idea! The following day after Miss6 and her new spruiker had a successful morning at their artwork stall, we thought we’d head to the beach to bum around and make sandcastles. On the way out we decided that we didn’t want to leave the next day either and added another night to our stay – bringing our original two night stay up to six nights!

We were only going to stay at the beach for a couple of hours but the kids weren’t too hungry for lunch and seemed content with the snacks I’d brought so we stayed for several hours, moving our towels up the beach as the tide came in. We were out far longer than planned and though I managed to get some reading done and the kids got lots of sandcastles built, we all managed to get sunburnt – sunburn would never happen in July in Melbourne (unless you were at the snow)!

I knew my workmate was back from her tour so had messaged her to see if she wanted to hang out with us on our last day in Broome. We headed to the beach and hired a couple of beach lounges, buckets and spades and boogy boards for the kids ($25 for most of the day). I’d left my kindle back at the caravan park so I quickly drove back to grab it but couldn’t get in the front gate as there were people blocking the entrance checking in (why they didn’t park in the waiting bays on the street was beyond me and got me rather annoyed at the time) I left my car in the waiting bays and walked back to the van and grabbed the kindle.

I realised that I hadn’t told the kids and my workmate where I was going (they thought I was going to the carpark to get something for Miss6 when I’d decided I may as well go back for the kindle) and that I should really hurry back so I grabbed Miss6’s Monster High scooter and raced to the front gate. This got a few laughs from those I scooted past (we were camped at the back of the park so there were a lot of potential witnesses to any spectacular stacks that I might make). One guy I saw visibly nearly spit his coffee out and another that yelled ‘hey did you steal some kids scooter?!’.I still managed to get back to the front gate only just as the driver blocking the driveway was managing to enter the caravan park.

It was a cloudy and windy day this time so we didn’t stay as long but the kids still had a great time and we managed again to bump into our Kings Canyon family (who kindly reminded me that we needed to book online to stay at Cape Range National Park to see Ningaloo Reef and that they were booked out for the next week at least). Back to camp and our spruiking neighbours seemed to have the same dinner plans as us so we booked a table and all walked together to Divers Tavern for dinner and drinks before we knew we had to pack up in the morning. Miss6 was having a ball playing with the kids and I later found a bunch of selfies that she’d taken with their kids at the restaurant.

The next day we said farwell to our spruiking family friends as they went out for the day and left us to pack up. We were about to leave at 10am (we’d unpacked a heap of stuff in the six days we’d stayed) but the car battery was flat again and needed a jump start. I was contemplating calling our spruiking family when Miss6′ number one customer and semi-permanent resident came to our rescue. Finally on the road and we’d actually managed to miss official check-out.

We stopped at Bunnings to get a new gas bottle then stopped at the Auto Elec to get him to double check our safety switch and tell him about the battery. We didn’t actually leave Broome until 12.30pm – the latest departure of the entire trip so far! Staying in Broome was the first time I’ve felt like I was on holidays and could relax (perhaps with the exception of Alice Springs) as the rest of the trip has been more like an adventure with lots of moving and activity but I’ve actually been able to chill a bit more while here – a good rest before the last half of our trip home.

From Broome we headed up the Cape Leveque (or ‘Leveek’ as most of us bogans seem to pronounce it) road with the air let down on the tyres again. This unmade road was more sand than the others we’d driven on and graded in such a way that the two sides of the road were on a steep angle that met at a point in the middle of the road – there were a few times that I pondered what the tipping point would be where you’d move too far left and just roll over.

On the way to Middle Lagoon we made a stop at the famous Beagle Bay church with an alter made with pearl shells – it was a beautiful site and a lot prettier than other churches I’d been to. Luckily we made the stop as I also noticed that one of our jerry cans was only just holding on at the back of the van and had to re-tie the wratchet straps to secure that back up. Miss6 and I were desperate for a loo and Master14 was hungry (when isn’t he??) so we stopped at the bakery for some food and loo break before it was back to the sandy angled road.

The turn off to Middle Lagoon brought a flatter road but much sandier one with a few hairy spots – it was a good reminder that we’re never really fully in control of a vehicle – if the sand wants you to go in a particular rut then that’s where you’re going!

We set up our camp right near the ridge but with the luxury of some shady trees and a large, fairly secluded spot. The kids spent the afternoon making sandcastles on the beach before we lit the fire and ate dinner around it and went to bed with the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore to put us to sleep.

After brekki the next day, we walked down to the lagoon beach and boat ramp to have a look – it was supposed to be more kid friendly and we thought we’d spend part of the day there. Miss6 isn’t a fan of seaweed or mousse (anything green growing in the water e.g. moss – she calls it mousse) and it was dotted all along the shore so we didn’t stay long. Back to the beach along the ridge where the kids got to work splashing in the water and building sandcastles (though Master14 tends more to dig massive holes in the sand and structures that are designed to break when water is added).

I made a make-shift tent with a tarp and some poles and lay under it reading my novel – a luxury I managed for most of the day. The kids didn’t want to leave the beach so I made lunch at the van and brought it back to the beach for us all to eat where we stayed until dinner time. Though we didn’t want to leave our idyllic little beachside hideaway we were looking forward to seeing Cygnet Bay.

When we went to leave though, the battery was flat and I needed to jump start the car. As I was about to hook the car up to our Arkpak our neighbour offered to come and jump start us so I obliged his generousity and once we were started we could head off. I’m not sure why the battery was flat but thought that perhaps one of the kids had left a light on in the car the night before.

We got to Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm around lunchtime and checked in to our campsite and booked a farm tour for 3pm. When we got to our site we noticed there was a fire pit onsite and that it would be on the wrong side of the van if we drove straight in so I drove through the site and tried to reverse the camper to turn it around to have the fire pit on the door side of the van.

The section at the back of our campsite was very fine and soft sand and quite deep so we soon got bogged in it. I got out of the car and started to let air out of the tyres to get us out and another camper came over to see we were ok. He offered some friendly advice (like to put it into first gear not third to try and start moving… got it thanks!) but also offered to let me drive straight ahead which would go through part of their campsite but meant I didn’t have to try and reverse the camper in the sand which, I don’t think it was doing my clutch any good as it smelt like it was burning.

After all the excitement we decided to unhitch the van anyway and head back to reception for a dip in the infinity pool before our farm tour. The infinity pool was cool (not as cold as Lake Argyle) and had some lovely views out to the bay. I could also enjoy a cold beer while I watched the kids swim.

The tour was interesting (though not really worth the price they charge) and included a section where Miss6 got to choose a live oyster shell from a tank for our guide to open up. As it was an old oyster shell and at the end of its lifecycle, he broke the shell wide open to reveal the oyster with the pearl sitting right in the middle – noone wanted to touch the oyster or the pearl but Miss6 jumped straight in and pulled the pearl out!

At the end of the tour we looked at a selection of different pearls, some valued up to $15,000 for a string of them, while the pearl Miss6 had retrieved got valued. It came back with a value of $24 which is less than the $25 seed they used to implant the oyster so they planned to crush the pearl for paint and re-use the seed. I ended up buying the pearl for Miss6 – it was probably the only pearl I could afford and had some sentimental value to it now (though if it had been a $2,400 pearl I would’ve just asked for her to have her photo taken with it!).

