This was always going to be a very different stage to the others on this trip, firstly because there aren’t any lighthouses and secondly because I wouldn’t be travelling alone as my wife joined me in Darwin to travel to Broome with me, as neither of us had ever seen this part of Australia before.

I didn’t realise how different it would be until we got started!

While it’s great to have company it does add a layer of complexity and the first casualty was camping. With limited space in Max and the temperature hovering around the 40’s it became necessary to stay in air conditioned accomodation rather than camping in Max. The other thing that was unusual for me was that I had some fixed dates I needed to factor into my travel plans, Marianne’s arrival in Darwin and departure from Broome, for a start.

There was one other big unknown which had been on my mind since the beginning of this leg and that was the Gibb River Road (GRR), an iconic dirt road that runs 660 kms from outside Kununurra to Derby through some of the wildest and most untamed country in Australia. I knew it was getting late in the “dry” season which meant the road would be in bad shape and it was also possible that the “wet” would arrive early and the river crossings would be impassable for Max.

I arrived in Darwin a couple of days ahead of Marianne which allowed me time to do some preparations for the upcoming off-road sections, this involved checking my tyres and making sure the I knew how to access the spare and that it was in good condition (I confess that I’d never even looked at it before now), and as a result I was advised I should buy a couple of tools and repair kits, which thankfully I did!

Surprisingly Marianne’s flight arrived 40 mins early, it’s very unusual for anything to be ahead of schedule in the Top End and immediately we changed our plans. Originally we were to meet with Sam, a client of Marianne’s who lives in Katherine on Sunday for dinner and stay at the Gorge View Eco-Retreat overnight. However I’d checked the Gorge View out on my way north and it wasn’t anything like it was advertised and it turned out Sam’s partner Jason was a diehard Broncos supporter and the NRL Grand Final was on that night! So we decided to go to Litchfield NP which is only about an hour south of Darwin, and return to Darwin that night and head to Katherine the next day.

It’s true what they say, the NT is a state of mind and this was never more evident than at the pub we stopped for lunch on that first Sunday, it was reminiscent of the bar room scene from Star Wars! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPelOnd7Sik

After this first brush with the local wildlife Litchfield seemed like a walk in the park, we swan at Wangi Fall, walked through the heat and flies to Tolmer Gorge and had our first taste of serious off-road driving trying to find The Lost City.

We arrived back in Darwin in time to have dinner at the Lizard Bar which was on the G/F of our hotel and watch the GF which thankfully Brisbane won which boded well for the following nights dinner engagement.

Next morning we headed of on a 330km jaunt to Katherine Gorge for a 1.00pm gorge cruise and swim, the cruise was the best way to see the gorge as it’s actually a series of gorges over a distance of 8km divided by unnavigable rock bars that require transfer from one boat to another in the dry season. The advertised gorge swim was a bit disappointing and was limited to a rock pool swim due to the possible presence of a “salty” (saltwater crocodile) or two in the lower gorge!

Following the cruise Marianne managed to make her scheduled video conference call thanks to Starlink from the gorge camp ground and I observed a very strange looking kookaburra sitting on a nearby fence!

We had dinner with Sam and Jason which was nice but I couldn’t help thinking Jason was wondering why he was there…his conversation with me was limited to a grand final replay while Marianne and Sam seemed to have much more in common!

After an aromatic night in the Pine Tree motel in Katherine we headed for WA and Kununurra a mere 546 kms westward, the NT speed limit of 130 kmph helped shorten trip but the rigorous WA quarantine inspection resulted in a impromptu large salad for lunch and the lower 110 kmph speed limit in WA conspired to prolong the trip.

Arriving in Kununurra we headed for the Visitor Information Centre where a helpful lady called Kellie recommended a number of activities, most of which we’d never heard of. Her accomodation and sunset viewing suggestions were great, some of the others…not so.

One of the highlight of our trip was the flight we’d booked to fly over the Bungle Bungles which was scheduled for a 5.15am pick up the next day.

All was going well until after about 20 mins into the two hour flight the pilot announced we were turning back due to the limited visibility as a result of all the smoke from numerous bushfires in the area, some intentional others wild! This was very disappointing despite the great views we’d had of Lake Argyle and the surrounding country but our spirits were lifted by the tour company rebooking us on the same flight in two days when it was expected that the smoke would have cleared.

We’s always planned on going to Wyndham after the flight so we headed of earlier than expected via the Ivanhoe weir which Kellie had said was very tame and easily fordable. Apart from the fact it was about 20km further out of town than the map suggested when we got there is was in full flow, a veritable cascade and reluctantly discretion replaced valour and I turned back as I had visions of Max floating down the river and he still had half a continent to traverse.

