24th May: set off from El Questro to start the Gibb River Road with first stop Home Valley. We went to Emma Gorge to do the Emma Gorge Walk involving only a small amount of back tracking. The walk was 3.8km return grade 4 over a lot of rocks so I didn’t bother with my poles. The swim at the gorge in the end was wonderful! Cold and deep and yet with warm patches from thermal activity including one very warm rock pall! The gorge had a waterfall, water dripping over 3 sides plus a magnificent vertical garden of ferns. We returned more quickly than we went. We joined Gibb River road, crossing the Pentecostal river and we waited for Jill & Craig whilst they crossed it. It wasn’t more than 0.4 meters deep- just wide- only reached to our running boards, but not the caravan steps. We arrived at Home Valley and took an unpowered site under the trees. We had barramundi and roast potatoes and salad for dinner at their restaurant. I went for a walk with my binoculars but birds were hard to identify at dusk.
June 2nd: We investigated the 2 waterholes/walks available to us here at Mt Hart. Firstly we went to Matthew Gorge where there were a group of Outback spirit clients who had been flown in from Broome because of the road closures. Matthew Gorge was surrounded by many squarecut black rocks on all sides. We caught up with Kurt who was now one of their tour guides. We had a swim in the Gorge then Nic and I followed the gorge upstream doing a lot of rock hopping. We went a fair way up but not to the very end. We then visited Barker Pool where we were the only ones there- saw the usual collection of birds - lots of Willy Wagtails , peaceful doves, tiny pale yellow honeyeaters and blackfaces cuckoo shrikes not to mention ravens and magpie larks. We returned to camp and had a walk along the banks of the Barker River bleeding the camp site. We had dinner at the restaurant- rack of lamb for Nic and Shark Bay Snapper for me! We visited Kurt who is sleeping in his car in the camp ground...
Comments
Post a Comment