We decided to eat at the restaurant next to the infinity pool (who can resist an all-you-can-eat buffet when you have a 14 year old with hollow legs paying the kids meal rate??). On the way back to camp we were driving up a very steep and sandy section when I noticed a huge huntsman spider run across the inside of my windscreen! The second I got to the top of that hill I stopped the car and turned every conceivable light on to find the little bugger and get it out of there.

Finally back at camp and while Master14 and I hitched the car to the camper to save us some time in the morning, Miss6 started carrying on about noises outside in the ‘garden’ – we thought she was imagining things – turns out there were a heap of hermit crabs scurrying around on the dried leaves. Not sure if they were scrummaging for food but they were a fair distance from the beach and sand and though they were noisy making their way across the leaves, they were nowhere to be seen by morning.

We arrived in Broome in the late afternoon and set up our van next to the pool at Cable Beach Resort before heading straight down to the town beach for their Thursday night markets. It felt a little like being at the Mindil Beach markets in Darwin – the warm and balmy evening, cultural food trucks scattered around the place, hippies and kids in tie dyed clothes dancing to the sounds of folk singers playing live and lots of jewellery stalls.

We plonked on the grass for some dinner and wondered around the markets until closing time at 9pm – by then we were ready for bed. After a bit of a sleep in the next morning, we headed to town for groceries and to go to the visitor centre. A friend from work arrived in Broome that morning and met us at the visitor centre to join us for the day.

Our plans to check out dinosaur footprints had to be put off for a few days until the tide was out so we ended up going to the museum which was very interesting and the kids got to do an activity sheet as we wondered around. Broome is yet another town that was directly involved in the war with an air raid on the town – I’d only ever really known about Darwin’s war history and had no idea other towns had been so directly affected.

I still had to grocery shop and remembered that we had to vote tomorrow but we’d be off doing tourist stuff so I found a polling booth and voted early (I didn’t really think about these sorts of official duties that I’d still need to undertake while travelling).

With the chores out of the way we headed to Cable Beach to enjoy the remnants of the sunset and splash our feet through the warm shallow waters. While there we noticed orange signs with a croc head on them – we figured this was a warning that crocs lived in the northern end of WA but that we were in a safe spot for swimming. Once it was dark we headed off to Divers Tavern for some dinner and a cold beer beneath one of the biggest TV screens I’ve ever seen – it seemed almost as big as the scoreboard screen at the MCG!

The next morning we thought we’d head out to Malcolm Douglas’ Wilderness Park but it doesn’t open until 2pm so back to town where we drove to Port and despite the jetty being closed for repairs, we ended up spending a few hours meandering along the beach collecting shells and admiring the crab and bird life.

It was the weekend so we headed to the markets to check out some of the stalls – many were the same as Thursday night with a few different ones and a yummy mango smoothie van that we had to visit. We dropped my workmate off for her big nine day tour and headed to Cable Beach for our pre-sunset camel trek.

Miss6 and I were on Cocoa – possibly the worlds tallest single hump female camel, and Master14 was on Jerry – named after Jerry Hall for her long legs. The ride took us along the northern end of the beach along the shoreline where there were cars parked on the beach.

After the camel ride we decided to get the car and drive down onto the beach for sunset. It was so convenient having the camp chairs in the boot – we relaxed on those between having a swim and a kick of the footy on the sand and watching the sunset. Sunset here is one of the best I’ve seen and can certainly understand what all of the fuss is about. These pics were all taken at the same sunset – the colour changes are amazing. 

We tried to sleep in the next day but Miss6 was in terrible pain and I had to take her to the hospital where, after a few hours, we had some antibiotic cream for a skin infection (we joked that she just wanted to join the ‘been to hospital on the big trip’ club!). After lunch we headed to Cable Beach again for some chill time before we drove to Gantheaume Point to hunt for dinosaur footprints.

We managed to find the first two prints but, like nearly everyone else there, wondered aimlessly around for ages trying to find the third set of prints. It wasn’t until we got back to the carpark that we realised that there were actually around nine different types of prints found in the area and we had probably been walking over heaps of them without even knowing.

The sun was setting as we were leaving and the views from the point were almost as pretty as those we’d admired at Cable Beach – Broome certainly puts on a show at sunset. We were leaving in the morning so I asked the kids if I could stop in at Matso’s Brewery on the way home to try their chilli beer I’d been told about. We decided to stay for dinner while we were there and I ended up trying the chilli beer and the mango beer – both were delicious and so were the meals. It’ll be hard to leave in the morning but we know we’re coming back in a few days and can catch another two days here before heading south.

We made it to Fitzroy Crossing at about 2.45pm and secured ourselves the last unofficial powered site hidden in a corner up the back of the park. We quickly unhitched and plugged in the power before heading off to catch the 4pm Geiki Gorge boat tour along the Fitzroy River.

The colours at that time of day were just beautiful. As we made our way up and back down the river, we saw some amazing rock surfaces – a colourful reminder of the areas ancient past. As the sun was setting, the colours of the rock walls turned a deeper red and reflected perfectly oof the glass-like water. We even managed to see a cros floating past us plus a couple of agile wallabies – a very aptly named local animal!

We followed our caravan park’s mini bus on the way back to camp. For those of you who don’t know Fitzroy Crossing, there are a few single lane bridges along the main road – I had forgotten this fact so at one point when the mini bus in front of me pulled over I thought the driver was letting me pass because he was going so slowly. Turns out of course, that he’d pulled over to let other cars coming towards us cross the single lane bridge.

I was so embarassed that rather than turn into our caravan park driveway with the bus now following behind, I went straight past and did a U-turn further down the road before coming back – I didn’t want the bus to see who we were and think ‘what a stupid driver’ – the kids thought all of this was hilarious.

I had plans for us to be on the road by 9am the next morning so we could make the drive to Derby and then Broome. We were all dawdling along as Master14 was off at the little boys room and Miss6 found herself a puppy to play with. I soon realised it was 8.47 but we managed to pack in record time and get on the road by 9.07!

We made one final stop for fuel and to take in the lush green grass on the main road before it was back on the freeway to Derby. We made sure we took a photo of the road sign at the other end of the Gibb River Road before stopping to check out the boab prison tree.

I was saddened to learn that (innocent) Aboriginal people were captured and forced to work on pearling ships and that the prison tree was often used to hold them on the journey to the coast – another shameful example of our past and there were many others reading the information there with us that were angered or saddened by the stories of the past also.

After taking in the enormity and emotional history of the tree we headed to the Information Centre for some lunch and to grab some postcards and Gibb River souvenirs Back on the road to make our way to Broome where we hoped to swap red dirt for sand and possibly swap some of the intense adventure of the Kimberley for some relaxation by the coast.

We left the rugged ranges and even more rugged road of the Bungle Bungles and headed back down the highway after re-inflating the tyres for the umpteenth time. On the way back down to Halls Creek we needed to refuel with one of our jerry cans. I have three – two plastic and one old school metal – I’d filled all three when doing the Gibb just in case and still hadn’t had to use the metal one.

The funnel that connected to the metal jerry can was in the back box of the camper which had been locked shut full of dust for the last week so I had to use a little funnel to empty the fuel from the metal jerry can, into an empty plastic jerry can and then into the car. It was a delightful pitstop made even better when I realised that the catch on the metal jerry can wouldn’t close no matter how hard I tried so I gave up and stuck gaffa tape over the opening to keep the inside clean and headed to Halls Creek for a proper refuel and hopefully some assistance.

