28th May 2010 - Fitzroy Crossing to Warmun

Distance travelled: 448

Cumulative distance: 9792

Had breakfast at the Kimberley Lodge in Fitzroy Crossing. Left nice and early at 8am. The weather looked a bit iffy but the rain held off thank goodness. Headed to Halls Creek 270kms down the Great Northern Highway. The scenery has started to change with some more hills and creek crossings which actually had some water in them; probably due to the recent rain. Arrived at Halls Creek about midday and had coffee and cake at the local bakery. We had been warned that Halls Creek wasn't worth stopping at because there was not a lot going on. We were directed to the Vistor Information centre where a guy called Mark told us all the great things we could do in Halls Creek. This is a statue of a bloke who push his mate in a wheel barrow for 300kms to get help. We wanted to book a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles at Warmun (Turkey Creek) as all the roads in were closed. He said the dirt runway was out of action because of the rain. The runway in Halls Creek was sealed so he suggested we did the flight from there ... which we did. Clint was our pilot and he took Colin and I up in his single engined Cessna. Luckily the weather was clear at the altitude we were travelling at and we had a great view of the countryside. Clint gave us a running commentary on all the sights. The East Kimberley region is as big as Germany with a population of 35,000. Fairly thin on the ground. There are a lot of mines in the area mainly nickel and gold. The main agriculture is beef farming and the average size of the Cattle Stations is 150,000 hectares ... pretty big. We flew over a few to give us some idea of the size. When we got to the Bungle Bungles the views were spectacular from the plane. The rock formations were very impressive with deep gorges and sculptured formations. It is all part of the Devonian Reef which existed 350 million years ago and surrounded the then land mass of Western Australia. We flew down valleys that had been created by millions of years of erosion by the rivers. On the way back to Halls Creek Clint took us over the old town of Halls Creek. Only the old post office still stands as the rest of it was demolished and taken to the new site in 1957. The reason it was moved was the lack of reliable water supply, a common problem in Australia. They had sunk bores at the new site and found plenty of water. After we got back from the flight we jumped on our bikes and headed to Warmun at Turkey Creek which is a roadhouse 160 kms north. We arrived there to find very expensive fuel, room not ready and food that was pretty awful. In the evening we played cards in our never ending game and Colin decided to give up on it after I reached a lead of 250. We trashed the cards and tomorrow we will start with a new deck and a new game.

27th May 2010 - Derby to Fitzroy Crossing

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.

26th May 2010 - Broome to Derby

Distance travelled: 220

Cumulative distance: 9031

I replaced the foam filter in my air intake which had 10,000kms of grot lodged in it. This should improve the performance of the bike and fuel consumption. Left Broome at 9am with much waving etc from Flynn and Jarrah. It was very warm and humid and just as we were leaving the outskirts of Broome it started to rain so we decided to don our wet weather gear. It was like riding in a sauna bath. This is very unseasonable weather according to the locals as it should be dry, low humidity and cool in the evenings at this time of year. According to the bureau of meteorology it seems to be raining over most of Australia right now which is great for the farmers but not that flash for Colin and I. It rained off and on all the way to Derby. The scenery on the way was fairly nondescript so I won't describe it. Derby is a one horse town whose main claim to fame is that it has the biggest tides in Australia. We booked into our cabin in the West Kimberley Lodge caravan park (no camping in wet weather) which had the setup of a 1950's southern USA trailer park. It was actually great value and had everything we wanted. We took a stroll down the main drag to the Tourist Information centre to find out about the weather situation on the Gibb River road. We were told that the Durack river was 700mm deep which is too much for our bikes. The road to Windjana gorge and Tunnel Creek might be opened the next day if there was no more rain. On the way we visited an old gaol built in 1906 to house aboriginal inmates which were manly cattle duffers. We also saw a hollow Boab tree which looked like it too was used as a lockup. The walk to the Tourist Centre nearly killed us in the heat so we stopped in a pub for a cool beer and a bit of aircon. The restuarant in the pub didn't look too inviting so we decided to go to Woolworths near the caravan park and buy something for dinner. We had a great barbecue at the caravan park washed down with a bottle of rough red. We made a valiant attempt to get our blog up to date but are still a few days short. During the night the rain started again and put the kybosh on our plans for the Gibb River road.

