It's the year for our trip to the Kimberly- a few questions

jbrinks · Senior Member

It's the year for our trip to the Kimberly- a few questions

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Was it the plan to take the van to Cape Leveque? I hope not, because they are not welcome there.
Crocs inhabit many areas of the Kimberley. I would prefer a roof top bed rather than a tent.

Cheers,
Peter

jbrinks · Senior Member

No the van will be at Derby and we don't have a roof top tent , now you have me worried , do we need one

Bushpie · Guru

You wont have to worry about the crocs..........unless you camp on the bank of a salt water river and nobody does that coz they have plenty of common sense........

Water along the Gibb is only available at Mt Barnet Roadhouse via a tap near the bough shelters its fine for drinking. And you could buy it but supplies might be limited so grab enough 5,10, or 20 lt cask from woolies in Derby.

Spend as much time as you can on the Gibb take it all in it is worth it

Lesley F · Senior Member

I did an excursion to Cape Leveque, the road is a "shocker", hours and hours of trenches, pot holes, and weaving around trees. I hope you have a 4WD.

Kiwi-as · Guru

We did the Gibb 2yrs ago in an off road van. Left van at Drysdale River Station, and took a tent to Mitchell Falls and Kalumburu. All places we stopped at had water available.

At Mt Elizabeth Station we done the Munja Track, which is a 230 km track that curls through the Mitchell Plateau, and ends up at the head of Walcott Inlet, where the tide rises and falls 10 to 12 meters. It is for experienced 4x4 drivers and suitably equipped vehicles only. There are several jump ups, which make for exciting driving.
The Gibb would have to be one of our favourites.

glassies · Guru

Cant wait to do this trip to kimberlys ! Sounds awesome :)

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Bushpie wrote:
You wont have to worry about the crocs..........unless you camp on the bank of a salt water river and nobody does that coz they have plenty of common sense........

I suggest that is very dangerous and ill-informed advise.

Crocodiles are NOT limited to salt water streams and can be many km inland.

Anywhere there are barramundi, there can be salt water crocs. At least 200km upstream in the Fitzroy River for instance and that is a very long way from salt water.

Cheers,

Peter

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

...... and when I was camped at Macrossan Park on the Burdekin River, just off the Flinders Hwy about 20km east of Charters Towers there were two lovely big crocs frequenting the river. It was August.

Locals say they had come up the river during the wet and as the river receded they became 'trapped' in this deep sectiion between the shallows that form as the river goes down. That was 120km or so inland from Townsville.

When north of the Tropic of Capricorn - keep ya eyes open.

Cheers - John

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Kiwi-as wrote:
We did the Gibb 2yrs ago in an off road van. Left van at Drysdale River Station, and took a tent to Mitchell Falls and Kalumburu. All places we stopped at had water available.

At Mt Elizabeth Station we done the Munja Track, which is a 230 km track that curls through the Mitchell Plateau, and ends up at the head of Walcott Inlet, where the tide rises and falls 10 to 12 meters. It is for experienced 4x4 drivers and suitably equipped vehicles only. There are several jump ups, which make for exciting driving.
The Gibb would have to be one of our favourites.

Yes, the Munja Track to Batchsen Camp and Walcott Inlet is an interesting drive through some stunning country (but it goes via the Gardner Plateau, not the Mitchell Plateau, which is a long way away).

This is a slide show from 2005.

http://s246.photobucket.com/user/Peter_n_Margaret/slideshow/05%203%20Munja%20Track%20to%20Walcott%20Inlet

Cheers,

Peter

wendyv · Guru

Along the Gibb, you will mostly be limited to camping in the various campgrounds - there is almost nowhere now where free camping is still allowed. This means that you will be fine with your tent. We have done several trips, a total of months, in that area, with tent.
Water usually available at campgrounds. You could boil it to be on the safe side, but we usually didn't bother. Only place where the water was no good, last time we were there, was at Honeymoon Beach, out of Kalumburu - they may have fixed up the supply by now (though I wouldn't count on it!). We usually carried a couple of 10L containers in the 4WD, to be on the safe side.
Nights can be really cold in parts of the Kimberley.
Take gas stove in case you need it.
On the way from Darwin, suggest you visit Keep River Nat Park, on NT/WA border. Only about 15 kms of unsealed road to the first campground and that is usually in good condition. It is really worth the effort. Very pleasant campground, long drop toilets, extremely scenic - like the Bungles in miniature.

On our last trip, we left van stored at Kununurra (caravan park) and did a circuit with the 4WD and tent: Bungles, highway to Fitzroy Crossing, Leopold Downs road to Gibb, east along that, with side deviations to Mornington, Mitchell Plateau and Kalumburu area, back to Kununurra and the van. That worked well as a circuit, without too much covering of the same ground. Is there a reason you are going to Derby first?