When we got to Halls Creek the queue at the servo was a mile long – they had no Diesel at their normal pumps so everyone was lining up then going in to ask where they could get Diesel before moving off. Luckily for me they had unleaded but there was no way I was getting help with my stubborn jerry can with a mob of grumpy grey nomads trying to get answers about when they could get fuel so we headed off.

It wasn’t long before we hit the turnoff to the Tanami and the road looked like it was in pretty good condition. We let down the tyres 25% and headed off down the road – so much better than the road into the Bungle Bungles and even the Gibb.

It’s funny how the kids games change as you get further along a trip like this and they learn new and practical things. Miss6 started out this trip playing make-believe games about being a rockstar and doing concerts and now she plays games about camping and asks things like ‘what tyre pressure do you use on the dirt roads?’ rather than ‘what colour outfit do you want to wear to the concert?’.

The entire drive to Wolfe Creek Crater I kept telling myself ‘don’t think about the movie’ and I reckon I replayed the movie almost scene by scene in my head! The kids wanted to watch the movie so they knew why I was trying so hard not to think about it – especially after I’d told them that their dad used to do impressions of one of the characters to give me nightmares for a laugh.

When we drove into the entrance there were a bunch of abandoned buildings and sheds on the side of the road which looked a bit eerie – especially with one of them displaying ’12 people died here stay out!’ in spray paint! I did have to laugh at one of the Wikicamps entries though that had ‘the crater was great but our car wouldn’t start when we got to the carpark – lucky there was a lovely truckdriver there to help us out – Aussies are so friendly :)’ and at the main sign to the crater someone had put a red hand print smeared down the side of it to look like blood.

We got to the crater in time to walk up to the rim and make a start at walking through the crater. The aim was to get to the other side and watch the sunset from the top of the crater on the eastern side. We got about 3/4 of the way through and found an abandoned cap on the ground which looked just like my castro cap – this made me feel a bit uneasy, as did the fact that we couldn’t see any obvious sign of a pathway back up the side of the crater when we got to the other side and the sun was dipping rapidly in the west.

We decided to turn around and walk back through the crater and watch the sunset from the western side of the rim instead. I’d heard that sunrise over the crater was pretty spectacular so after watching a DVD in the van before bed (no, it wasn’t Wolfe Creek), we set the alarm for 5am so that we could hike up the crater. Miss6 was keen to join me for the early morning spectacle, Master14 however, didn’t see anything good coming out of getting up that early so he stayed in bed.

We’d kept the car hitched to the van for a quicker pack up so Miss6 and I walked to the day use area carpark. The walk was a lot longer than I thought and I started worrying that we would miss it so I put Miss6 on my back and started to run up the road. We made it in plenty of time to walk up the side of the crater and sit on the rim ready for sunrise. The early morning night sky was just as spectacular as what I was expecting from the sunrise – the night was so clear and the silhoutte from the crater as we approached it was serene and beautiful.

The wind blowing directly at us from the rim of the crater however, was anything but serene. There was another family at the top with their young daughter who was crying from the cold wind. Her dad eventually ran back to the car (they’d driven to the day use area lucky things) and grabbed a picnic rug so that his wife and daughter could wrap themselves up in it and shelter from the wind – they were generous enough to share this with Miss6 and I so we got a little reprieve from the wind.

With tears in our eyes (from the wind not the view) and noses running, we watched the sunrise first as a mass of colour in the far off distance and then, as it rose over the edge of the crater wall. It was a long wait in the wind but well worth it for that view. Our picnic rug sharers kindly gave us a lift back to camp in their car so that we didn’t have to walk back.

When we got back to camp we woke Master14 and happily bragged about the glorious views we’d just witnessed while he’d been snoozing. We packed up the camper and drove to the day use area to read up on the crater and have one last look before we hit the road again on the way back to Fitzroy Crossing for some green grass and with any luck a powered site.

We said farewell to the Gibb and headed toward Fitzroy Crossing stopping along the way at Tunnel Creek where we traded the thongs for our shoes and headed into the cave. As we made the walk we saw people coming out that had seen a couple of freshwater crocs on the way and we’d hoped to see the same but I think we came just at the end of peak-hour and they’d been scared away.

The cave was pretty cool – both figuratively and literally and the rock formations looked weird and wonderful by the torchlight. Walking through the cave you forgot that it was a warm and sunny 34 degrees outside until you got to the other end. Not content with missing a croc sighting, the kids and I continued to walk further up the creek once the tunnel ended but with no luck. The kids took off their shoes and walked bare foot on the way back and we got in the car and headed to the end of the Leopold Downs Road.

It was here that we farewelled the dirt and corrugations after 13 nights/14 days and traded red dirt for some lush green grass when we hit Fitzroy Crossing. 

By the time we popped into the local hardware store to say g’day to my Dad’s mate, we’d missed a powered site when we checked into the caravan park so it was another night of dim caravan lights. I did manage to do a load of washing in the vain attempt of washing some of the Gibb River red from our clothes before we headed to the pub for a cold beer and some fish and chips. The fish and chip deal was supposed to be take-away but there was a Collingwood match on the TV – the first we’d seen in weeks – so we sat down to eat and watch the game.

The next morning I was up early to put our laundry in the dryer and our shoes that were still wet from Tunnel Creek. We headed off and made our way to Halls Creek for a fuel stop and to book a couple of nights at the Bungle Bungles. We thought we’d be able to get into the Bungle Bungles that afternoon but apparently we still had another three hours driving to do so we stopped overnight at Leycester’s rest stop. The stop was named after a young local boy killed in a car accident near the Ord River and we read the dedication to him and wanted to leave a 5cent piece at the sign (he collected them as a boy) but I had none in my purse.

We were able to light a fire here so I sent the kids off to find some firewood while I finished setting up. They didn’t find much but Master14 did find a dead fallen tree nearby but the branches were too big for him to break on his own. I decided it might be time to get out the chainsaw that I’d bought at the Caravan and Camping Show before I left. I put on my safety goggles and started to cut up the big tree branches and trunk. Miss6 was off crying in the van and I thought that the loud noise may have scared her – turns out she was upset that I’d cut the tree up and cut it away from it’s ‘family’ (there were a couple of trees all growing together where this dead tree had also grown) she’s such a nature lover. She soon forgot her mourning of the tree when we were around the fire and fell asleep on the camp chair.

Up early the next morning and off to the Bungle Bungles. The lady at the information centre in Halls Creek told me the 56km drive would take me two hours – when we hit the dirt road I thought to myself ‘I’ve done the Gibb – there’s no way this will take two hours!’. I let some air out of the tyres and started the drive along the straight dirt road. It wasn’t long before the road became windy and then hilly and then both – the tight curves, corrugations and steep climbs very quickly made the two hour drive more realistic and officially the worst of the roads that we’d driven on so far.

