Gibb River Road

After visiting the first two national parks, we drove west via Katherine. Along the way, we crossed the state border from Northern Territory to Western Australia, as well as a quarantine zone for food and a time zone. It was a strange and weird feeling to suddenly be 1.5 hours "ahead" in the car compared to just a few kilometers ago. In Kununurra, after a 600 km drive, we visited a campsite right by the lake and stayed there for one night before the Gibb River Road adventure began.

So we started at the eastern end of the 660 km long Gibb River Road and first drove to El Questro Station. We actually wanted to visit the gorge, but had made a little planning mistake with the water. Besides our two almost 1-liter drinking bottles, we only had several 10-liter canisters with us. So during a 5 km hike in the midday heat - it is mostly between 35 and 38 degrees hot - we didn't have smart options to carry enough water on the walk. Therefore, we sensibly decided not to go on the excursion and instead used the first gas station to refuel at least. After that, we continued on the Gibb River Road to the Ellenbrae Station. This is located a few kilometers off the "main road" and offers a secluded campsite by a small river. The homestead itself is a little further away and is a beautiful little oasis where fresh scones are served every morning. We took advantage of that after the night - at least Mathias (gluten and all...).

After the morning strengthening, we continued on the Gibb to the Kalumburu Road junction and from there north to the Drysdale River Station. One of the most remote areas that Australia has to offer. And yet, it has what you need: a river with enough water for swimming and spotting freshwater crocodiles, a campground, a gas station with a small shop, and a bar. After dinner, we also "go out" here - but we are the only ones around. You can already tell that the season is almost over and preparations are already being made for the long rainy season. Most stations will close in 2-3 weeks for about 6 months - during that time, the majority of the area will be covered in water and therefore impassable.

From the Drysdale Station, it would be another 200 km north to the Mitchell Falls - but we won't take this route and instead return to the Gibb River Road (after refueling, of course) to continue heading west. But that doesn't work right away because our Machina suddenly won't start anymore. After some attempts, it works again without knowing what the problem was. We drive past herds of cattle and boab trees, over seemingly endless straight red sandy tracks. It is beautiful to drive along here. Most river crossings are completely dry due to the season - the few with water are even more fun as a result. We stop at the Mt. Barnett Road House and visit the beautiful Manning Gorge here, where we take a little afternoon trip to the waterfall. In the meantime, we have bought two additional 1.5 liter water bottles, which provide enough water supply for the excursions. So there are no more excuses! (On the way back, we almost got lost... luckily we didn't!) For the overnight stay, we continue driving to the Silent Grove Camping just before the Bell Gorge, which we plan to visit the next day.

The car starts smoothly, and we are already on the short walk to the Bell Gorge and the beautiful waterfall shortly before 9 o'clock. A morning swim is absolutely great and always a great reward for the effort, especially with the already high temperatures. The Bell Gorge is also our (temporary) last stop on the Gibb. There are no more gas stations until Derby (western end), and with our Machina (it drinks a lot of gasoline) and the small reserve tank (20 liters) we bought, we just barely make it there.

It's not enough for another detour - but anyway, we have to return to Darwin in a few days and will probably make another short detour to Windjana Gorge, which is located at the western end. The car starts (after some nerve-racking moments) and we make our way to Derby, which was our destination anyway. Here we arrive after lunch and have a picnic at the harbor. Unfortunately, NOTHING works with our Machina afterwards. It doesn't seem to be the battery because we still have lights - and indeed, even jump-starting with the off-roader of a friendly Australian doesn't help. So we contact the road assistance of our rental company and receive the necessary support via WhatsApp. We have ZERO knowledge about cars, but the problem is probably the starter. So we are supposed to hit that metallic thing with a stone or a hammer while Seraina turns the ignition key, lying under the car. After some searching, Mathias finds the starter and it really works. Seraina turns the ignition key, Mathias hits the starter with an iron screwdriver from the Australian, and the car starts.

And because we don't want to do that every time, we drive to Broome on the same day. That was our destination anyway, and here we have a mechanic from our rental company who will take care of the problem tomorrow.

So here we are, sitting at the campsite, hoping it won't take too long tomorrow. Updates will follow, of course...