Gibb River road to Derby 11 - 13/8

Whilst we were set up at Windjana Gorge we did a day trip up the Gibb River road to Bell Gorge. Total distance was about 130 Km each way, all on unsealed road. We had heard many reports about the notorious Gibb and how people had done all sorts of damage to their vehicles. Damage like blown tyres, busted springs and blown-out shock absorbers. However the sections we travelled on were some of the best unsealed roads we had driven on, although care was still required on some sections and at the creek crossings. Turning off the Gibb towards the National Parks run Silent Grove Campground is a journey of 19 Km, then it is a further 11 Km to Bell Gorge. Many folks had told us that Bell Gorge is one of the best gorges along the Gibb, and of course it lived up to its reputation. A permanent stream flows across a large rock shelf before spilling over a wide multi-tiered waterfall into a huge deep plunge pool. As the day was quite hot we did not waste any time jumping in for a refreshing swim. After our swim we returned to the shady campground for a late lunch at one of the many picnic tables before making the return journey to Windjana.

An early pack-up the next morning saw us on our way towards Derby which was still about 150 Km away. All the maps show that only about 42 Km of this is sealed but we were pleasantly surprised to see now only about 20 or so Km are unsealed. On arrival in Derby we found that one of the caravan parks was booked out (the smaller one) but we had no trouble getting a site at the larger one. On checking in we mentioned that a priority for us was a trip to the Horizontal Waterfall and so the duration of our stay would depend on when we could get a booking. The caravan park is also a booking agent for the trips to the falls and when we mentioned that we wanted an overnight trip, Ian the manager suggested one that he said was absolutely 5 star, however like we had been told by many, he said he was not sure how long it would be before a booking became available.

Not long after we un-hitched the van Ian arrived on his push bike with some exciting news. The tour company had just rang to say that there was a vacancy for 2 people on this afternoon’s trip, and because it was only a couple of hours before departure they were offering a discount of $100 each. It took us just a few seconds to discus if we could be ready in time before we excitedly confirmed we would take it. This is an expensive trip and one that we had been wanting to do for a long time. In anticipation we had been economising wherever possible to allow ourselves to do it. Even so the cost has totally blown the budget and we will need to keep economising to help get the finances back on an even keel. Keep watching for a full report on this fantastic trip

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