Once at our campground though, the dirt roads were flat and in good condition – like a reward for making it through the entrance road. After setting up camp we headed to the Echidna Chasm in the hopes of catching the midday light at the end of the walk. We bumped into the family we’d met all those weeks ago at Wilpena Pound as we walked into the chasm. We missed the ideal time to see the light in the chasm but it was still a beautiful sight to see. The kids enjoyed climbing the walls like spiderman while I made some Indiana Jones closing walls references that made a nearby older guy laugh and went straight over the kids heads (note to self: get kids to watch Indiana Jones movies when we get home).

After Echidna Chasm we decided to head to Blackwoods to do the Mini Palm Gorge walk but I hadn’t packed lunch so we detoured via the van first before we could begin the 2-3 hour walk. I didn’t think we’d be able to finish the walk as we didn’t start it until 2.45pm and I didn’t want to be walking in the dark so I told the kids we’d just walk for a bit then turn around and go back. This was a challenge they took on with gusto and we ended up making it all the way to the platform at the end in only 45 minutes. The final two-thirds of the walk were on rock with the last third being the most rugged, interesting and picturesque – dotted with tall palms among the red rocky walls of the mountain range. It also smelt of pine and reminded me of Christmas as the soft cool breeze blew (this analagy confused Miss6 who failed to see how a gorge could be like Christmas!).

I set the kids the challenge to beat their time on the way out and they rose to it with great enthusiasm making it back to the car in under 40 minutes. We had enough time to head to the sunset lookout and climb the steep 500mtr pathway to the lookout where we not only got some random phone service as my phone went off on the climb, but we bumped into another family that we’d met at Mount Barnett along the Gibb. We chatted as we took some photos and generally enjoyed the views. The colours over the mountain range were reminiscent of those at Uluru. Sunsets seem so vivacious in the Kimberley and also throughout the McDonnell Ranges with their red and orange and yellow but then a soft hue of purples and pinks over rugged mountain ranges. The colours and mood were just lovely to witness and a great precurser to a lovely starry night dotted with soft, warm breezes.

The next morning we were off by 6.45am to get to Picaninny Gorge to do a few of the walks here before it got too hot. We started with the Picaninny Creek walk which had some spectacular views of the dome shapes of the vast Bungle Bungle Ranges – they are so huge that we pondered their size against that of Uluru.

Next we headed to the Cathedral Gorge walk. Walking through the high walled pathways along the creek, there were remnants of the wet season with some waterholes with fish and a few dead frogs. We arrived at Cathedral Gorge to find a very green body of water surrounded by a sandy bank to one side and rocks to the other. The high walls have traces of waterfalls during the wet and the entire space feels quite serene. Even the green body of water is pretty with its marbled patterns across the surface.

Shortly after we’d arrived, a tour group arrived and Miss6 managed to make friends with one of the tour guides and ended up walking with her chatting about our holiday as we all walked back toward the carpark via another short loop walk.

On the drive back to camp we made a quick stop at the airstrip to see how much a helicopter ride would be for us. As the kids had a combined weight of less than 77kg they were allowed to book one seat to share so we booked a spot on the 1.30pm flight which gave us enough time to drive back to camp, have some lunch, grab my over-used credit card and get back.

Nobody else had booked a flight at that time so the kids got to have their own seat with Master14 up front with the pilot and Miss6 and I in the back. We paid our fare, got our safety talk and met our pilot – all from three good looking guys in their pilot uniforms – I felt like I was on the set of a possible Top Gun sequel. Unlike our helicopter flight over Katherine Gorge, this helicopter had no doors so it was very windy and Miss6 wasn’t scared at all – in fact, I couldn’t wipe the smile off her face!

The flight was 18 minutes over the area that we’d walked through that morning. It was pretty spectacular to see the view from above and appreciate just how big it all is. Just one section represented the same footprint as Uluru but without the height. Back to camp for a quick dip under the solar shower to feel a little fresher before we head off tomorrow for more bush camping.

Before leaving home a friend asked what three things I would miss most and I’d said my bed and my friends and family (couldn’t think of a third). Turns out I’m not missing my family and friends all that much (they’re always in my heart so never far away) but I do miss running water, showering…without thongs…alone, flushing nearby toilets and being able to take the availability of a petrol station for granted.

We originally planned to spend about a week on the Gibb but ended up spending nearly two weeks travelling along it and could easily have done more. The Kimberley is definitely a highlight of the trip and an absolutely beautiful part of the world. The Gibb River Road takes in some spectacular views through some pretty big farming stations and beautiful gorges that we’re lucky enough that private and traditional owners are happy to share.

The Gibb itself was in pretty good condition when we drove along it – especially considering only a couple of weeks before we got there they’d had unseasonal rains that closed the roads. The road would change from grey to yellow to white, black and more often red dirt. With corrugations that sit tightly together where you could easily drive 80km/h over and then others that were spread so far apart it looked like waves on the ocean and even with your core braced to impress even the toughest PT, all your parts shook with the bumps.

You soon figure out however, that the colour of the road only matters in determining how bad the corrugations are, when it comes to the dirt – everything in or on the van is red dirt and it’s all brown when you blow it out your nose or scrape it out from under your finger nails! Each stop you make is another reminder that no matter what you do, the dust will always win and can get into anything.

Your definition of clean also changes the further you drive along the Gibb – the further we went, the more legitimate the Miss6 ‘seven second minute’ rule sounded. I think I even have my own ten commandments of clean after making it to the end:

1. Has it been driven through a water crossing? Yes – it’s clean.
2. Do you have clean underwear on? Yes – You’re clean.
3. Has it been swept down with the broom and shovel (this includes benches)? Yes, it’s clean.
4. Did you wipe it with a nappy wipe? Yes – it’s clean
5. Have you worn it less than three times? Yes – it’s clean.
6. Have you swum in a gorge? Yes – you’re clean.
7. Can you still see it clearly under the dust? Yes – it’s clean (enough).
8. Have you brushed it? (teeth or hair) Yes – it’s clean.
9. Has it been shaken out vigorously or bashed against something hard? Yes – it’s clean.
10. Does it smell ok? Yes – it’s clean.

The further we drove along the Gibb, the more things broke or needed repair and the more fun we had. You’re reminded that stressing about the little things doesn’t help and that it’s always better to just be grateful for all the good things in the world – I reckon there’s a few people back home that could do with a trip along the Gibb.

I think the thing it forced me to do was to slow down – life at home is always rush, rush, rush and that’s something you just can’t do on the Gibb – a lesson that many others I came across learnt the hard way. There were plenty of travellers also taking on the Gibb and many of these were more cautious than us, while many others showed no caution at all (funnily enough most of these were driving hire cars). As we made our way along we saw a few trucks towing out fully rigged 4WD vehicles, off road and high-end caravans and campers – a few others that we’d seen speed past us on the road we also saw pulled over on the side of the ride further along with broken parts or tyres that needed changing. One guy we spoke to reckons he went through six tyres along the Gibb while some other old guy told us that his tyres were on their last legs and that his spare tyres weren’t much better and wouldn’t last five minutes if he needed to use them (why he was risking the drive is beyond me). We always stopped or slowed down to check on any vehicles pulled over though, you never know when you’re going to be the one on the side of the road needing some assistance.

ELLENBRAE

After leaving Home Valley we stopped on the side of the road at ‘Telecom Hill’ where all of us desperate for some digital connection were standing on a rock with our phones in the air calling loved ones, or in our case, calling ahead to accommodation in Broome to avoid missing out for the school holiday rush. With our bookings all sorted and a quick text to Dad to tell him when we expect to be in Fitzroy Crossing we were officially on our way for a week or so of disconnection with the rest of the world while we explored this most spectacular part of the world.

