El Questro

From Wyndham to El Questro is only about 100 kilometres.  El Questro has always been on my bucket list, so I have been surprised at how few family members had heard of it. I'm not even sure where I first heard of it, but I have seen photos and TV shows on it.  Of course I now realise the photos of the buildings overhanging the gorge are at The Homestead, which must be quite exclusive as they don't even show it on their maps.  What is obviously the road into it says Private - No Access.  We could see it from some of the lookouts, and the closest view was from Branco's Crossing.

The Homestead from Branco's Crossing

The road out to here is surprisingly good, the end of the Gibb River Road and the only part that is sealed.  But the "driveway" to El Questro is 16 kilometres of rough dirt road.  Although rutted and corrugated in places, it wasn't too bad and we were here before 11 to check in.  It is very much a commercial venture here, and priced accordingly.  They charge $20 a head for a wilderness pass for up to 7 days then the camping is $20 a head, more if you want one of their new power sites or private river sites.  The best value was to stay at least 4 days and get 20% off so the fourth day only costs a few dollars.  There is lots to see here, so 4 days sounded good. 

Our run of good campsites since returning from Melbourne holds up, and we get a nice sunny site not far from the water, and an easy drive through.  So we find a nice level spot and proceed to set up.  Hmm.  The front boot won't open.  Until we get into this, we can't do anything as the jockey wheel and numerous other useful items are in there.  Jim tries numerous sprays and we keep trying to no avail.  So over two hours later and with the help of two other campers, we have the lock removed.  Unfortunately for us, all the useful tools were in the boot, so we were very grateful for the help.  The next big town we will have to look for a new lock, and we will have to tape up the boot when we leave. 

So the first day hasn't gone exactly as planned, so we ended up not venturing too far away, looking around the station and what it is here, and planning our days. 

The plan for the first day is up early to do the El Questro Gorge walk.  No need to set an alarm here.  As soon as it is daylight, the helicopters are taking off on their sunrise trips, and a small plane felt like its wheels ran across the top of the van it was so low.  I did mention this is very much a commercial venture, and counting eight helicopters in the field as we drove out certainly showed this.  After a couple of deep water crossings we arrive at El Questro Gorge.  There are only two other cars parked there.  We start the walk, and in a very short time we are blown away with what we are seeing.  Huge orange cliffs fringed by palms, and looking so beautiful in the morning light.  Soon we are in the shaded gorge picking our way over the rocks.  It took us 50 minutes to reach the swimming hole and the turn around point.  There is a longer walk, another hour and a half each way, but it is listed as extremely difficult and only for the adventurous.  The one we did was adventurous enough for us.  To continue on to the other track involves going through the swimming hole and then scaling this huge 3 metre high boulder.  I think they are trying to tell us something.  The swimming hole is deceptive, so clear and it looks like about knee depth, which I thought was disappointing.  Jim being less of a sook than me, donned his bathers and headed in.  Yes, very deceptive, some of it was over his head.  But also very cold, not for me. 

 Beautiful El Questro Gorge

The pool at the end.  To continue the harder walk you have to scale that rock.

Rock climbing, we are getting good at this

Heading back out of the gorge we were so glad we had left early.  We were the only ones at the pool for about five minutes before another couple caught up to us.  But walking back out we passed so many people, it was going to be very crowded indeed in that little pool.  Lots of kids too, and we have since found out it is school holidays here. 

It was just after ten when we got back to the car, so still time to have a dip at Zebedee Springs.  They only open these from 7.00 am to midday.  The water temperature is between 28 and 32, much more to my liking, and they are one of the highlights of El Questro.  There are a number of small rock holes, of varying temperatures depending how far down you go.  It's not a big area and would get crowded very easily.  We were lucky as quite a few people were leaving as we arrived.  Many try and and go at 7 am to avoid the crowds.  We spent an hour soaking, then drove into the Jackeroo Waterhole.  A lovely spot, very nicely set up for a picnic.  But back to the van for lunch for us.

After lunch, we decided to try out the swimming holes at the camp.  The best one is in front of the restaurant, and surprisingly we had it to ourselves until we were getting out. 

It was then back in the car for some more exploring.  We drove up to Chamberlain Gorge, but discovered without hiring a boat or going on their cruise, you really miss the gorge itself. 

On the way back to the camp we 4 x 4 up to the Saddleback range lookout.  Fantastic 360 degrees views from up there. 

From Saddleback lookout back to the Station camp.

