For many years we have wanted to visit the Kimberley region of north west Western Australia but being remote it is really only accessible by four wheel drive and camping - not something we are familiar with! The alternative was expensive coach tours and that is not our style of travel.
But it was bucket list year so I searched and found a five day camping tour with Kimberley Wild, an outback tour group operating from Broome. Perfect if you are not sure if camping is for you!
In August 2019 we flew to Broome, having a two night stay there before joining the tour.
Cable beach is famed for its sunsets over the Indian Ocean and it did not disappoint.
Some features of Broome that attracted us were the wall art, especially this aboriginal work, the Sturt's desert pea in full bloom and the pearling history and its influence on the town. Broome greatly appealed to us.
Our guide Andy collected us from our resort at sunrise and our little group of seventeen settled into the very comfortable especially built off-road vehicle.
We, the group, came from Italy, Denmark, U.S.A, England, Canada and Australia, with a nice mix of ages too.
Our route took us up the Great Northern Highway, almost to Derby, where we turned onto the Gibb River Road. We had a stop at the 1500 year old boab tree.
Windjana Gorge National Park was our first major stop and is most noted for its large number of freshwater crocodiles, however its geological features, aboriginal rock art, native bees and birds all added to a walk well worth taking.
After the early start and the walk we were all ready for lunch. We became a cohesive team as the time went by, setting up the meals, eating and putting the gear away in record time.
Tunnel Creek National Park was our next stop. We walked in water almost up to our knees in Tunnel Creek, with head torches and crocodile eyes watching us. It was quite exciting.
Once through the tunnel there was a swimming hole and also ancient aboriginal rock art.
It was a long day, travelling about 500 kms and it was dark by the time we reached Fitzroy Crossing. A barbecue feast then it was bed time. At this point Andy said that most people don't bother with a tent, they just throw the swag on the ground and hop in. Now this was not what this non-camping couple was expecting, nor most others on the trip. But we weren't going to be the wimps so that's what we did!
Next morning we could see where we had slept ... on the red earth under a boab tree.
Believe it or not but this was a most exhilarating experience and when it was offered again on the last night we didn't hesitate.
Day two and we left Fitzroy Crossing and headed towards Hall's Creek - ant hills, great colours, lovely vegetation, views and superb trees.
Hall's Creek is a predominantly aboriginal town with a good art gallery and street art enhancing the main areas.
The China Wall is a six metre high natural formation of white quartz.
Old Hall's Creek was fascinating. In 1948 they began moving the town 16 kms away because of lack of water and a road re-location. Jimmy Darcy is a local hero, his medical experience was a factor is the founding of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Late in the afternoon it was time to gather wood for the camp fire. Our home for the next two nights was the Eco Safari Camp in the Bungle Bungles - Purnululu National Park.
The sun started to set and we were still not there, another day of over 440 kms.
The eco safari camp site - tents off the ground with beds and sleeping bags.
The Eco camp has a camp kitchen and covered dining deck so a great spot for two nights stay. After dinner Ronnie J. visited the campfire and talked to us, played his guitar and sang. An impressive and humble man.
it was a cold night, I would have preferred the swag.
For most people the pinnacle of a trip to this part of the Kimberley region is to visit the Bungle Bungles - Purnululu National Park. This was the big day!
This area of amazing rock formations was only discovered in 1983 when a documentary film crew flew over the area and saw the amazing striped domes.
This almost 240,000 hectare National Park is a World Heritage site. It includes the Bungle Bungle Range, 'a spectacularly incised landscape of sculptured rocks which contains superlative examples of beehive-shaped karst sandstone rising 250 metres above the surrounding semi-arid savannah grasslands'. [World Heritage Listing]
We visited two different areas of the Bungle Bungle Range. This was our first sighting.
We walked many kilometres enthralled with the scenery. From Piccaninny we walked the Domes Walk, Cathedral Gorge and to the Piccaninny Creek Look-out.
Our guide Andy explaining about the earth formations in the area.
We walked through the narrow and spectacular 200 metre high cliffs which brought us to the natural amphitheatre that is Cathedral Gorge. It is so big that you cannot capture its size or its beauty.
Our group at Piccaninny Look-out.
Some of our group took a helicopter ride over the range, which was apparently absolutely spectacular, whilst the rest of us prepared a barbecue lunch.
After lunch we did a native foods walking trail and then headed to the other end, the northern end, of the Bungle Bungles to visit Echidna Chasm.
Echidna Chasm is a massive crack in the rock and was both breathtaking and scary. As we weren't all walking together there were spooky sounds echoing about and I wasn't ever really sure that I wasn't lost. However there was unbelievable colour, pre-historic livistona palms and conglomerate boulders to amaze us. Access requires concentration as the chasm is quite narrow.
The end of the chasm, a solid conglomerate rock wall.
The sun had set and the moon was rising as we arrived back at the camp. After dinner the camp hostess Bec told us some stories of the Dreamtime and her family life in the Kimberley. She educated and entertained us until bed time; the end of day three.
