Leaving Home Valley Station and heading towards El Questro, our last stop, and the roads hadn’t improved. Just out from Home Valley was the widest, and probably deepest of all our river crossings – the Pentecost. The tourist Bureau had told us when crossing this river, that no matter what happens, do not get out of your car, and she repeated this to us several times.
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Day 9 and we arrived back at Drysdale around 9.30am. After collecting our food from the cool room and repacking our Engel we were on our way – todays final destination, Home Valley Station.
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts of beauty rich and rare, especially so in regards to the Mitchell Plateau. A place where fiery landscapes are set against cobalt skies, where towering rock faces send pristine waters crashing to the rivers below. A place where secluded gorges hide ancient rock art that tells the ancient stories of our traditional owners.
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Before commencing our trip we had decided we wouldn’t risk our vehicle on the road from Drysdale Station up to the Mitchell Plateau. A decision never regretted having seen the damaged vehicles either returning taped together, or worse, on the back of rescue trucks at the minimum cost of $5000 for the rescue. However, the Mitchell Plateau and Mitchell Falls being the highlight of a Gibb River trip for most people was something we didn’t want to exclude. So we investigated options.
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We had finished breakfast and were packed up at Silent Grove before 7.30am. First stop was Imintji store, where we purchased a much needed small broom and dustpan set, and enquired about camping availability at Mornington Wilderness Camp – all booked out. We should have listened to our advisors in Derby, a realisation that was re-enforced many times when speaking to fellow campers along the way. Everyone who had been fortunate enough to have included it in their itinarary, highly recommended it. Those that hadn’t were like us, oblivious to it until we actually commenced the trip, and then regretted the oversight.We drove on.
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We awoke early, as one would expect after such an early night at Windjana, and lay in bed until it was light. Paul was getting to be a dab hand at dropping the tent by this stage, so after a quick cuppa and a bowl of yogurt and fruit, we were packed up and on our way.
The roads at this stage of our trip although dusty were quite good, and the corrugations moderate.
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The road from Derby to Windjana Gorge campground was good, much of it was bitumen, and the dirt sections of the road weren’t too corrugated. We arrived at 9.15am, and clearly our advisers from the night before hadn’t been exaggeration – the place was massed with prickles and burrs.
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When the landscape is dominated by Anthills and Boab Trees, you know you’ve reached the stunning Kimberleys.
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Thought I’d post a quick update to let everyone know we finished the Gibb River Road today. We now have a couple of days to re-group, do some washing, and a grocery re-stock before we head off on the next leg with the tent, which is up to Cape Leveque.
We’ll try and get started with downloading photos and getting some posted before we head back into the dark ages again (no internet or phone cover up at the Cape).
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Life of Riley - on whatever 