The drive from Home Valley to Ellenbrae felt almost like a freeway – the dirt was largely grey and smooth until the driveway to Ellenbrae. A few dips and corrugations welcomed us to Ellenbrae though these were easily forgiven with the yummy taste of their home made scones with jam and cream. As we were camping there, our friendly hosts Larissa and Logan, told us of a secret swimming hole that we could make use of. We set up our camp and headed off for a short but fun drive along a sandy, windy 4WD track to a secluded sandy beach with breathtaking views.

Although we were told that the water was safe to swim in – it was so secluded and we were the only ones there so you can’t help but feel an eery sense of precaution and fear that some giant salty is going to come flying out of the water at any moment. With that thought in the back of my mind, we swam in the water anyway while I admired the scenery and kept a vigilant eye on the water around us. We eventually went back to camp where we lit the fire and sat around it to eat dinner and enjoy the outback sunset.

DRYSDALE

While we had checked in at Ellenbrae, Larissa had let me use her phone to call ahead to Drysdale Station, about 59km north of the Gibb, to see if they had any spots available to take a scenic flight over Mitchell Falls. We’d missed out on this experience at El Questro and Kununnurra so Drysdale Station was one of our last options (though it was a detour off the Gibb that I wasn’t sure the RAV4 was up for).

They had saved a spot for us on an afternoon flight the next day so that when we left Ellenbrae Station we detoured off the Gibb up to Drysdale in anticipation of our scenic flight. Unlike the drive to Ellenbrae, the drive to Drysdale Station was rough and heavily corrugated. The ‘drive fast over the corrugations so you don’t feel them’ theory only worked in some spots, while others were so bad that they forced you to slow to around 20km/h – it was on these sections I wished I’d worn a sports bra!

It was along this part of the road that a few others seem to fly past us with one in particular that we saw further up on the side of the road fixing a broken axle. I stopped to check on him (not that I could do much to help), topped up the car from one of the jerry cans and got on my way. We eventually made it in one piece and arrived having to drive around a road train loaded with two broken 4WD and a camper on the back to fill up with fuel and give our details to Will the pilot for our scenic flight either that afternoon or the following morning.

Two others booked a flight also so we managed to take our flight that afternoon up to Mitchell  Falls. It was a two hour flight that took in some of the ever-changing views of the Kimberley. One minute you were flying over great mountain ranges, the next it was vast plains with meandering fresh water systems flowing into the larger salt water rivers and out to the ocean. The kids both spotted a saltwater croc in the waters below before we detoured over to the views of Mitchell Falls – although I was feeling quite queasy by this stage, the view was amazing – what a gorgeous part of the world. Seeing it by air really made us appreciate just how big and remote this area really is.

Back at the station we enjoyed some dinner at the bar/restaurant onsite and some time around the campfire with fellow campers. First we chatted to a couple of young girls who’d been out to Mitchell Falls that day and reckoned the road there wasn’t too bad and that we should just give it a go. The manager later joined us around the fire and also reckoned the road from here to Mitchell Falls was better than the road we took to get to Drysdale – if we left our camper at King Edward campground, about half way from here to Mitchell Falls, we’d be right.

MITCHELL FALLS

Well, as the heading suggests, we decided we were already so close we may as well go all the way. We headed north the next day to King Edward campground and though the road there was better than the road to Drysdale there were still a few rough spots that slowed us down a bit and eventually took their toll on the camper with our overflow tap on the water tank breaking off as we turned off to the campground. Some frantic taping with gaffa tape (one of my regular saviours on this trip) stopped the water leaking from our tank and we were able to make it to the campground relatively unscathed.

We set up camp and were greeted by our friendly volunteer host who offered me some electrical tape to help me patch the hole in our pipe (the gaffa was useful but only a temporary measure). I needed to let the tank empty in order to repair it but with a promise of freshwater to refill, I took off the broken tap, turned the pipe upside down so that the hole was now facing upward, placed some plastic from an old drink bottle over the hole and taped it up with the thinner electrical tape serveral times.

We headed to the day use area for a swim in the clear and calm waters among a stunning backdrop and nearby waterfall – King Edward campground is quite possibly my favourite campsite. The next morning we were up early to make the two hour drive to Mitchell Plateau and National Park through some tropical roadside views along the way. We had been told that we couldn’t swim at Mitchell Falls so hadn’t taken bathers or towels with us and only packed food and water for the day. When we got to the gate we found out that there were in fact several swimming holes along the way and that it’s only the falls themselves that you couldn’t swim in!

We started on our walk stopping first at Little Mertins Falls to take in some Aboriginal rock art over 35,000 years old and right on the path where you could touch it (though we didn’t as you’re asked not to) it’s pretty amazing that these images have been here so long and still look so vivid and clear. We stood beneath the waterfall and watched the water trickle down in front of us while the lush green foliage grew proudly from the rocks behind us.

Next up was a walk along a flat and exposed grassy area that the Ranger had told us the kids would likely get bored and whinge through. Miss6 soon turned our walk into a 4WD game where she would radio me to warn me of rocky sections that might require me to put my vehicle into 4WD or take a water crossing.

It wasn’t long before we were at Big Mertins Falls (or fall as it was at this time of the season) and stopped to take some photos and admire the view down into the falls and across a pretty little pond dotted with loads of waterlilys. We were nearly at the end of our long walk to the falls and the smells surrounding us reminded me of my childhood and hayfever on the farm – that familiar fresh grassy smell was warm and pleasant (unlike when I was younger and would’ve meant me needing copious amounts of antihisthamine drugs, cold compresses and an immediate evacuation).

It wasn’t long before we were making our way down to the swimming hole near the top of the falls. We’d been advised to wear only our socks when walking across the shallow water section to the shaded swimming hole and, after seeing an older woman fall flat on her bottom trying to cross the water, we were glad we’d heeded that advice. As we didn’t have our bathers with us, Miss6 and I whipped off our shorts and swam in our undies while Master14 was already in board shorts for the walk so simply swam in those.

After enjoying our almost secluded swim we dried off in the sun and walked to the lookout to get our close up glimpse of Mitchell Falls. The view of the falls was breathtaking and pretty exciting to us to be so close. I did think of the two girls we’d chatted to at Drysdale Station who’d encouraged us to come here and felt grateful for their encouragement though I did wonder what they may have been smoking when they’d told us of the rainbow you could see in the water at the middle water fall – how you could see anything reflecting in that water from this distance was beyond even my vivid imagination.

There were loads of oldies at the falls that had taken the six minute helicopter ride in from the carpark and were taking it back out plus a few others who walked one way and took the helicopter back – we did the budget version and walked both ways but we were able to take a quick dip to cool down again just before we hit the carpark and made the two hour drive back to King Edward campground. The next morning it was back to Drysdale Station for a refuel and early lunch before we were off again to our next stop along the Gibb.

MOUNT BARNETT

We arrived at Mt Barnett in the afternoon and refuelled before finding ourselves a carmpsite and setting up the solar panels to try and get some charge into the ArkPak. The kids and I collected some firewood and had camped next to a lovely family with four kids who helped my two to light the fire while I went and enjoyed a nice hot shower on my own. After toasting marshmallow by the fire Miss6 was still exhausted and fell asleep on the campchair so I carried her to bed, grateful to not be turning the alarm on in the morning.