The next morning, no need for an alarm clock as the early morning plane flew over the top of the van.  Today's target is Moonshine Gorge and we are again one of the first ones in.  We look at the large sign and then at the flyers and discover they are back to front.  Obviously they have changed the sign but not the flyers and the suggested route is now anti clockwise and the flyers clockwise.  There are two options, up and back to the waterhole (4 ks) or the circuit (5ks), which they say is mostly out in the open.  It's early so we dedice the circuit sounds less boring, but lest go clockwise as it is early and they say it is out in the open.  This part of the walk turned out to be the easiest.  One kilometre on open savannah then another k on what was an old 4 x 4 route with a gentle grade up, then the next k was through some dry river beds.  We couldn't find where to cross the stream, so shoes off and we waded through.  But then we couldn't find the track again.  Fortunately another couple appeared at this time and we could see where we should be.  The pool was lovely, but really not as nice as the one at the bottom that was only 5 metres from the car park.  Jim had a swim, and I again piked out as it looked too cold, and then back on the track.  This is where the fun started.  The tracks are marked with blue diamonds on the rocks and blue plastic tape in the trees.  Someone was a bit scabby on this track as we had a great deal of trouble keeping on the track.  In fact we got lost at least three times.  It was a fairly difficult walk with lots of rocks, some rock climbing, and rock hopping over the creek.  After nearly three hours we finally got back to the bottom pool and an enjoyable swim.  I even got in for this one.  Interestingly our neighbours at the park (who we were also next to at Wyndham) had arrived at the car park about the same time as us and had decided to just do the return trip.  We asked how they got on, and they didn't go very far at all as they found the trail too difficult to follow.  So at least it wasn't just us.

Top pool

Bottom pool, and I did get into this one

Time for lunch then out to explore Branco's Lookout and Explosion Gorge.  The first surprise we got was Branco's crossing.  The maps forgot to mention that this was a bit tricky.  It was just a long stretch of large and small boulders that you had to pick your way across, and just when you thought it was finished you discovered you were on a bit of an island and you had to do it all again.  The tour bus was ahead of us, and our view of the gorge was only from above.  The tour group drove down a road that was closed to us, and then we saw them all get into a small boat to explore the gorge.  We headed back and detoured up to Branco's Lookout.  All the lookout views are spectacular.

Branco's Crossing

Explosion Gorge with the tour boat

From Branco's Lookout

Thursday morning we decided on something other than a long walk, and headed to what is supposed to be the latest road, right into the wilderness at Pigeon Hole.  Yesterday we saw two dingos and this morning we were treated to two large brolgas dancing beside the road.  

Dingo - not the least bit afraid

Brolgas on the road

We drove up to the lookout first and were rewarded with river views in all directions.  We then headed to Pigeon Hole.  The sign wasn't joking when it said high clearance 4 wd and experienced drivers only.  We got to a part that had a huge hole in the road, but they had put in a chicken turn around.  But down we went, and soon after we came to what can only be described as rock stairs.  Very interesting.  However when we got to the waterhole, it was a beautiful spot and I happily sat in a chair in the shade while Jim tried unsuccessfully to fish.  Then it was time to tackle the track again.

Jim attempting to fish at Pigeon Hole

Part of the track - photo doesn't do it justice

For the afternoon we had decided that we had done most of what was on offer, and our favourite place was Moonshine Gorge, so we would head back to there.  Jim tried fishing there and had some fun as he actually got some bites.  But although dressed for the occasion, we didn't venture in for a swim after all.  In the morning the sun shines on the pool, but in the afternoon it is in shade, so it justn't didn't seem warm enough to have a swim.

Our timing for visiting El Questro was not very good with school holidays.  It was reasonably quiet when we arrived, but bursting at the seams by the next morning, and continued that way for the days we were there.  By the second day the septic was overflowing, and the third day the water pump failed and there was no water for a while.  But considering the number of campers, we didn't find a lot of traffic on the roads, so I don't know what they were all doing.  Hopefully they didn't travel all that way and not see the magnificent sites.  

Friday morning we were up and packed and on the road before 8 to head to Emma Gorge, which was back on the main road.  Some more rock hopping and climbing brought us to the most breathtaking site.  These huge cliffs with a small waterfall falling into a very large pool.  There were also lots of small droplets falling around the outer edge of the rim.  It took us 40 minutes each way, so we must be getting fitter with all these walks we have been doing.  But this one was quite a jewel.  

That's Jim in the bottom corner swimming at Emma Gorge

Another beautiful pool on the way up

It was just before midday but we decided to head on another hour before stopping for lunch.  Our stop was the Dunham River Rest Area, a popular free camp.  There were already many campers set up, some looking they had been there more than the 24 hours specified.  It was too early for us to stop, so we headed down the road, eventually stopping at Fletchers Creek, a nice spot on the creek, but with no amenities.  Our luck was still holding and we backed into a nice spot next to one of the covered picnic areas.  

