We had stayed the night at Parrys Lagoon and survived the swarms of mozzies - just. It didn't take long to pack up and we were on the road by 7:30am, drove to Wyndham to check out the Big Crocodile, then headed to the infamous Gibb River Road. Driving along there were dirt sections then a section which was tarred. We wondered whether this was continued through the whole length of the road or only to the El Questro turn off. Perhaps Tory and Bob could have managed "the Gibb" after all.
Nick navigated his way through Moonlight Creek and the Pentecost River beautifully, but somehow after our drive from Windjanna it seemed a little less exciting, although fun all the same.
Approaching El Questro it is easy to see why it is so inviting and appealing. The station has been well marketed and with a professional set up truely has a real appeal to many different travelers, and is the ONLY place we have paid to stay where kids are FREE!!!!!!. There is a lovely communal camping area with amenities near by, chalets or private campsites by the river. We chose a private site (called Mopoke) which is about 3 km from "the township" (as it's known) down a private road to a beautiful open area overlooking the Pentecost river, a perfect spot to paddle, boogie board and try fishing.
There are many tours, all of which are costly, you can do, but the kids did a pretty good job of making their own entertainment building rock dams, making the water take a different path so the Kayak and boogie boards had 2 mini rapids to go down.
Many of the gorges require a 4wd to access them, but we were able to explore Amalia and Emma gorge and Zebadee Springs and took a drive down to the jetty at Chamberlain gorge.
Zebadee springs was a short 5 - 10 minute stroll through a Livistona Palm forest to a cascade of pools and waterfalls with a year round water temperature of between 28-32*c. We loved it here so much that we came back twice.
Amalia Gorge walk was a fun 3.2km walk. The track at the beginning of the walk was a dry creek bed with riverstones to scramble over. We followed the blue markers which led us up and over boulders, criss crossing the river (with water in it) jumping over stepping stones, and at one point negotiate around a narrow ledge with a 4 metre drop below into a waterhole. Once there we were treated to a refreshing water hole and waterfall. Nick announcing his love of the Kimberly country and it's diverse and spectacular landscape. To the kids excitement we completed the gorge walk as well as having a swim in almost half the recommended time it takes to do the walk.
Emma Gorge was sensational. Again it was about 3.2km and the rock path, and rock hopping over boulders and streams added to the fun of reaching the beautiful pool and waterfall at the end. Although cold Nick, Josh and Abbey enjoyed a dip while the rest of us sat by the pool under a smaller waterfall which felt like rain dripping on us. (Which we haven't experienced for many months).
Having "our own" little piece of El Questro with no one around us was delightful. Nick and I enjoyed sitting on the banks of the river reading while the kids explored, climbed branches, played in river and Matt and Zach pretended to be "real life" station owners. Josh tried his hand at fishing to no avail, and settled to reading his book instead. While the nights were spent around a fire enjoying treats such as toasted marshmallows and damper on sticks.
The kids have dubbed this as being one of the best spots so far. It is amazing how "bush" camping is so often a favourite over caravan parks with pools and playgrounds.
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