Fitzroy crossing to Derby 11.07.2016 – 18.07.2016

We left the free camp at the Bungle Bungle making our way to Fitzroy Crossing, and had to stop overnight at another free camp called the Ngumban Cliff rest stop, which was pretty scenic. The sunsets are said to be fantastic, but when we arrived there it was overcast and the wind picked up so we could not see the spectacular sunset and with the wind blowing did not get much sleep either.

See the photos below

Our next stop was at Fitzroy Crossing where I cleaned the car and Shirley caught up with the washing etc. We bought some groceries and had a chill out period at the caravan and did not do anything very exciting, beside that the town is an aboriginal settlement and there is not too much to do here. If I had to spend longer than two nights there, I would slit my wrist with a rusty blunt knife.

We left Fitzroy Crossing and made our way to Derby which has a population of roughly 5000 people and was once a cattle export terminal. There is very little to do in Derby however the sunset over the ocean is quite spectacular and the day trip to the Windjana Gorge is an absolute must.

Below are photos of the sunset from the old wharf.

While we were in Derby we had the opportunity to visit the old Boab tree prison and found this to be most fascinating

Above is the photo of the Boab tree with a slit on the side leading to a hollow centre, and it is in here that they used to hold prisoners captive before their trial in Derby.

Note the carving on the bark of this tree that dates back to the 19th century.

During our stay in Derby we went on a tour to the Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek, and we were not disappointed.

On our tour to the Windjana Gorge we stopped off at this large Boab Tree before getting onto the infamous Gibb River Road, a lot of people aspire to driving on this road, some information on it.  It is only accessible by 4WD lots of corrugation, a really rough road to drive.

The Gibb River Road is a 660 km track right through the wild heart of the Kimberley and is one of the Kimberley's main attractions. "The Gibb" takes you from Derby on the west coast to Kununurra (or Wyndham) on Western Australia's eastern border....through a spectacular landscape of intensely coloured ranges, dramatic gorges and lush rock pools and waterfalls, everything the Kimberley is famous for.

The trip is still touted as one of the last serious adventures in Australia, a drive through a very remote area where all sorts of dangers loom, an undertaking that requires guts and four wheel driving experience...

Just looking at this size of this Boab tree you know it has been around for many years.

On our arrival at Windjana Gorge we had a local Aboriginal tour guide join us and give us all the history on Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek, but before heading off to the Gorge he performed a welcoming ceremony for the Aboriginal ancestors, once we had all walked through the smoke from the fire he made, we were on our way to see the beautiful gorge. 

See photos below.

The entrance to the gorge below

Above: erosion of the sandstone walls on the side of the river which floods annually during the wet season and below is a form of prehistoric bug or crustacean found on a sandstone wall.

Next we came across a huge amount of fresh water crocodile basking in the sun, we were a little apprehensive to approach them at first, but we were assured that the fresh water crocodiles are placid and that there have never been any attacks on humans on record. We were also told not to venture too close to them otherwise they will just run away and hide under water.

The gorge was teeming with fresh water crocodiles and we became totally blasé to them. 

Below: our heroic attempt to befriend our croc mates.

 

The cliff faces were magnificent and the colours of the rocks were breathtaking.

Next we visited an old historic police station and our guide gave us the history of the uprising between the police and his ancestors which resulted in a full on conflict between the white settlers and the aboriginals at the time.

Here is some info on the uprising as a result of theft of livestock by the local aboriginal which resulted in the murder of a policeman and the ensuing pursuit of justice which ended at Tunnel creek.  The pursuit which is not far from the police station and our next visit, see below.

The entrance to Tunnel creek was rugged but well worth it.

The pool of water that we waded through

Looking back at the entrance we came through

Walking deeper into the tunnel

Inside wall of the tunnel

Making our way to the second part of the tunnel.

Bernie emptying his shoes that were full of sand.

The end to the 700m tunnel, an amazing experience, then had to return back through the tunnel to our starting point.

View at the end of the 700 meter tunnel

View looking back into the tunnel

 

 

The last views of the Windjana Gorge mountain ranges as we headed home.

Bernie in front of our tour bus.

We left the Tunnel and felt that the whole experience was really worth every cent and made our way back to Derby to collect our dogs that we had left in a kennel for the day.

What an awesome experience, next we make our way to Broome and our way down south.

Map of our trip