We arrived at Silent Grove campground for 4 nights (Bells gorge) the campground itself is large and spacious. We camped in the generator section as there were far less campers. The following morning we got our boots on early and headed for Bells Gorge. We loved the walk, Lowana did really well for her first gorge she walked most of the way there. We managed to all climb down to the bottom of the waterfall for a refreshing swim. That afternoon we headed for Imintji an aboriginal community that has a campground and fuel station with a few essentials. They sell wifi at $5 for 100mb it was payroll week for our business so unfortunately we spent a bit on wifi and it was extremely SLOW!!!
For the remainder of our stay at Silent Grove we did a lot of rearranging in the caravan. Things that we found weren’t working for us, we now have a more organised system in our tool box and tunnel boot. I created a new recipe whilst having free time too. To check it out click here.
Our next stop was frog creek which was by a small creek with plenty of frogs! It has makeshift fire rings so we decided to do some campfire cooking and made it our base for the next few days whilst we explored Adcock and Galvans gorge.
Adcock gorge was a great drive in, we wouldn’t advise to take your caravan as the track is quiet rugged and has a few deep water crossings. It was a quick easy walk to the gorge over a few rocks and along a well shaded path. The gorge itself has a large flowing waterfall where you can easily swim.
We then headed to Galvans gorge which was about a 15 minute walk from the car park which leads you to the most beautiful little oasis! This was my 2nd favourite gorge along the Gibb River road. It was so green with palms and large boab trees sticking out from the rocks above. This place had such a special feeling about it, a truely sacred site with hidden aboriginal rock art.
We met a lovely couple whilst staying at frog camp that were inspired by what we had accomplished. They were intrigued and wanted to know what gave us the final push to sell up and give travelling full time a go. And we honestly couldn’t tell them what gave us the final push. It’s always something Lyndon and I had dreamed about and we decided to put in the hard work to make it happen. There could be 50 million reasons why we shouldn’t be doing this but what not? We are meeting amazing people, seeing incredible things, we haven’t watched the news or any type of tv show since we left Perth so go figure! It feels great inspiring others and it makes us want to keep going.
Our next stop was Manning Gorge campground. We spent 2 nights here so we could 1 catch up on loads of washing and complete the Manning gorge walk. We checked into Mt Barnett Roadhouse first to buy our permit for the gorge and pay our camping fee. It’s a one stop shop, fuel, essentials supplies, tyres and hot food. I was hoping to re stock up on a few things like tomatoes and apples however fresh produce was minimal. No tomatoes or apples just potatoes and lemons. The truck with fresh produce wasn’t due until the following week. $7.50 for a pack of small wheatbix which were out of date and Diesel was priced at $2.05 a litre. We filled a a gas bottle just in case, and that was $66 for peace of mind. Yes this roadhouse is expensive but what you have to expect it with any remote locations! The campground was packed, people everywhere and by everywhere I mean we had some people in tents rock up and literally park right in front of our awning! Not the correct camping etiquette we would think.
We set out for the gorge walk the following morning 6:30am we hit the beautiful water. To start the walk you have to swim across the river. We put Lowana in a drum along with our belongings and pushed her as we swam across. It was a decent 5km return walk which we found to be a good challenge with Lowana. Once arriving at the the waterfall it was most rewarding! Swimming and looking up at the beautiful red and black rocks surrounding us was such a special feeling that only one can experience by actually doing it.
The next morning we packed up early and made our way to a free camp along the Gibb River situated along the Kalumburu road.
we passed the Gibb River station and about 20kms further we came across a Prado and caravan parked up on the side of the road facing towards us. Before we asked if they were ok it was pretty obvious they were in a bit of trouble. The caravan wheel was bent out, tyre peeled off. The chassis member between the two control arms had snapped and was virtually non repairable on the side of the road. The family had to unpack the bare essentials and carry on in the car to somewhere else to stay and contact help. The next available tow truck was 4 days away. You would expect more from a 3yr old off road van but I suppose this road does have reputation for breaking even the most prepared. Our heart goes out to the family, hopefully nobody rips off the van, insurance and warranty’s help out and touch wood we’ll be alright too!
We arrived at the Gibb river water crossing and found ourselves a ripper of a spot. We spent the afternoon swimming in the river and collecting firewood. It was burgers for tea by the open fire what more could you ask for! Next stop Drysdale River Station & Mitchell Falls.
dlsroaming.com 