Long Drives in Challenging Terrain
Monday 21st to Wednesday 23rd July
Happy Birthday Jacob!
An early pack up saw us on the road by 7am and an unceremonious start to Jacob’s 14th
birthday! We turned off the GRR after about 60km and onto the Kalumburu
Road, promising Jacob that we would stop for a
famous Kimberly burger at Drysdale station as a birthday treat. The road was
rough but not as bad as we had imagined but Drysdale was a welcome sight! They
opened the kitchen especially for us and we had burgers all round by 10.30am,
and they definitely deserve there reputation as the best in the Kimberly! Fed
and watered we pressed onto the Mitchell
Plateau a further 100km on increasingly corrugated and rocky roads.
Before pulling into the King Edward
River campgrounds we negotiated our
biggest river crossing yet and gave the car a welcome wash!
The King Edward
River camp was great, fantastic
swimming in the river and our own personal waterfall! It certainly rates as our
favourite spot yet.
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| Following the rapids downstream |
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| Wonderful swimming holes all to ourselves! |
Walk In Fly Out!
The following day we set off to see the famous Mitchell
Falls, the highest waterfall in WA
and part of the classic Kimberly vista. The drive out was notoriously rough and
it was a hair-raising 2 hour drive over severe corrugations, washouts and pot
holes. The 3km walk in to the falls was beautiful and lush. The Mitchell
Plateau is a testament to the
powerful and rugged forces of nature that have ravaged the area and created
such stunning ravines and waterfalls. We enjoyed swimming in the croc free
upper pools and took an awesome helicopter transfer back.
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| Mitchell falls |
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| Flying out over the Mitchel Plateau |
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| Our personal rapids to play in! |
Collateral Damage!
The journey took its toll on the car, first the radio
antennae broke followed by the air conditioning which made for a hot and
tedious return trip. However, spotting the skull and horns of a cow cheered
everyone up and it was duly collected along with wood for the campfire that
night! Happy days!!
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| The new member of Speedykniebe! |
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