It was late afternoon and we were traveling down the Kimberley's Geike Gorge when a crocodile quickly dives into the water. The Kimberley is home to spectacular gorges and waterfalls, lush green oases, working cattle stations, Aboriginal rock art sites, diverse wildlife and of course crocodiles (both salties and freshies). This most northern region of Western Australia is regarded by some as one of the most beautiful areas in Australia. Clearly what Spaswinefood experienced was an outback with spectacular scenery.
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Geike Gorge, Kimberley © Spaswinefood
In the Kimberley we often observed crocodiles hanging out on the river banks soaking up the sun rays.
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| Crocodile Running into the Water © Spaswinefood |
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| Crocodile Getting Ready to Dive © Spaswinefood |
We were fortunate to visit this part of Australia during the Winter Season (May to October), the most popular time to visit, with pleasant daytime temperatures ranging from mid 20s to low 30s (Celsius). travels through the Kimberley took us along the Great Northern Highway from Broome to Kununurra.
Broome
Broome, a popular coastal tourist town, located 2,240 km from Perth was our first stop in the Kimberley. The town is well known for its pearling industry that began in 1880's. While Broome is where the phenomena Stairway to the Moon (reflection of the moon on the mud flats) can be observed it’s sunsets also provided spectacular photogenic moments.
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| A Rosé Sunset, Cable Beach © Spaswinefood |
During our Broome stay we were delighted by the amazing sunsets at Cable Beach. Cable Beach is ranked as one of the top five beaches in the world. It is the perfect place to watch the sun go down with a glass of wine.
After leaving Broome we headed towards Fitzroy Crossing on the Great Northern Highway. Our first stop along the route was at the Willare Bridge Roadhouse.
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| Willare Bridge Roadhouse, Great Northern Highway © Spaswinefood |
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| Willare Bridge Roadhouse © Spaswinefood |
Along the route we saw many Baobab trees. Some of these trees are quite large. When we saw a roadside rest at a large baobab tree we decided to stop.
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| Baobab Roadside Stop, Great Northern Highway © Spaswinefood |
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| Baobab Tree © Spaswinefood |
Soon we were back on the highway towards Fitzroy Crossing.
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| Controlled Burn along the Route to Fitzroy Crossing © Spaswinefood |
Later that day we stopped for lunch at another roadside rest at another baobab tree.
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| Baobab © Spaswinefood |
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| Picnic Lunch, Baobab Tree, Great Northern Highway © Spaswinefood |
After lunch we continued onto Fitzroy Crossing.
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| Mesas Formations, Great Northern Highway © Spaswinefood |
While traveling along the highway we also saw many interesting termite mounds.
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| Termite Mound, Great Northern Highway © Spaswinefood |
Soon we pass the 5km sign for Fitzroy Crossing.
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5km to Fitzroy Crossing © Spaswinefood
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Fitzroy
Crossing
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| Bungle Bungle Range, Purnululu National Park © Spaswinefood |
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| Warmun, Great Northern Highway © Spaswinefood |
Warum
(Turkey Creek) and Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungle Range)
A
quick overnight stop at the Warum Roadhouse enabled us to take a helicopter
tour the next morning into the Bungle Bungle Range in the Purnululu National
Park. The Bungle Bungle Range is one of the most striking geological formations in Western
Australia. From the air you see orange and black stripes across beehive like rock formations where gorges, pools and roads are easily visible on a clear day.
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| Helicopter Tour, Bungle Bungle Range © Spaswinefood |
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| Helicopter Flight, Bungle Bungle Range © Spaswinefood |
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| Bungle Bungle Range © Spaswinefood |
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| Bungle Bungle Range Closeup © Spaswinefood |
Our early morning flight was picture perfect, as we traveled over the Bungle Bungle Range. At the end of the flight we posed with our pilot.
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| Touring the Bungle Bungle Range © Spaswinefood |
Parry
Creek/Wyndham
Still
jazzed after an amazing helicopter flight over the Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu
National Park we headed to Wyndham. 20km just south of Wyndham we stopped at
Parry Creek Farm Tourist Resort.
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| Parry Farm Caravan Park 8km © Spaswinefood |
To get to the resort we took a 8km dirt road to
Parry Farm Caravan Park. Before heading onto our next stop in Kununurra we took time to visit
Wyndham’s Five River’s Lookout, Wyndham Port and the Jetty.
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| View from Wyndham’s Five River’s Lookout © Spaswinefood |
Kununurra
Kununurra was buzzing with excitement when we visited. We stayed two nights at the Lakeside
Caravan Park where we meet many travelers who had come to drive the Gibb River Road. During our stay we visited some of the local sights: the Grotto,
Ord River and Kelly’s Knob Lookout, a distillery, sandalwood factory and
Aboriginal art galleries.
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| Kelly’s Knob Lookout, Kununurra © Spaswinefood |
Each evening we enjoyed wonderful sunsets over the lake at our caravan park.
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| Sunset, Lakeside Caravan Park © Spaswinefood |
The Kununurra area offers tours to such places as the Bungle Bungle,
Purnululu National Park and Lake Argyle.
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| Gibb River Road (Wyndham to Derby) © Spaswinefood |
Ideally the Kimberly region is best
explored in a 4x4 vehicle. Traveling in a 4x4 allows access to places
like the Bungle Bungle in the Purnululu National Park and the Gibb
River Road (Wyndham to Derby). While we did a helicopter flight over the Bungle Bungle Range nothing can
compensate for taking the time to explore an area in-depth. While there are tours most of these
tours are one day trips. The best overall value for the more adventurous traveler would be to explore Bungle Bungle and other areas within the Kimberley region on your
own in a 4x4 vehicle. On our bucket list is " drive the Gibb River Road in a 4x4".
Kimberley Region, Western Australia is the ultimate outback experience. After leaving Kununurra we continued onto the Northern Territory. I invite you to join me in my travels in Australia and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.
Sharon
May 2015
Kununurra, Kimberley Region
Western Australia
© Spaswinefood
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