On the way to Wyndham we passed the GRR turn off about 80 km out of Kununurra and as Kellie had suggested we stopped at The Grotto (don’t bother unless there’s been rain) and just before town took a left over a salt pan and headed for the notorious “prison tree” about 20km down a very corrugated dirt road. On the suggestion of the one car we passed we detoured to a hitherto unknown rock art cave which was amazing, not just for the art and the setting but for the fact it was well off the beaten track and obviously infrequently visited. The incredible thing about this was that the more you looked the more you saw, the art seemed to gradually reveal itself if you took the time to look more carefully. After being enthralled by this and the nearby dancing brolgas we made it to the “prison tree” which was something of an anticlimax, even more so Wyndham itself, nothing to see here!

After a somewhat disappointing day, save for the rock art, we headed to the Pumphouse restaurant to cool our heels, sate our thirst, taste the local produce and admire another Kimberley sunset.

This was going to be the critical day, despite repeated warnings not to take the GRR I still hoped it might be an option and today we were going to put it to the test.

Retracing our route from the previous day we took the GRR turn off and headed for our first stop, Emma Gorge. We’d been told to get there early because like a number of other outdoor activities it was only open from 6am until 11am due to the extreme heat. We arrived about 7.00am and hiked an hour to the head of the gorge, it was breathtaking, a beautiful green cool pool surrounded by towering red fern covered cliffs with droplets of water raining down from the almost dry waterfall. We’d heard it was good but it exceeded our expectations.

After a couple of cooling hours in this paradise it was time to cross the Rubicon, or in this case the Pentecost! The Pentecost River is traditionally the start of the most challenging section of the GRR, 400 kms of varying sized corrugations, sharp rocks, sand, mud and river crossing with only one Roadhouse selling fuel 300km down the track!

This was to be a test run, across the river and on to Home Valley the first campsite about 20 km in. There was more water than I expected but Max seemed to handle it well enough and the run to Home Valley was pretty good as it had been recently graded but when we got there is was closed for the season as were all the other campsites except for Mt. Burnett 300km down a dusty rutted road! I must admit, against all advice I was still in two minds as we turned around and headed to lunch at El Questro station.

On the 16km drive (read goat track) into ELQ we stopped at Zebedee Springs which was akin to an oasis in the wilderness but was about to close for the day.

We’d been told by the ranger at Emma Gorge (which is also owned by ELQ) that this was as far as non-4X4 vehicles could go and the final 4km to the station involved two water crossings of 40cm and 55cm respectively and that Max would have no problem making the crossing. The first crossing ws no problem but the second was a drama, it seemed to get deeper the further we went with water reaching the top of the bull bar, but there was no turning back, the only option was to cross my fingers and keep going. Thankfully we made it to the other side but I was concerned that we’d have to make the return journey after lunch!!!

As we made our way to the restaurant we passed the workshop and I stopped to ask the mechanic (Jace) about the river crossing, he reassured me (not) by telling me it had claimed many a victim with lots of vehicles leaving the Station on a tilt tray truck bound for Kununurra and the wreckers yard! Naturally enough this unsettled me and thankfully Jace checked Max and informed me his maximum wading depth was 40cm, 15cm below the level we’d just crossed!!! Feeling like we’d dodged a bullit I asked Jace’s advice on how to return through the water and to my eternal gratitude he offered to tow me through it with his trusty old Toyota explaining that if the engine isn’t running water doesn’t get sucked through the air intake and it should be ok, he also mentioned that for future reference always go slow – walking speed which was against what I’d previously understood and done!

Much relieved we sat down to enjoy one of the best steaks I’ve ever eaten, it’s flavour no doubt enhanced by the knowledge of how lucky we’d been! After lunch and being dragged back through the river, (which turned out to be the Pentecost upstream), we set sail for the 150km drive back to Kununurra but first we had to negotiate that 16km of corrugations. To say I hate corrugations is an understatement, give me sad, mud, water (well maybe not water), anything but bone shaking car destroying corrugations! What I’d been told and discovered to be true up at Cape York last year is that, counterintuitively, the faster you travel over corrugations the better it is, and the optimum speed is usually between 80 & 90 kmph. There are also two schools of thought regarding tyre pressure, some say drop it to ~ 25psi others say don’t deflate at all and if you do don’t go below 35 psi. I’d discovered that the latter seemed to work best for Max as so we set off in a cloud of dust skipping over the corrugations at ~ 80kmph and reaching the turnoff in good time and high spirits, that was until I went to reflate the tyres and discovered one of the rear tyres was making a loud hissing sound and rapidly going flat. Gauging by rate of deflation it was obvious that this puncture must have happened in the last 100 or so metres of the road – so near and yet so far!