Wyndham

For such a small place, there seems to be quite a bit to see.  We have also discovered that although Marble Bar has the record for the highest temperatures in Australia, Wyndham has the highest average temperature.  We can believe that.  It's winter down south but we are getting mid 30's here, and instead of the doona, the fan is back on every night.

It's a rather strange town, but has a lot of history.  The wharf area is the oldest part of the town, but the majority of the residential area including the caravan park is 5 k's south.  Then further south again is the community club, the newest cemetery,  and a rather large racecourse.  They call the areas Three Mile and Six Mile.  So the town really consists of three separate areas.

Our first afternoon we had a look around the old port area.  There is a floating pontoon (not very croc safe), but in 2012 they opened a community jetty and at the end of this we found a trawler selling local prawns at a good price.  Yum.  There were a few people fishing, but the temperature was really too high to be out there in the sun.  Early morning or late afternoons looked a more pleasant alternative.


So Jim got up at daybreak on Friday morning.  Since we crossed a time zone, this is quite early.  This is supposed to be a great fishing area, but we have heard that before at many places.  After an hour of only catfish, he was so excited to land probably his biggest fish ever.  It was a 74cm mulloway, also known locally as a golden grunter.  By the time he got back and it was cleaned and filleted, a lot of the morning had gone.

After the fillets were safely deposited in the fridge and freezer, we headed back down the highway to The Grotto.  This is the only safe place to swim in the area.  Apart from this, it is a stunning place, with sheer cliffs down to the swimming hole.  There are 140 steps straight down.  The sign said that the water has a depth of 300 feet.  It didn't take me long to realise that this depth of water probably meant that the water was very cold.  Yep.  We confirmed that very quickly.  The only thing quicker was the amount of time we spent in the water.  A very quick dip.  We were the only ones down there at that time.

A cold dip

We then headed to Parry Creek Farm.  This is about 20 k's out of Wyndham, and the only other caravan park in the area.  It has excellent reviews, so we were very surprised to see only about half a dozen campers in there, and it is getting into peak season.  The For Sale sign on the gate didn't help.  The park in Wyndham has new owners as of last year, and they have worked very hard, and the park is a credit to them.  We have noticed that their sites seem to be full every night.  Perhaps the reason for so few at the other park that is further out, and more expensive.  But we had a lovely lunch at their cafe.  The lady at the information centre in town told us to ask to be seated upstairs overlooking the billabong.  So glad so did, it was absolutely lovely, and so much better than just sitting inside a building.  But we couldn't spot the resident freshwater crocodile.

Lunch overlooking the billabong.

After lunch we headed to the Marlgu Billabong, an area just teaming with birds, and a great hide for watching them.

This cormorant was quite ambitious taking this fish just in front of us.  But it was too big for him, and got away.

We drove back into the town and drove through the town and up past the wharf area.  Wyndham has had a bit of a new lease of life, with mining being shipped from there.  But it's not an attractive sight really.
Our stopover on the way back was the Bend Cemetery.  Just like the town being in sections, there are a number of cemeteries.  This one was from 1890 to 1922.  Around 1912 to 1914 a meatworks was built at the wharf area.  The cemetery holds twelve men who died while building this.  It was interesting to read the sign that detailed their demise.  Many were listed as heat stroke.  We noticed one day in December where two had died on the one day, one from drowning and one from heat stroke.  Two others died another time a day apart.  What a harsh environment it must have been.

By now it was late afternoon and time to head to the Bastion Lookout.  This has a great view of the five rivers that flow into the port but unfortunately we picked a night that was a bit hazy, so not as clear it might have been.  But this didn't stop lots of others up there looking as well.

Saturday morning Jim was again up at dawn, but nothing but catfish this time.  After he got back I was washing the floors, and noticed a little more water than my floor washing would produce.  Pulled out the bottom drawer and the hot water system was leaking slightly, but no good leaving it.  Lucky Jim is so handy.  In the end he borrowed a pipe cutter from the park owners, and after cutting off 2 centimetres which removed the 1 centimetre split we didn't realise was there, it all appears good again.

After lunch we headed westerly on a rough road, which took us to the dam which holds the town's water supply.  Near this is a rock area with aboriginal cave paintings.  We climbed up to look at these.

Further up the road was the prisoner boab tree.  This huge tree is supposed to have been used to lock up aboriginal prisoners in the 1890's.  An opening was cut into the tree.

Our second lasts stop as it was heading towards sundown was at the Afghan cemetery.  The cameliers from the 1890's who helped open up this area are buried facing Mecca.  The graves are very large, and it is said this is because their lead camels were buried with them.  Before heading back to the van we detoured to see the aboriginal sculptures.  These were much bigger than life sized.

