Day
43 & 44 Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary.
Tuesday
we did the drive to Dimond Gorge, 24km 1 way and the advice was allow
an hour each way. Again the times were pretty spot on. It's a
pretty rough track with quite a few water crossings. Once there we
looked to see if we could get our kayak down to the river to paddle
up the gorge but in the end decided it was too hard. Did some rock
hopping to see if we could walk the gorge but again it looked way too
difficult for us.
A bit disappointing, if we'd realised the only way to see the gorges here was to hire their canoes we probably wouldn't have bothered to come. Facilities are good, hot showers and flushing toilets and the sites while not exactly grass, aren't a dust bowl either. We stopped in to Cadjeput on the way back to camp and it's a lovely place. Lots of water and shady trees, we had lunch there and decided to come back tomorrow and have a paddle in our kayak.
Stopped at reception on the way passed to enquire about WiFi, it's a third party agreement and not cheap so we didn't bother. We bought an Optus pre-paid sim card and will look to activate that at Mt Barnett roadhouse which apparently has Optus service. Went back to camp and set up the Ziggy for bread and then did a roast chicken for dinner. 62.8km travelled.
Wednesday we went back to Cadjeput and got the kayak off the car for just the second time on the trip. Had a nice paddle up the river then put the wheels on and dragged it to the next billabong and paddled down that. Very quiet place, only saw 2 other cars while we were there.
After lunch we tipped some tools out of one of the containers from the back and gave the car a wash using water from the river. We know it won't last long but it made us feel better. Called in to Sir John Gorge on the way back to camp and I had a dip.
Not much to see there because it's the one where they only allow 2 people in at a time and it's only accessible by kayak. Butter chicken for dinner. 50.2km travelled.
A bit disappointing, if we'd realised the only way to see the gorges here was to hire their canoes we probably wouldn't have bothered to come. Facilities are good, hot showers and flushing toilets and the sites while not exactly grass, aren't a dust bowl either. We stopped in to Cadjeput on the way back to camp and it's a lovely place. Lots of water and shady trees, we had lunch there and decided to come back tomorrow and have a paddle in our kayak.
Stopped at reception on the way passed to enquire about WiFi, it's a third party agreement and not cheap so we didn't bother. We bought an Optus pre-paid sim card and will look to activate that at Mt Barnett roadhouse which apparently has Optus service. Went back to camp and set up the Ziggy for bread and then did a roast chicken for dinner. 62.8km travelled.
Wednesday we went back to Cadjeput and got the kayak off the car for just the second time on the trip. Had a nice paddle up the river then put the wheels on and dragged it to the next billabong and paddled down that. Very quiet place, only saw 2 other cars while we were there.
After lunch we tipped some tools out of one of the containers from the back and gave the car a wash using water from the river. We know it won't last long but it made us feel better. Called in to Sir John Gorge on the way back to camp and I had a dip.
Not much to see there because it's the one where they only allow 2 people in at a time and it's only accessible by kayak. Butter chicken for dinner. 50.2km travelled.
Day
45 Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary to Gibb River Station.
Up
early and on the road just after 7. We filled the water tank just
before we left, got back to the Gibb River Road by 9:30.
The road has deteriorated somewhat and is the roughest we have struck so far. Called in to Galvans Gorge just before the Mt Barnett Roadhouse. It's very close to the road and an easy walk to a nice waterhole. There was a family there enjoying a dip which looked very refreshing.
We'd decided to do Manning Gorge as a day trip, then press on an extra 70km or so to Gibb River Station on the recommendation of a couple we had met at Pender Bay. Fuelled up at Mt
The road has deteriorated somewhat and is the roughest we have struck so far. Called in to Galvans Gorge just before the Mt Barnett Roadhouse. It's very close to the road and an easy walk to a nice waterhole. There was a family there enjoying a dip which looked very refreshing.
We'd decided to do Manning Gorge as a day trip, then press on an extra 70km or so to Gibb River Station on the recommendation of a couple we had met at Pender Bay. Fuelled up at Mt
Barnett
and bought some WiFi, much more reasonable than Mornington, and
activated the Optus prepaid sim card. It's mainly so Carol can
recharge her Telstra one and not loose all the data that she has
banked. We also paid the park access fee of $8.50 each.