After a slight sleep in we headed to Emma Gorge via the little boat crossing and a lovely walk meandering over rocks and got there in an hour. Miss6 and I took some time to warm up before jumping in the water for a swim but Master14 was straight in there and jumping off the rocks at the waterfall soon enough. There were plenty of fish in the water and our camp neighbours had told us to bring bread to feed them so Miss6 was happy to do this while I had a little swim across to the falls.

The water was deep and we had forgotten to bring a noodle or Miss6’s floaty jacket so when she wanted to swim across to the falls with me I had to be her floatation device when she got tired (which was about half way across). She put her hands on my shoulders and almost pushed me under – I’m a strong swimmer but this was the first time I looked at my swimming destination and thought ‘I may drown before I get there’. With the extra 20kg on my back my arms were burning when I got to the other side so we stayed there for a while enjoying the rocks and the close up view of the falls.

We stayed at Emma Gorge for a few hours swimming and ate our lunch there before heading back to camp in the early afternoon. On the way back we stopped for a swim at the river spot with the boat ferry and Master14 spent time pullying others across the river until a rather large family hopped into the leaky boat, too lazy to do the trip in two shifts (there were about six large adults in the tiny little boat), they got about a third of the way across the river when one of them tried to stand up and the boat very quickly sank to the bottom of the river. There were screams of ‘my camera!’ ‘my phone!” from some of the occupants while the rest of us swimming and sunning by the river had a laugh and applauded them when they managed to get to shore and rescue the boat off the bottom. Master14 will have sore muscles in the morning after that effort I think.

GALVINS GORGE

After leaving Mount Barnett and grabbing a few grocery items we stopped off at Galvins Gorge for a bit of a look. We weren’t sure what to expect so walked the 1km walk with nothing but a drink bottle. When we got to the end we were greeted with a lovely little water hole complete with water fall and swing rope.

Master14 jumped straight from the swingrope without even checking how cold the water was (it was cold) while MIss6 and I sat on the edge and dangled our feet in the water. The kids eventually convinced me to have a go on the swing rope – I figured if anyone was going to complain about some mum swimming in her undies I’d be long gone before they could tell anyone who cared. The water was cold but gee that was fun – so much fun in fact that I had three turns of the swingrope and felt like a kid again.

On the walk back to the car my thongs broke again so I had to walk out with a soaking singlet, wet underwear and bare feet but it was worth it for that couple of hours. Miss6 even jumped off some rocks while we were there and sat on the waterfall with me. We found the most unusual and stunning spider while we were there – it was gold with an orange back and sparkled so brightly it almost didn’t look real.

When we left Mt Barnett I noticed the freezer wasn’t on and that two of the 12v outlets in the car weren’t working so we stopped off at ‘Over the Range’ after leaving Galvins Gorge. We were greeted by Neville, an incredibly friendly and genuine guy who let the kids look through some of his photos while he looked at my car. It was only a fuse which he replaced for me and sent me on my way with a big smile and warm wishes – i was so relieved it was only a fuse and that he’d been so helpful I had to give him a hug (it still seems odd to me that his name is Neville and he’s a mechanic). I got a free stubby holder from Neville and we were on our way again to Bell Gorge.

BELL GORGE

We got to Silent Grove and set up camp again and tried to make the most of the afternoon sun with the solar panels to charge the battery. I was also pretty happy to see there were some showers on site and looked forward to one of those in the morning. We hopped in the car and drove out to Bell Gorge – a pretty little gorge with a swimming hole right at the top of the falls that you could swim in. It was a bit cold for me and Miss6 so we found a nice rock to sit on and just get our legs wet while we enjoyed the sunshine.

We headed back to camp just before it got dark and lit the fire and sat around it for dinner. We were all pretty exhausted and Miss6 and I wanted to watch the sunrise so we were in bed asleep pretty early but not before some star gazing – the skies are so clear along here and you can see the stars in such vivid detail. The Milky Way almost looks like someone has just thrown a handful of glitter in the air it’s so bright and beautiful. We missed the actual sunrise the next morning (surprise surprise) but were up early enough to see the colours of the sunrise on the horizon.

WINDJANA GORGE

The kids decided not to do a second walk to Bell Gorge after brekky so we headed to Windjana Gorge to set up camp. We walked to the gorge after lunch and saw quite a large number of freshwater crocodiles just floating in the water. As we kept walking along the gorge the walls were interesting and remnant of being under the ocean millions of years ago. The walk along the gorge got a bit repititious after a while as there was no real destination or ‘look out’ to get to at the end so we turned around and headed back along the sand where we could get a closer look at the crocs and admire some Brolga’s along the way.

We sat on the shore watching the crocs for a while before heading back to camp for dinner and an evening visit from our friends from Lake Argyle that had also been travelling the Gibb – they’re heading home to Perth soon so we’ve arranged to stop in and visit them once we get there.

This is our last official night on the Gibb and it’s been one hell of an adventure. I’ve lost count of the numnber of water and river crossings we’ve made (though I promised the kids we’d add them all up at the end), we’ve been lucky enough not to blow any tyres and I’ve almost forgotten what colour my car and camper really are under all this red dust.

While we’ve managed the odd hot shower along the way, there’s been lots of bush camping and the beauty routine of cleanse, tone and moisturise with a quick bronzer at the end could almost be replaced with cleanse, tone, moisturise and some Gibb River red dust to finish it off. There are days when you think ‘gee I’ve got myself quite a tan’ before you realise that it’s just the dust and dirt on your skin. Though we’ve had quite the adventure these last two weeks, there’s still so much more we could see and the kids and I have already decided we love the Kimberley and want to come back again.

After bidding our FCUK friend a final farewell from El Questro, filling up with fuel and buying Miss6 her early birthday present of a genuine Kangaroo leather jackaroo hat, it was time to hit the Gibb and all its corrugations for the next 600 odd kms. We weren’t driving far and didn’t think the road was too bad, sitting most of the time on 60 and often getting to 80. We got to the famous Pentecost River crossing and luckily had already been told that it was very similar to the entrance to El Questro, just a lot wider. I decided that since we were on a real main road that Miss6 shouldn’t stick her head out of the sunroof (much to her disappointment), though in hindsight I don’t think there was much danger in doing so and unlikely that an officer of the law would’ve seen us.

After the long and bumpy crossing we managed to get to Home Valley before lunch and set up under the shade of a tree, had some lunch and headed to the pool. Our brief wifi access as we’d driven through Kununnurra had downloaded some of my emails and I noticed one from work offering me the opportunity to apply for my own job for a further nine months once I got back to Melbourne – applications closed at 5pm today – it was 3.45pm WA time and I had no phone and no internet service. I paid $5 to make a two minute phone call to work to let them know I’d try to email something through and another $5 for 100MB of data which I hoped was enough to get an email through – it had run out before I could check my sent messages so I just left that one up to the universe and figured when it came down to it – my new attitude was that they need me more than I need them.
The following morning we’d booked a four hour shore fishing tour – we’d been told that we would be walking along the shore possibly in ankle deep mud and sand so we had our thongs on and some super strength Bushmans cream. We met Callum and were joined by a father and son team before we hit the 4WD track down to the river. The Bushman’s came in handy as everyone else was getting eaten alive by the mozzies as we walked along the shore line throwing in the net for some live bait. We were fishing for barramundi and it wasn’t until Callum pointed out that Miss6 and I were walking over a croc slide that I remembered that saltwater crocs also liked to eat barra and didn’t mind the taste of humans either!

