On The Road

Windjana Gorge, Western Australia. So beautiful and so peaceful. Pity about the 'Freshies'.

I write this from our tent in the unpowered site section of Fitzroy Crossing Lodge. It's amazing that for a town this size (miniscule) that there should be such a large holiday amenitiy. The 'lodge' is right on the Fitzroy River and has a whole spectrum of accommodation ranging from unpowered campsites to Safari Tents and River View Cabins.

We arrived at the Lodge a little later than we would have liked. We were intending to stay at Geiki Gorge National Park for the night only to find that there are no camping facilities there. A bit disappointing but clearly we had not done our homework well enough! Andrew contemplated driving to the next overnight rest area but that was around a hundred kilometres away and decided against that. The blurb in one of the brochures we picked up in the early days of our sojourn into Western Australian about the Lodge sounded inviting and the price was right so here we are. I've yet to test out the amenities but we do sometimes feel that the unpowered tent sites are allocated out in the boom docks of some parks meaning that it's a long walk to the camp kitchen, barbies, laundry and bathrooms when the people that are camping are the ones that need these the most. The patrons with the caravans and mobile homes don't necessarily need camp kitchens or barbeques but they are the ones that are the closest. I remember one campsite we had in the early days, we were so out of the loop that we got lost going back from the bathroom to our tent! It also happens that when we stop at overnight rest areas it's the ones with the biggest rigs, awnings and all, that set up right next to the undercover picnic area etcetera at the free camps. Well, that's my whinge for the day. But it does erk me to see that the ones that have the most end up with even more while those that need it end up without.

Last night we were plunged back into winter which was a bit of a shock after being in Broome for six nights in sweltering heat. We were badly prepared, leaving all the tent flaps open and not taking extra blankets up into the tent when we went to bed. I was cold most of the early morning so tonight we have taken up extra bedding! At seven this morning it was under ten degrees.

Set off to see the gorge after breakfast and we weren't disappointed. Found lots of freshwater crocodiles sunning themselves on the sandy banks. A couple of brolgas were at the waters edge too and seemed undaunted by the crocs. Scores of bats hung from trees along the river bank and we could hear them long before we could see them.

Windjana Gorge is amazing. The Napier Range literally juts out of the ground without warning. The sheer cliffs are a sight to behold especially early morning as the rock face changes colour with the rising sun.

On our return to the tent we had morning tea, packed up the tent and ventured out to Tunnel Creek. Another incredible natural wonder. I'm afraid though I didn't venture too far into the tunnel, it was much too rocky, much too dark and much too wet for me! Andrew went on for a bit of the way without me, but it was still an enjoyable visit.

We continued our drive through what I now consider to be the Kimberelys proper. The countryside changed so often that I can't recall how many times it did change. Some blurbs describe this part of the Kimberelys as uneventful but I found it to be enthralling, especially by how often the landscape and the flora changed. We even managed to spot a small group of brumbies.

Even though the colours of the Kimberelys and the Pilbara are not that different, what I have noticed is that the Kimberelys' colours are softer and a little more muted than the Pilbara. Despite this, Kimberelys' colours are just as intense as the Pilbara's.