Between curses I was secretly congratulating myself on preparing for such a situation by learning how to access the spare wheel and having the necessary tools that I’d bought in Darwin (i.e. a battery operated rattle gun). Annoying but under control I thought, that is until my newly acquired Ryobi wouldn’t budge the wheel nuts! Frustration turned to anger which was approaching panic; stranded on a deserted road in 41 degree heat with a lame Max, not a good place to be, until good samaritan #2 arrived. Matty an english guy we’d met at Emma Gorge earlier in the day arrived and to my embarrassment explained that I needed to have the Ryobi on setting 3 not 1, so with the flick of a switch the nuts were off, the spare on and were underway again, the only problem being that spare wheel was smaller than the others and Max drove like a three legged dog on the way back to Kununurra.

We arrived just as the local tyre shop was closing but as is the custom in these parts the guys were sitting around having a few after work beers. I left the damaged tyre with them and they said to come back at around 9am the next day which coincided nicely with the 8.30am return of our rescheduled Bungle Bungles flight.

After a very full day of ups and downs we returned to our accomodation and headed for the bar for a light dinner and cleansing ale but my humiliation was still not complete, to rub salt into a wounded ego my wife beat me at a game of pool in front of a bunch of rowdy miners!

Goodnight, lights out – my dreams of conquering the Gibb River Rd were up in smoke!

Long story short, our rescheduled flight was a carbon copy of the first, notwithstanding the fact that the flight the day before had made it there and back. Disappointed we decided to go back to the Mirima NP (a.k.a. the mini-Bungles) to try and get something of a Bungles experience and kill time before the tyre would be ready.

More bad news when we were told the tyre couldn’t be repaired, he didn’t have any tyres that would fit and it would take 4 or 5 days to get one sent from Darwin! I think he must have seen my ass drop to the floor because he suggested we go to another tyre we didn’t know about and try our luck there. Sheepishly we went there and were amazed and delighted when we were told they had a tyre that would fit and despite being charged about three times what it should have cost. We were told to come back in an hour and he’d have it sorted, we decided we’d had enough of Kununurra, went to our room packed up and figured we’d have time make the 650km run to Fitzroy Crossing in daylight. Max was ready on time and we hit the road which ironically passes within 50km of the Bungle Bungles, but decided not to risk it as we were told it was a very rough track to get to them and we’d had enough of those (or so we thought).

Marianne had a conference call scheduled for 2pm and we thought we’d try and see how Starlink worked while in motion and to our surprise the connection was better at 110 kmph in the back of beyond that it is on the NBN in Manly. Go figure!

We arrived in Fitzroy Crossing on sunset and discovered the only accomodation in town were fully leveraging their monopoly status by charging $ 340/night for a very basic room, but it had a/c and we happily paid the ransom!

To compensate for the disappointment of not doing the full length of the GRR we noticed there was an unsealed road that ran from the highway up to the GRR about 50 km west of Fitzroy. Like most of the advice we’d been given there conflicting reports about this roads condition ranging from shocking to not too bad, but as it included two of the main attractions we wanted to see, Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge so we decided to give it a go. Surprisingly the first 80 kms were pretty easy and we arrived at Tunnel Creek in good shape.

Tunnel Creek is a truly bizarre place, giant underground caverns with no lighting, marked paths and an alarming sign at the entrance. We’d been advised to take a torch and wear shoes you didn’t mind getting wet because you have to wade chest deep through water in the dark, and don’t mind the millions of bats and occasional freshwater crocodile! Are you kidding!

Having survived Tunnel Creek we resumed our travel north and immediately the road got much worse, this was no doubt due to the traffic traveling down from the GRR and was a taste of what we’d missed. After another 20km on a brutal road we arrived at Windjana Gorge, a stunning place surrounded by massive vertical limestone cliffs that use to be a reef in the ocean Windjana is a natural wonder and well worth a visit.

We debated camping the night there but the heat was stultifying and we decided to head for Derby 170kms away. What we hadn’t counted on was that the last 20 km between Winjana and the GRR was the worst road we’d encountered and with the memory of our misadventure at ELQ and knowledge that our new tyre wasn’t an off-road tyre we very tentatively made our way at very low speed, it took us over an hour to cover the final 20km of dirty before we hit the sealed section of the Gibb running 150km into Derby. The only trouble was it was now dusk and the wildlife, and a few cattle, had come out to play chicken on the road. After a very stressful three hour drive we arrived in Derby, had a quick meal and collapsed into bed.