Miss6 was very upset when I made her stand back from the shore and let the others volunteer to hold the bait bucket for Callum. The tour supplied us with some pretty good rods but I’d brought the kids cheap Kmart rods with us so that Callum could set them up for us and show us what to do and how to cast off – Miss6 has a hot pink rod that lights up when you reel it in – very practical for barra fishing. Nobody was laughing though when she reeled in a Mud Crab and Spiny Bream on her $7 rod and Master14 reeled in a Catfish on his $14 rod – the other rods simply spent the morning decorating the shoreline!

Miss6 loved casting a line so much that Callum gave her one of the massive rods to use and she managed this for ages without getting tired. It wasn’t until we were packing up for the morning that I learned of the difference between ‘fishing’ and ‘catching’. Back into the 4WD and back to camp. There were a few moments on that drive back I had to hold my tongue for the temptation to remind Callum that he had a mother of two kids in the back – the bumps he was taking at high speed nearly caused a few Tena Lady moments!

After lunch we relaxed by the pool again for a few hours before hiking up to the Cockburn Ranges lookout for sunset and some random phone service. The kids talked to Nanna and their Dad and let them know that we’re on the Gibb and would be without phone service until we got to the end of it in a week or so.

We decided since we’d caught nothing for dinner this morning that we would eat at the Dusty Bar after watchng the whip cracking man for a bit. The venue is pretty impressive – something people would pay a fortune and wait years to book as their wedding venue I thought. The meals were yummy too – we decided after our close call with cros today that we’d give one a try for entree – it was the only native we hadn’t tried yet so we ordered some croc skewers. We all thought they were delicious and Miss6 asked the waitress if we were eating a salty or a freshie – she had to ask the chef and apparently you can’t eat freshies as they’re too tough – she was pretty happy to have eaten a salty.

After dinner we sat with our fishing friends and luckily for Miss6 they had a young daughter for her to play with while we all listened to some live music. On the way back to camp we got to see fisherman dad catch and kill two cane toads near the toilet block – I’d tried to catch one under an empty bin the night before but they move too quick for me so I was impressed at this evening’s catch.

We made a quick stop in Kununnurra for some forgotten grocery items and fuel before we headed off and it wasn’t long before we hit the start of the Gibb River Road. Time for a quick family selfie and Facebook post with our brief access to internet and we were off.

The Gibb was all bituman until we got to the El Questro turnoff where I pulled over and let the air out of my tyres in anticipation of the corrugations and water crossings. At the first water crossing there was a car in front of us so we simply watched them and followed their path. By the time we got to the third and final crossing I was glad I’d watched the other family’s video of the drive as this one was much bigger and there were no other cars around. Miss6 opened the sunroof and stood on the centre console to stick her head out the roof and enjoy the view while Master14 filmed our first ‘real’ river crossing.

Safely on the other side and we paused to give each other some high fives and get back into our seats before checking in for our three night stay at El Questro Station. We got the van set up and had some lunch then decided to head off for a drive to check out some of the sites and local driving routes.

When we checked in I’d gotten us a free night as I’d had my photo taken at the El Questro booth at the Melbourne Caravan and Camping Show and had also booked myself in for a two hour early morning horse ride and Miss6 in for a 30 minute kids ride (both kids wanted to do the two hour but you had to be 10 years old so Master14 offered to babysit for me so I could go on that on my own – what a prince).

At the time we’d asked about some of the other gorges and tracks and the ‘very deep water’ enroute to El Questro Gorge – reception told us it’s really only for 4WD. On our afternoon exploration drive we headed to Jackaroos Waterhole (going back over the Pentecost with much more confidence than on the way in) but decided it looked a little too ominous for a swim so we headed out to the ‘very deep water’ on the track to El Questro Gorge. The kids and I took our shoes off and started walking out across the water – with each step further in we’d double check with each other that there were no crocs around here were there??

The water came up to just above my knees but was firm sand underfoot. We headed back to camp to swim at a nearby spot while we contemplated our plans for tomorrow. While swimming we came across a mum with her young son and daughter who was seven years old – within five minutes the girls were playing like the best of friends and by the time we got back to camp we were all having dinner together at the BBQ that night.

Over dinner we realised we had much the same plans for tomorrow which made Miss6 very happy! The next morning we arrived at Zebedee Springs at 8am to find our new friends in the very top pool saving us some room to soak. The kids all did a marvellous job at acting like abnoxious little sods anytime anyone else got the idea to check out the top pool – it worked a treat as they all very quickly turned back and made their way to other pools. Our FCUK (French Connection United Kingdom – not a typo our new friends were British but lived in France) friends went back to camp for lunch after Zebedee while we decided to have a crack at the 4WD track to El Questro Gorge.

With a few nerves and the kids out the sunroof, we got through the very deep water crossing and then had to tackle a lot of sand, rocks and windy road to the carpark but once there, we felt very proud to have our little Rav4 parked in amongst the sea of giant 4WD vehicles and all of their getup.

The walk into the gorge was beautiful – very rocky but shady along the way. We stopped at the halfway point to swim in the pool near the giant rock – this was as far as we were walking as the remainder of the walk was another two hours return and required us to climb up over the rock and through more water on the way. Our FCUK family made their way to the swimming hole while we were there and dad and eldest son did the full walk while the rest of us swam and took our time walking back to the carpark which was now far more empty than when we arrived.

We made it back to camp safely with our FCUK family in convey and had dinner at the camper. A musician was playing again at the bar area and we could hear the music clearly from our camp. We decided we’d go and check it out for a little while and ended up staying for a couple of drinks and until the show was finished – we even got up on the dance floor and joined a whole of staff and guests conga line.

Next morning I was up early and headed off to the stables while the kids slept. With the exception of my massage in Alice Springs, this was my first two hours of ‘me time’ since we’d set off in April. There were only five of us on the trail ride which took us down some steep river banks, across sections of river and roads, along mountain ranges and through some pretty bushland. It was incredibly peaceful with moments of nice conversation with other riders and then moments of blissful silence where I just rode with my horse enjoying the view.

I was on a horse named Shazam – aptly named I thought as he either had no patience and wanted to trot to the front or he was busy farting loudly during the ride. As the ride concluded we came close to passing our camp so I yelled out to the kids who came out waving to me – I was only gone two hours but I’d already started to miss them.

Miss6 met me at the stables all ready and excited for her ride. I think we were both happy that the ride wasn’t one where someone was holding a rope and leading the horse in circles around a yard but a ride where the kids had to be in charge of their own horse as they all went off and rode through the big nearby paddock for half an hour.

After our rides I packed us some lunches and we jumped in the car ready to head to Emma Gorge. I started the car and went to put it into gear but the gear stick wouldn’t budge – I couldn’t get the car into any gear and suddenly thought ‘oh shit what have I done to my car?’. I walked over to the workshop to see if anyone there could help me – I’d figured that if I needed a new clutch, there were worse places to be stranded!