25th May 2010 - Broome

No distance travelled Standing on Broome Jetty

Alan, Colin and Morag

We were spending a full day in Broome to give us time to get the tyres changed and do a bit of work on the bikes prior to hitting the Gibb River Road. Also Colin was spending some time with Morag not having seen her for 10 days and then being parted for another 26 days ( start the violins!)

First stop was Small Engine and Motorcycle World. Colin had arranged for a new set of Scorpion Sync tyres to be sent up and Alan had posted his knobbies to Broome. However the GRR was looking decidedly dodgy especially for Colin on his VFR. After it was closed the previous Monday due to very heavy rain ( therebye completely stuffing up Morag's trip from Darwin) the rivers in the northern end of the road were running high. The Durack River was reputed to be 700mm deep. The road was open again but other river crossings were dicey and there were washaways to contend with. These are where the road has washed away leaving a deep ravine in the surface that can flip an unwary motorcycle! We decided that we weren't going to risk going the whole way and would just do the easier section to Mt Barnett Stn and come back to Derby or short cut through the Fairfield Leopold Downs rd to Fitzroy Crossing. So Alan decided not to change his tyres but to do an oil change.

The tyres were changed on Colin's bike even though the mechanic had put his back out. He wanted to use the brand new tyre fitting machine! He also provide new valve caps and topped up the front brake master cylinder. Alan got out his extensive tool kit but couldn't find the right bit to remove the sump plug or to attach to the oil filter socket. They eventually were found and he did the job like a pro. As we were leaving the workshop a breakdown truck arrived with a GS800 BMW on the back. The owner told us that it had just died on the GRR. Going through the Durack River with waist deep water might have had something to do with it!

We went into town to post Colins half worn tyres back to Melbourne. At one point Colin did a tight U turn in the main street of Broome and found that the new tyres were still very slippery and the front went away. He couldn't get his foot off the footrest because the Pivot Pegs serrations caught his shoe. By some miracle the bike rebalanced and Colin was spared the indignity of dropping the VFR in front of the shoppers. We took the bikes back to Nathan's house and met up with Morag who had been out running. Michelle kindly lent us her car for the day as she was feeling very lethargic after getting a sedative at the hospital the night before. So we set off to town to post Alans tyres back in the same packaging. Then met up with Kerry, a Dr from NZ who went with Morag to Cape Leveque after the original trip was abandoned. We visited an art gallery to have a look at a screen printed photograph of the rising moon reflected in the local mudflats called Stairway to the Moon. We wanted to get it for the Sutherlands for all their help. Then we had lunch and Colin had his first proper latte since leaving Perth.

We had booked a tour of the Pearl Lugger exhibit which had a couple of boats and a display room. The story of pearling in Broome was one of unmitigated greed and exploitation. Firstly of the aboriginal divers who were kidnapped and forced to dive for the shells and afterwards of the Japanese divers who used diving suits to go much deeper and ran the gamut of "the bends" when they resurfaced. It was the Mother of Pearl they were after in the shells not the pearls, but they were a bonus if they found one. We tried on one of the diving helmets after the presentation and they were so heavy and claustrophobic. After the Pearl show we went to Matso's Brewery to try the local beer including a mango beer.

Then it was back to the Sutherland's for Morag to pack her bag to fly back to Melbourne that evening. Nathan entertained Alan with some of his huge collection of games and puzzles. Nathan is a teacher and uses them in school and also with the kids he tutors. I'm afraid Alan was no match. He should stick to beating Colin at cards.

The weather doesn't look promising even for our curtailed ride down the GRR. More rain is predicted and there is a low pressure trough right across Australia from the Kimberley to Melbourne dumping rain on all and sundry. The locals assure us that the wet weather is most unseasonal, but as they had a very dry March, which is usually the wettest month of "The Wet" its not surprising.

