We’re at the very start (or end) of the Gibb River Road, and the stories we’ve been hearing about the road conditions are pretty intimidating. Today we’re only going a short way into the El Questro Gorge, but just in case I have emptied Donna out – she’s now light and sprightly – ready for the day!
Before tackling the gorge we have a more relaxing start to the day at Zebedee Springs. It is on the way and closes to the public from lunchtime. As it turns out, we follow a grader some of the way and the road is excellent, so much for worrying.
The bushy walk into Zebedee Springs becomes increasingly tropical as we approach the water source and the pools. Palm trees soar overhead, mottling the light and shading the red rock. They cling to impossible holds along the rock water-course.
The springs are made up of several smaller pools dotted down a slope, with small waterfalls in between. The water is warm and green moss earthy and spongy underfoot. The lower pools are packed but we climb a short way and find an empty pool with its own waterfall back massager [Anna: I wondered what was wrong with it that people were staying away haha]. In our pool we lie back, looking up at the patterns that palms make in the sky, with the warm water following past us. It is hard to leave for a more active walk, but seeing more people arriving we make way for them to enjoy.
[Click on a photo to open a full-screen slide show]
As we drive further to the gorge we know there is a final river crossing that Donna can’t do. When we reach the crossing, it is very apparent why – the river is about 30 metres long and fairly deep. We parked and waited a while to see if someone would arrive who could give us a lift. A couple of cars arrived, one without a snorkel parked, and one with a snorkel stopped to assess the crossing. As we were waiting, a car very confidently drove right into the water, dropping into a large hole which ran water over the bonnet, it slowed a little but pushed on [Anna: Legends only]. The waiting car grew intimidated. Those of us on foot decided we would just walk across instead of waiting for a lift, we encouraged the other car and cheered at they took a smarter line through the water and easily made the crossing.
We chose to walk around the river and through the muddy edges, while our fellow walkers/waders set off directly through the water. We have been told, “We don’t see crocs here, but we have to say there is always a chance”. So we don’t mess around, but the mud is slow going. On the other side we meet back up with our wet friends, each considering whether they’d taken the worse option. My shoes are soaked, but there’s deeper water in the gorge anyway… [Anna: turns out my shoes are relatively waterproof, yay].
Our river crossing friend has come back to offer a lift to his cheer squad, which cuts out about a kilometre of sand. Thank you to that man.
Now we head into the gorge. The walk follows the floor of the gorge, alongside the river. Sometimes the gorge is wide and the river narrow, giving room for tropical bush to fill the space. In places the walls tower over us, even leaning inward, cutting out space and light for the bush to grow. When the river widens it becomes still and reflections of the trees bounce off the surface of the water; at the same time, the water is so clear that it magnifies the rocks below the surface, creating a kind of dual vision from the water.
About halfway through the walk the gorge narrows so much that the river entirely fills it. A chest-deep pool creates the first significant obstacle, including a set of boulders that we need to shimmy up to get out of the pool. We take off our packs, organise our things, and take off our shoes and tie them to our packs. Before continuing on, we take a dip to cool off a little. The water is brisk but pleasant.
Back to our packs and the walk, the river rocks on my bare feet are surprisingly sharp with the extra pack weight. I feel pretty uncoordinated while wading through the pool and up to the gap between the boulders! Slippery rock make the climb a bit awkward but we manage. So onward…
This next part of the walk has a lot more obstacles: narrow spaces to fit through, more boulders to find a way up/over and more water. Climbing up some narrow ledges alongside a waterfall is the most adventurous part of the walk, not crazy sketchy, but worth going slowly.
Then it’s not far from the end of the walk, the MacMicking Pool. It’s a long clear/green pool with a waterfall flowing into it from the far end. Here the walls of the gorge are closed quite tightly together, with one leaning over. We arrive at midday and the sun streams in lighting up the water. We share the water with some other walkers [Anna: including some buff guys in budgy smugglers trying to demonstrate their athletic prowess by trying to scale the rock face, unsuccessfully] and chat as we dry off.
The walk home is fun, knowing what to expect and encouraging others on their way up. The only difference is we can jump off the boulders into the halfway pool instead of clambering down them. I jump first and ferry our bags while Anna jumps afterwards. More tired and holding my pack overhead I stumble on a bigger rock that I couldn’t see. In goes my bag, including my camera – the 7D that Anna and I bought together nearly 10 years ago. It has travelled everywhere with us (Iceland, Denmark, the UK, Germany, Japan, Canada, all over the USA, a lot of Australia…) [Anna: RIP camera, you had such a good run].
Back home we have a well earned meal (and drinks!) at the restaurant. But all the Kimberley sun cannot save the camera [Anna: Later in the trip we will buy a wet pack and wading shoes. Turns out these things are extremely useful].