The guys at the workshop were very helpful, turns out all of the water crossings I’d been making the day before had rusted my clutch so I just needed to start it already in gear and bunny hop it until it came unstuck. Slight delay, but we were soon on our way to Emma Gorge for another beautiful walk. This was yet another rocky walk but the gorge at the end was just gorgeous with high walls leading into the gorge covered in rich green plants and water trickling and raining down into the large pool at the bottom of the gorge.

The water itself was a bit on the cool side and the sun wasn’t shining down into the gorge now that it was afternoon. Master14 braved the water and went for a swim while Miss6 and I walked slowly through the cool water only going so deep to enjoy the pool. We made our way to the thermal pond at the small waterfall behind a large rock and sat there in the warm water for a while. By the time we were ready to get out, the idea of going through that cold water again wasn’t appealing at all so we clamboured up over the large rock instead and avoided getting wet.

As we got ready to leave our FCUK friends arrived so we stayed longer and walked back with them via another pool and swim by the boys. At the carpark Miss6 wanted her new friend to come in our car so I drove both girls with me and they both got to stick their heads out of the sunroof over the water crossings. Back at El Questro we all headed to the bar and had a couple of drinks together as we were all heading off the next day in opposite directions.

Though you meet lots of families and fellow campers along the way on a long trip such as this, I’ve really enjoyed the time we’ve spent with our FCUK family and connected well with their Mum – Miss6 and I are certainly putting a mental diary appointment in the memory bank for a trip to France to visit them in the future!

The plan was to head to Lake Argyle for a sunset cruise so we decided to break up the drive there and make an overnight stop at Timber Creek on the way. Enroute to Big Horse Creek campground I came across my first feral cat as it ran across the road – it was huge! We set up in the last spot at the campground and turned on the battery fan – it was around 37 degrees and not a breath of wind to be felt. The fan soon ran out of battery power leaving us dripping with sweat and limited cold water to share. Of course I made the ultimate sacrifice and let the kids have the cold water and settled for some very cold beer instead!

We tried to cool down with a walk down to the boat ramp at the Victoria River – there wasn’t much shade but the river was spectacular – so huge and incredibly still. Back to the van for burgers and a night of restless sleep under our bed fans with the temperature not dropping below 28 degrees all night and a loud camper nearby that sounded like a car idling all night.

We missed out on the sunset boat cruise and booked the lunchtime one instead. Leaving Timber Creek around 8.30am we stopped at Gregory’s Tree on the way out of town, a large boab tree, significant for the local Ngarinman Aboriginal people and Augustus Gregory’s 1885 North Australian expedition.

We hit the NT/WA border and gained ourselves an extra hour and a half despite having to wait in a fairly long queue at the quarantine check. Some very efficient men with clip boards and blue shirts who took their job very seriously had a thorough look through the van before we were able to wind it back up and get on our way.

Arriving at Lake Argyle 15 minutes before our tour began I managed to outwalk the grey nomads ahead of me to reception and secure us a powered site before parking the car and van and heading on the bus for the tour. Our tour guide and bus driver was Jack and he and the rest of the crew were great – funny, informative and genuinely lovely. Lake Argyle itself is so incredibly vast with some great history and impressive stats to match – we weren’t sure what was more impressive, the stats themselves or Jack’s ability to roll them off his tongue as he did.

As we made our way to a lunchtime stop we cruised past a freshwater croc (one of around 30,000 in the lake), a pelican floating on the water and a lonely Jabiru. Apparently the males build the nests in the same place every year and the male and female meet there to breed but his female lifelong partner hasn’t been seen since the floods of 2011 so he keeps building their nest each year and sits there waiting for her to return. It was a little heartbreaking to hear.

We also got to see a whole family of rare black footed rock wallaby’s on an island on the lake and Miss6 got to throw some pellets out to them to eat – that’s twice now we’ve been lucky enough to see them on this trip. At our lunch break the crew got busy cooking up our silver cobbler (aka catfish) for lunch while we jumped into the 27 degree waters of Lake Argyle with noodles and I even got an icy cold beer.

Master14 was encouraged by Jack to jump from the roof of the boat which he happily obliged before we enjoyed a very tasty fish and salad for lunch.

After the tour we were allocated a campsite (our car and van were parked out the front for the tour) which was at the end of a long ‘road’ and the only way to get there was to reverse all the way down it to our campsite – lucky I’m a truck driver’s daughter and know how to reverse my camper well enough to get the job done. The site meant that we didn’t have to unhitch and could head off easily the next day.

After setting up we went for a swim in the infinity pool – nestled in among the rocky ranges the view from the pool was spectacular. The water however, was freezing and I wanted to hop back into the water in the lake but stayed in the pool to watch the helicopter take off for a scenic flight and come back again then I was out.

We’d eaten so much for lunch that we had a light dinner and went to the beer garden to hear some live music for a few hours before bed. Our camp neighbours were a lovely older couple from Perth who were about to set off along the Gibb also and encouraged us to stay an extra night and take a look at Kununnura and the old Durack Homestead down the road. I slept on the idea and booked us an extra night in the morning. The WA time difference is playing havoc with my body clock though so I was awake at 5am and had to wait until 7.30am to book the extra night.

We unhitched the van and headed to the Durack Homestead to take a look. The Durack family once owned the farmland surrounding the Ord River (that was dammed to make Lake Argyle) and had built the homestead off one of its subsidiories called the Behn River. The kids were pretty happy with that fact as the river shares their dads name. The homestead was relocated as its original site is now under water in Lake Argyle. They’d anticipated it would take nine years for the lake to fill but it only took three and we heard the story of one of the station keepers who went to bed one night with the river looking full only to wake up the next morning with his bedroom a foot under water – he had to crawl onto his roof with a few possessions and get rescued. Needless to say, there’s a lot more sitting at the bottom of Lake Argyle than originally planned!

Our day trip into Kununnurra began with brunch at the Ivanhoe Cafe where they also farmed Chia seeds so we bought a pack to add to our camp kitchen pantry before we headed to the Indian Sandalwood farm. The products there were amazing and I could’ve bought so much more but we settled for the nicest smelling hand sanitiser I’ve come across and some bath salts for when we get home and need a good soak.

Next it was off to the Hoochery Distillery for some taste testing and a look around. I figured if the drinks were no good at least I liked the name of the place! I tried their whiskey and liquers (couldn’t do the rum) which were delicious and treated the kids to softdrink to keep them happy.

We sat down with another family and got chatting to them only to find they’d just come off the Gibb River road and El Questro which was our next stop. Nobody had warned them that there were three water crossings on the way in to El Questro so when they reached the biggest one at the front gate they’d stopped and waited an hour for someone else to go through first. Luckily for me, they’d filmed their drive through it so I got to watch it and was well prepared for what was in store for us tomorrow.

After our drinks we headed to the Zebra Rock Gallery for a look around and as they were closing the manager gave us some bread to take down to the jetty to feed the fish. There were so many catfish (aka silver cobbler), archer fish and turtles – the kids loved it – especially when one of the archer fish spat at me and managed to get my necklace with a precision shot! Next up was the supermarket to stock up for our time along the Gibb so we didn’t get back to camp until dark for dinner and some prepping and packing away before we set off in the morning.