24th May 2010 - Pardoo Station to Broome

Distance travelled: 482 kms

Cumulative distance: 8811

Left Pardoo Station bright and early and negotiated the 13 kms of dirt road with no problems. Had breakfast at Pardoo roadhouse which was probably the best roadhouse we have been to so far. The food was excellent and the service great. A couple of german backpackers served us. They were at the end of their visas and were heading back to germany in a couple of months. The road from Pardoo to Broome has a reputation of being boring and it lived up to its name. At the sandfire roadhouse we saw this amazing rig. It was a full size Winebago plus trailer with 4WD, Quad bike and generator. This guy took his comforts seriously!!! We arrived in Broome at approx. 3pm and "Mabel" found our hosts with no problem. We are staying with Nathan and Michelle Sutherland for the next two nights. Nathan taught with Morag in Melbourne back in 2003. They have two boys Flynn aged 2 and Jarrah aged 4. Jarrah took a lot of interest in our helmets. Michelle is expecting a baby in the next few weeks. Morag was out on the town with some friends from her ill fated tour. Michelle cooked up a great asian meal of curry and various vegetable dishes. We arranged with a local motorcycle shop to have new tyres put on Colin's bike and an oil change done on mine. I didn't change my tyres to the knobby tyres I set to Broome as it looked as tough we weren't going to make the Gibb River road because of the rain. We went down to the beach to see the sunset which was spectacular. We rode our bikes on to the beach. There were three groups of camels taking tourists along the beach to see the sunset. Nathan has all sorts of puzzles and games so we spent the evening trying to solve them. Colin could do them OK but my brain was in neutral so I struggled.

23rd May 2010 - Karijini NP to Pardoo Station

Distance 501 kms Cumulative 8329

We tried to leave early today so that we wouldn't be hit with a setting sun on the last 13 kms of dirt. We had brekky in the Eco Retreat and left the tents to dry off the morning dew. Big mistake as Alan flapped around as usual packing up his tent so we didn't hit the road until 9 am.

We had about 35 kms of dirt road to get to the Visitors Centre and a sealed road out of the park. We had set the bikes up the day before and the trip was uneventful and we seemed to have less vibration on the corrugations than the bus did the day before. Trouble was that I only managed an average speed of 43 kph which was too slow for the GRR where we were doing 300kms in a day. I'll just have to learn to go faster. We headed east out of the park and the scenery was magnificent with jagged hills and wide valleys.

We stopped at Auski RH to fill up and have a coffee and to inflate our tyres back to road pressures. Auski is a popular RH for traffic from BHP's Mt Newman mine and Port Hedland so there was plenty on offer if you wanted it. It was still quite cool so we were well rugged up on the bikes. The country varied from barren to really barren. One section just had broken rocks on the ground with no vegetation at all - like Mars! As we approached Port Hedland pools of water appeared in the river beds and the country greened up a bit. But as we got closer the landscape turned to industrial with railway lines and stockpile dumps appearing.

Colin wanted to avoid lunch at the RH so we rode into Port Hedland. One side of the road was a huge railway marshalling yard for the iron ore rail cars that eventually lead to Australia's biggest bulk ship loading facility. The other side of the road was a stretch of suburbia along the beach front. We eventually found the end at the port and a fancy 3 storey Esplanade Hotel made of limestone blocks with wide verandas and cast iron trimming. They had a courtyard restaurant with a red carpet. We ordered tapas and it turned out to be delicious and the equal of any tapas we've had in Sydney or Melbourne including soft shell crab. The trouble was it took ages to get served. that put us even more behind schedule for our ETA at Pardoo Stn.