-- Edited by wendyv on Tuesday 16th of February 2016 09:26:21 PM

jbrinks · Senior Member

Thanks for the great info wendyv. we have a caravan, not off road so the plan was to leave Kununarra , go to the station and camp near the BungLe Bungles and explore that area then keep on going down the road with the van , get to Derby and store the van for a 2-3 weeks and head of with the car and tent to do the Gibb River Rd up to about Mt Barnett. Plan is to visit El Questro from Kununarra. Does this sound feasible or open to any other suggestions

jbrinks · Senior Member

Just to add we then go to Broome before heading south down to Perth so that is why we have planned it this way

Bushpie · Guru

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
Bushpie wrote:
You wont have to worry about the crocs..........unless you camp on the bank of a salt water river and nobody does that coz they have plenty of common sense........
I suggest that is very dangerous and ill-informed advise.
Crocodiles are NOT limited to salt water streams and can be many km inland.
Anywhere there are barramundi, there can be salt water crocs. At least 200km upstream in the Fitzroy River for instance and that is a very long way from salt water.

Cheers,
Peter

Peter your preference to use a roof top tent is your choice. However you mislead others by suggesting it is dangerous to camp in a tent in the the Kimberleys.

I survived nine years welcoming campers in the Kimberleys many who spent the night in a tent........not to mention those chose a swag.

I would think that if using a tent was dangerous our " nanny state" would have banned it long ago.

wendyv · Guru

jbrinks wrote:
Thanks for the great info wendyv. we have a caravan, not off road so the plan was to leave Kununarra , go to the station and camp near the BungLe Bungles and explore that area then keep on going down the road with the van , get to Derby and store the van for a 2-3 weeks and head of with the car and tent to do the Gibb River Rd up to about Mt Barnett. Plan is to visit El Questro from Kununarra. Does this sound feasible or open to any other suggestions

I am not sure how many times you plan to transfer from van to tent camping? Or how easy it is for you to do that. For us, it was hard work and that was the logic behind the way we did it last time - only had to do the changeover once at each end of the Bungles and Gibb trip.

There is a lot more at ElQ and the Bungles than can be done in a day trip to each.

The road is now sealed as far as the entrance to El Questro. Then there is several kms of gravel road to get into the place, and a ford across the Pentecost - usually shallow. Was about a foot deep when we were last there. Is much to do at ElQ - several great walks, visit Zebedee Springs, do the boat trip to Chamberlain Gorge, as well as the separate Emma Gorge section.

As well, there is Home Valley, across the main Pentecost crossing. This is a long one, pretty shallow by the middle of the year and not nearly as difficult as it looks. Home Valley has a campground on the Pentecost banks (high up!) from which there are unrivalled views of the ****burn Range, brilliant at sunset and sunrise.

I agree that the section of the Gibb between Mt Barnett and Home Valley is the least interesting section.

I will put in a photo of the water crossing on the way into El Questro (the one with the vehicle in) and the main Pentecost crossing on the Gibb. Both taken in August.

Resize of 08-13-2007 01 Pentecost River.JPG

Resize of 08-16-2007 01 El Questro Pentecost crossing.JPG

jbrinks · Senior Member

Thanks wendyv for the info and great photos, we were campers for many years before the van and have packing to a fine art these days so that isn't a problem. Plan is to do three camping trips in all which includes a trip up to El Questro .

wendyv · Guru

Good. Try for one of the private riverside sites at ElQ.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Bushpie wrote:
You wont have to worry about the crocs..........unless you camp on the bank of a salt water river and nobody does that coz they have plenty of common sense........

I repeat. Dangerous and ill-informed advise, in my view.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/11/1097406503145.html

Many may sleep in tents and swags without mishap, but why take that risk? It is a real risk.

I have seen tracks going past tents at Kalumburu more than once and that is after local advice that says that is safe to swim there. In 2005, a croc walked 1km inland there and dragged a whole donkey back to the ocean.

Cheers,

Peter

wendyv · Guru

Places like the campgrounds at Mornington, Bell Gorge, Charnley, Mt Barnett, Bungles are surely safe from salties.
Is there any evidence of salties at the Winjana Gorge camp area, Peter?
It may have been local advice that it was safe to swim at Kalumburu - but it is obvious that it is a bloody big river there, and right by the sea - so anyone believing that it could be safe to swim there is far too trusting!
I have been at McGowans camp once when there was a croc on the beach one morning - but felt the part of the camp area where we were was far enough back to be ok. And there were a heap of other campers between the beach and our tents!
At Honeymoon the camp area is right up quite a hill. I certainly would not camp down beside the sea there though, in a tent.
Have never heard of salties at the King Edward River camp area.
At Home Valley the big crocs are certainly in the Pentecost - can be seen sunbaking on the mud flats at low tide. But, again, the camp area is up on top of a small cliff. We were not worried in tent, despite the size of what we could see down below.
I do not know how far salties come up the Pentecost at El Questro, in the Wet. One year we were there in May - it had been a very small wet, but they fished a fair sized saltie out of the pool below the big house. It had to have been there for some time, because of river heights. That was obviously a surprise to all - especially the ringers who had been entertaining guests by jumping into the pool! In our times there, have not seen croc evidence at the riverside camp areas we have stayed at - and I presume there are checks done before these are opened. None the less, I would not swim in the river there, small though it is. But have had no concerns sleeping in tent there on the sites we have been at.