Distance travelled 303
To date 9344
We were woken at 5:30 by the sound of rain on the roof of our cabin. It rained steadily for 2 hours as predicted. This is the final nail in the coffin of our Gibb River Road adventure. Colin was not about to venture onto a wet slippery dirt road despite the excellent performance of his Scorpion Sync tyres so far. We decided to cancel the second night at Derby and head for Fitzroy Crossing and the Geikie Gorge which we knew had a sealed road. Despite Alans aversion to FC, the Sutherlands had recommended a place to stay - the Fitzroy River Lodge and we booked a safari tent for that night.
The morning was hot and very humid after the overnight rain. We had brekky in the Jila cafe and had a look at the art on display. Then we rode down to the jetty to have a look at the tide coming in. We had a chat with a chap who was wearing only stubbies and had some very colourful tattoos and a mohawk to boot. He was Dutch and had come from Sydney without once paying for a camp site by using the free roadside stopping places.
We had to set off as we were getting very sweaty. We stopped for a photo op at the turn off for
the GRR just to prove that we made it that far. Just down the road we stopped again to have a look at a hollowed out Boab prison tree used to hold kidnapped aborigines for the Broome pearl diving. Then we really had to get going before we turned into a pool of sweat.
The weather was closing in and soon enough it started to rain. Neither of us could be bothered to stop and put on our wet weather gear as it wasn't heavy enough, just drizzle. However Colin discovered later that the dye from his cheap Pakistani red leathers had leaked through onto his favourite Prince Edward Island tee shirt, which now had red shoulders.
It was only 300 kms to Fitzroy Crossing so we didn't have to suffer too long. We checked into our Safari Tent which was only 50m from the edge of the Fitzroy River.
This was a tent structure 
placed on a wooden floor under a tin roof, It was designed to be easily removed as the camping area would be under water in the wet season floods. It even had an en-suite bathroom attached. We learned that there was a Geikie Gorge river cruise going at 3 pm so we rushed off to be in time.
On the way, a Wallaby ran across the road in front of Colin, but no harm done. While we waited for the tour to start we looked through the info at the Park gazebo. The rock formation which made up the gorge was part of a fringe reef laid down 300 million years ago called the Devonian reef. The Kimberley was the dry land and the reef surrounded it eventually forming a hard limestone range when sea levels dropped. This lime stone range also forms the Bungle Bungles and other features in the area. We got into two long barges connected together with one motor at the back.
The ranger steered the barges and gave us a commentary about the Fitzroy River and the park. In full flood the FR pushes 30,000 Cumecs down the gorge and the water level is meters above its level that day. There were photos of the 2002 flood that showed the water completely over the Park gazebo. After the gorge the water spreads 30 kms wide and then turns west towards Derby and the sea. Its the biggest flowing river in Australia.
We saw the colourful walls of the gorge and plenty of birdlife but no Crocodiles because it was overcast and they only come out of the water to sun themselves. We did actually see the head of one in the water amongst some weeds. At the down stream end of the gorge is a large sand bank caused by the confluence of the May River and this is what keeps the water in the gorge year round.
We rode back to the Lodge keeping a careful eye out for more Wallabies. We went to the bar for a beer before dinner and sat out on the terrace where there were lots of the local Aborigines getting quietly drunk. One older woman engaged us in conversation and we had a friendly chat. The local tribe is matriarchial so it was normal for a woman to lead the conversation with strangers. She had been to Canberra so she must have been important. Later the bar manager came out to make sure they were only drinking mid strength beer, probably having been on the VB for most of the afternoon.
We had a meal in the restaurant and headed back to out camp for the night. Fitzroy Crossing had a lot of Aborigines and they probably drank too much, but they weren't bothering anyone and seemed to be comfortable mixing with the tourists. Myth number one busted - now to see what Halls Creek was like tomorrow.
The morning was hot and very humid after the overnight rain. We had brekky in the Jila cafe and had a look at the art on display. Then we rode down to the jetty to have a look at the tide coming in. We had a chat with a chap who was wearing only stubbies and had some very colourful tattoos and a mohawk to boot. He was Dutch and had come from Sydney without once paying for a camp site by using the free roadside stopping places.
We had to set off as we were getting very sweaty. We stopped for a photo op at the turn off for
the GRR just to prove that we made it that far. Just down the road we stopped again to have a look at a hollowed out Boab prison tree used to hold kidnapped aborigines for the Broome pearl diving. Then we really had to get going before we turned into a pool of sweat.The weather was closing in and soon enough it started to rain. Neither of us could be bothered to stop and put on our wet weather gear as it wasn't heavy enough, just drizzle. However Colin discovered later that the dye from his cheap Pakistani red leathers had leaked through onto his favourite Prince Edward Island tee shirt, which now had red shoulders.
It was only 300 kms to Fitzroy Crossing so we didn't have to suffer too long. We checked into our Safari Tent which was only 50m from the edge of the Fitzroy River.
This was a tent structure 
placed on a wooden floor under a tin roof, It was designed to be easily removed as the camping area would be under water in the wet season floods. It even had an en-suite bathroom attached. We learned that there was a Geikie Gorge river cruise going at 3 pm so we rushed off to be in time.On the way, a Wallaby ran across the road in front of Colin, but no harm done. While we waited for the tour to start we looked through the info at the Park gazebo. The rock formation which made up the gorge was part of a fringe reef laid down 300 million years ago called the Devonian reef. The Kimberley was the dry land and the reef surrounded it eventually forming a hard limestone range when sea levels dropped. This lime stone range also forms the Bungle Bungles and other features in the area. We got into two long barges connected together with one motor at the back.
The ranger steered the barges and gave us a commentary about the Fitzroy River and the park. In full flood the FR pushes 30,000 Cumecs down the gorge and the water level is meters above its level that day. There were photos of the 2002 flood that showed the water completely over the Park gazebo. After the gorge the water spreads 30 kms wide and then turns west towards Derby and the sea. Its the biggest flowing river in Australia.We saw the colourful walls of the gorge and plenty of birdlife but no Crocodiles because it was overcast and they only come out of the water to sun themselves. We did actually see the head of one in the water amongst some weeds. At the down stream end of the gorge is a large sand bank caused by the confluence of the May River and this is what keeps the water in the gorge year round.
We rode back to the Lodge keeping a careful eye out for more Wallabies. We went to the bar for a beer before dinner and sat out on the terrace where there were lots of the local Aborigines getting quietly drunk. One older woman engaged us in conversation and we had a friendly chat. The local tribe is matriarchial so it was normal for a woman to lead the conversation with strangers. She had been to Canberra so she must have been important. Later the bar manager came out to make sure they were only drinking mid strength beer, probably having been on the VB for most of the afternoon.
We had a meal in the restaurant and headed back to out camp for the night. Fitzroy Crossing had a lot of Aborigines and they probably drank too much, but they weren't bothering anyone and seemed to be comfortable mixing with the tourists. Myth number one busted - now to see what Halls Creek was like tomorrow.
Sam,
ReplyDeleteYou should have been able to cross the East Alligator at this time if you waited for the tide to go out - same tide as Darwin - the proceeded up to sunny Nabarlek.
Regards
Mike