There’s not much to see in Derby these days, it has a rich history but the tide seems to have gone out and never come back in with Broome taking over as the main regional town, the only thing of note is another “prison tree” and the flocks of red tailed black cockatoos that seem to inhabit the area.

The final 200 km to Broome was easy and we made a beeline for Cable Beach. The first thing that hits you is the amazing colours, vibrant blues, greens and reds and the ocean looks so tempting in the heat and humidity until you realise there are numerous creatures lurking in it with evil intent, deadly stingers, sharks and saltys to name a few!

After a few laps around town searching for the elusive Town Centre we decided to act on the advice of Erin, a young Irish lady who somehow found herself working at the Spinifex Hotel in Derby and had recommended the Mangrove Hotel. This turned out to be good advice, it overlooks Roebuck Bay and is near Chinatown which is by far the best part of town, a kind of asian themed corrugated iron fusion reminiscent of Port Douglas but about a third of the price.

With sunset fast approaching we headed to Gantheaume Point, not only is it a great place to observe the rotation of the planet but there’s a lighthouse there (my first in over 3,000kms), and Lord McAlpine, the English eccentric who first put Broome on the map back in the early ’80’s had converted the original lighthouse keepers cottage into a mansion fit for a Lord! I’d bought a bottle of Veuve Clicquot in Darwin to celebrate making it to Broome in one piece and this seemed like the right time to unleash it, our first sunset over the Indian Ocean, a time for bubbles.

On our way out to Gantheaume Point we joined a conga line of 4X4’s that we discovered were heading to a nightly pilgrimage to park on the beach and watch the sun go down. With all respect I understand the novelty for visitors but it seems most of the attendees were locals who do this every night, I would have thought the thrill would wear off after a couple of hundred sunsets – but maybe I’m missing the point?

A hereto unknown side of my wife emerged when Marianne said she’d discovered that Broome was the home to 130 million year old dinosaur footprints and she’d always wanted to see them. She duly contacted Dianne the local dinosaurologist and arranged to meet her at a secret location at 7.00am the next morning which coincided with low tide. What initially looked like a pile of rocks gradually revealed itself to be a dinosaur dance floor and once we knew what we were looking for dozens of ancient footprints began to emerge, unbelievable to think we were literally walking in the footsteps of dinosaurs!

Speaking of dinosaurs that afternoon we visited the Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park on the outskirts of Broome, apart from the fact they had literally hundreds of crocs in residence they were in a much more natural setting than zoos and and you got a real sense of what it’s be like to encounter them in the wild and at feeding time you got the chance to be up close and personal, with just a chain link fence between you and some very large and scary reptiles! In addition to the crocs there were Black Cockatoos, a dingo and even a prehistoric cassowary.

Rounding out a full day we went to the famous Sun Pictures open air cinema, where a mediocre movie was occasionally interrupted by low flying planes landing at the nearby Broome airport but the home made choc tops were sensational.

Prior to coming here my knowledge of Broome was limited to something I remember from my school days. The giant tides they experience here was and still is a mystery to me. I still don’t understand why or how this happens given waters ability to finds its own level and the fact that sea level is one of the few constants in nature. I get that tides vary according to proximity of the moon and it’s gravitational pull but not why one place would experience greater tidal fluctuations than another?

What I learnt on this trip is that these mega tides, up to 11m, are just an exaggeration of normal tides and the extremes correspond with the phases of the moon. Unfortunately for us we were a week late and the moon was mid-cycle which meant the tidal fluctuation were relatively small, evidently they call these neap tides (an expression I’d never heard before). As a result two of Broome’s most popular attractions weren’t happening, the horizontal falls and the Stairway to the Moon. Disappointing but maybe a reason to come back one day when the moon is right, the temperature more bearable and the “wet” has all the waterfalls and rivers flowing.

On our last day together in Broome we visited the local museum and learnt about the local pearling industry and its strong connections to the Chinese and Japanese pioneers whose influence and heritage is still evident in the community; how on the 3/3/1942 WWII came to Broome for a day in the form of a squadron of Japanese Zeros that bombed the town, destroyed 15 flying boats that were moored in Roebuck Bay and inflicted the highest war time civilian death toll in Australian history and how Broome has evolved from an obscure remote backwater into a major tourism, mining and energy hub with the population swelling from around 6,000 to 36,000 during the winter months. On balance I think I’d rather put up with the heat and humidity than the hordes of tourists during the “season”.