It
was about 11 by the time we set off, got to the river and there was a
couple bringing the dingy across from the other side. The dingy is
set up on a rope and some pulleys and you sit in it then pull
yourself across to the other side. Works pretty well but there was a
fair bit of water sitting in the bottom and you have to be careful
about how you get out when you get to the other bank.
The walk in was very hot, not too hard although there was some rock scrambling but with very little shade. We hadn't planned on having a swim but we were both so hot when we got there that we just had to jump in, me in my shorts and Carol in her undies.
The water wasn't too cold and there were very inquisitive fish swimming around wanting to know what we were doing in their pool!
The walk back wasn't much cooler, the dingy was on the other side when we got back to the river, so I had to pull it across then pull us both back to the other side. There was much more water in the bottom by now and Carol was put to work bailing. I think most of it comes off the rope which hangs down into the water, then it all falls into the dingy as you pull yourself across. The camping ground looked OK, if a little dusty. A good place for families with young kids to stop with the river so close to the camping ground.
The walk in was very hot, not too hard although there was some rock scrambling but with very little shade. We hadn't planned on having a swim but we were both so hot when we got there that we just had to jump in, me in my shorts and Carol in her undies.
The water wasn't too cold and there were very inquisitive fish swimming around wanting to know what we were doing in their pool!
The walk back wasn't much cooler, the dingy was on the other side when we got back to the river, so I had to pull it across then pull us both back to the other side. There was much more water in the bottom by now and Carol was put to work bailing. I think most of it comes off the rope which hangs down into the water, then it all falls into the dingy as you pull yourself across. The camping ground looked OK, if a little dusty. A good place for families with young kids to stop with the river so close to the camping ground.
We
had a quick bite to eat and hit the road again for the 60 or so km to
Gibb River Station. The road has definitely got worse since
Mornington. When we got to Gibb River Station things were a bit
confusing. There was no obvious place for camping, although there
was a nice grassy area, plus no one was around to show you where to
set up and the shop was closed. We drove back to a house that we'd
passed and Carol knocked on the door but there didn't seem to be
anyone home. As we were driving back to the grassy area a guy came
over and showed us where the camping area was. It was indeed grass,
what a luxury !!! There was no one else there so we set up near the
amenities and enjoyed a hot shower. It was so nice to be able to
walk around and not get dirty feet from all the dust. The amenities
are older and could do with a good clean and a spruce up but the
showers were nice and hot and the toilets were flushing. Plus it was
only $20 per night so well worth stopping at.
Leftover butter chicken for dinner.
Leftover butter chicken for dinner.
236.6km travelled.
Figures
for July
A
bit late but here are some figures for the days we were on the road
in July;
Travelled
from Rockingham to Emu Creek Station
Days
travelling 15
Kilometres
travelled 2863 190.87/day
Diesel
468.77lts $753.65 $50.24/day
Camping
fees $342 $22.80/day
Tours
etc $697 (Whale Sharks) $46.47/day
Other
Expenses $740.68 (Food, alcohol, hardware,
chemist,gas) $49.37/day
Pajero
Costs 0
Mitchell
Costs $123 (Gas fittings) $8.20/day
Total
costs/Day $177.08
Mitchells
Spotted 1-Lighthouse Caravan Park Exmouth
Dearest
fuel $1.689/lt Exmouth
Figures
for August
Here
are some figures for the month of August;
Travelled
from Emu Creek Station to Gibb River Station
Days
travelling 31
Kilometres
travelled 4524 145.93/day
Diesel
687.15lts $1021.68 $32.96/day
Camping
fees $788 $25.42/day
Tours
etc $1925.94 (Horizontal Falls) $62.13/day
Other
Expenses $1091.53 (Food, alcohol, hardware) $35.21/day
Pajero
Costs 0
Mitchell
Costs $0
Total
costs/Day $155.72 ($166.40)
Mitchells
Spotted 2 (3)-Pender Bay & Kooljaman
Dearest
fuel $2.05/lt Imintji & Mt Barnett Roadhouses
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