We stocked up on steak and salad for dinner at the local Woollies and filled up with fuel and even got a fuel discount - felt like home! The other side of Port Hedland was even more industrial/desolate than coming in but we were soon on the open road. The country side was pretty flat and bleak until we started getting near to Pardoo Station, where the grass lands were lush and vegetation profuse. We turned off the main hwy and took the station road for 13kms on a wide smooth dirt road. I noticed a sign at the gate saying "No Bikes" which was a bit of concern, but Alan had pre booked the "donga" we were going to share that night. Apart from one soft sandy patch we travelled the road with no problems and found a large complex of buildings at the station including a shop restaurant, camp kitchen, fire pit, swimming pool and camping ground, which was pretty full. The place is popular with the mine workers on leave hence the restaurant which was really a mess hall.

There were the usual contingent of foreign backpackers staff. One French guy said he came over to Australia because he couldn't get work in France and it was really easy in WA and well paid. Our donga was a traditional single mens quarters from the mines built in a prefab group of 5 small rooms 3m by 2.5m There were bunk beds and a single bed in ours and room for not much else. The bed linen had a big picture of Casey Stoner on his title winning Ducati! We bought a bottle of wine and took our glasses to the fire pit where all the other campers were having pre-dinner drinks. We had a good chat including the usual dire warnings about the perils of the GRR. After dinner which we barbequed Alan re-asserted his lead in the cards. There was no internet so we could do the blog. I went to the restaurant to see if I could get a cup of coffee and the cook made up a tray with cups and saucers and a filter jug of coffee - very nice indeed. We had hoped to see the French MotoGP race but they only had Foxtel. Casey binned it on the 2nd lap we learned later.

I tried to get a shot of the setting sun but we were 7kms from the beach. Most of the campers were there for the fishing and drove out to the beach in their 4WD's. The no bikes referred to the ban on bikes going down to the beach - not that we would have made it as the track was soft sand.

22nd May 2010 - Karijini National Park

Rose to another beautiful dawn. We had breakfast at the Eco retreat restaurant. We have booked a tour of the gorges with Lestok tours. They were meant to pick us up at 8.30am. At 8.40am I inquired at the reception and found out that the bus had broken down on the way from Tom Price. There were three german girls from the Eco retreat who were also on the tour. We took the opportunity to set up our bikes for the ride on the gravel roads out of the Eco retreat tomorrow whilst we waited for the bus. The bus turned up at 9.30am. There were seven peiople on the tour, an english couple from Newark, three german girls, Colin and I. We hammered along the gravel road to our first stop at the Oxer lookout where three gorges meet. We looked down to the bottom .. over 130 metres deep..... quite spectacular. The weather was beautiful with a nice cool breeze making it very comfortable. The next gorge we visited was Weano which we climbed down into and walked along the bottom rock hopping to avoid getting out feet wet. The rocks were very slippery when wet so it was important to keep our feet dry. In the Karijini NP they rate the walks from 1 to 6 where 1 is a liesurely stroll and 6 you need rock climbing experience. The walk down the Weano gorge started as a 3 but when we got to a narrow channel to get to "handrail pool" it turned into a 5 !!! The guide warned us and we had the choice to continue or go back. Four of us made it to handrail pool where there were a bunch of young people (mainly girls) cavorting around the pool so it was worth the effort. We had lunch at the Karijini Visitors centre where we checked out the history of the area and Colin managed to leave his credit card at the souvenir shop. Luckily I was still in the exhibition and the assistant came walking through asking for Mr. Bateman. I should have kept the card until Colin wanted to use it again and see the look on his face but I didn't have the heart. After lunch we visited a viewing platform overlooking the circular pool in Dales gorge. Again it was approx. 130 metres down and there were a few people having a swim. Our guide said that the track into the gorge was pretty tough and we weren't gong to do it(thank goodness). The last place we visited was a great swimming location further down Dales gorge called Fern Pool. It was a fair hike to get there but it was worth it. There were warm water falls running into the pool. Colin went for swim but I didn't bother. Beside the Fern Pool was the Fortescue falls where the water from Fern pool cascaded over rock shelves down to another pool. Then we had to struggle back up to the bus where we collapsed and our guide took us home. The weather closed in and showers were predicted which is unfortunate as we are riding out tomorrow on about 33 kms of dirt which gets a bit slippery when wet.