Dinner that night was the local fish with a topping of local garlic prawns.  As I was taking things outside, I stepped into my thongs and felt something on top of my foot.  I thought it felt like perhaps a large insect.  I kicked it off and couldn't believe my eyes when it didn't run, hop or fly, but slithered.  It was only about 15 centimetres long, and I soon realised that perhaps what had felt like insect feet had maybe been scales.  Eek.  By the time I found a torch it was long gone, and it can stay that way.

Sunday while Jim was fishing again, I went to the Sunday Market held here at the park.  The fresh fruit and vegetables were gone pretty much as soon as they were put out.   After Jim got back we spent some time at the museum.  For the small price to get in, there was a lot to see.  Such a lot of history around here.  During the afternoon we drove out to Three Mile Valley where there were supposed to be walks.  The signs were there, but we took one look at the overgrown path and decided it was better to give it a miss.

Tomorrow we are off to El Questro for probably four days then on to the Bungle Bungles.  No phone or internet for most of the week is very likely.

Kununurra

Monday morning we left our lovely campsite at Keep River, and headed to the state border.  We had managed to use nearly all the fruit and vegetables we bought in Katherine, and threw out the few remaining.  There are very strict quarantine restrictions travelling into Western Australia.  Next step was to wind our watches back an hour and a half.  We are not at all keen on the 5.30 am sunrise and 5.00 pm sunset.

We hadn't booked into Kununurra taking a chance on getting a spot.  I chose the park that was closest to the centre of town for the convenience, and had no trouble getting a spot.  Just one block walk to the shopping area, so very handy.  So after setting up, we headed to the information centre and the supermarket for some fruit and vegetables to replace the empty larder.  And joy oh joy, I got a hairdresser appointment for the afternoon.  It's hard when you are only somewhere for a few days.  I had tried in Katherine but wasn't able to get in.

After my haircut it was getting late into the afternoon, so a good time to head to the Kelly's Knob lookout.  What wonderful colours as the sun began to sink, and great views to the town and the irrigation area.

View down to the town

Rock colours starting to change

Late afternoon reds

The next morning it was more washing catch up, then we went to see about new tyres.  The front ones were starting to look a little worse for wear, and had done quite a few miles.  Another big expense, but essential.  We were there quite a long time as they had trouble getting the front wheel nuts off.  Lucky we didn't get a flat on that tyre in the middle of nowhere!  With our shiny new shoes, we headed to the Parks Office for an annual pass and then on to  Ivanhoe Crossing.  Despite the crocodile warning signs, there were people right out in the middle of the water fishing.  Very brave indeed.

Braver fishers than mine

Can you pick the new tyres?

We drove through a lot of the irrigation area and stopped at the Sandalwood Factory.  Indian and Australian sandalwood are grown in large areas here.  There was a huge array of products and I bought some moisturiser.  Back to the van for lunch, and then off for more exploring.  We looked around more of the town and around the lake area.  Our final venue for the day was the Hidden Valley Mirima National Park, our first use of our Parks Pass.  It is right next to the town, and more great scenery.

Great scenery from the Hidden Valley walk

When we returned to the caravan park, we discovered all that had happened overnight.  About 4.00 am we had heard a car burning rubber and revving loudly.  Apparently some of the "locals" visited during the night and stole the car three sites from us.  They left their keys in the annex apparently, so easy pickings.  But the poor couple next to us who have been sitting here all week waiting for a new water pump to arrive are in a camper trailer.  The thieves entered the camper and stole all their cash and the wife's rings.  The husband heard the zipper but just thought it was his wife returning from the toilet.  Later that morning they found the purse thrown into a drain with all the cards still in it, so they were very grateful for that.  We don't leave anything outside and lock our door, but during the night I had thought I heard the front boot rattle.  Not that they would find much in there unless they like hoses and buckets.

They have caught a 14 year old so far.  Because they had cash they went to the local service station for fuel, but the manager was suspicious and called the police.  The others hightailed it.  It seems they were planning on driving to Katherine to try and sell it. We were also told that about three weeks ago a car was stolen from the site we were on, consequently crashed and one of the offenders killed.  I guess this is the downside of the park being so close to the city centre.

We were going to drive out to the Ord River on Wednesday, but decided 140 k's wasn't worth doing.  I hadn't realised the turnoff was 35 k's before Kununurra or I might have gone there first.  So today was a bit of a maintenance day, descaling the coffee machine and electric jug from all the hard water, and putting the washing machine through a cleaning cycle.  Lots of shopping with a big restock was in order, especially before we head out into more remote areas.

Overall we quite liked Kununurra.  It is a very young town (40 years) with good facilities and quite attractive with the lake and lots of green lawns.  But there is obviously severe underlying social problems.

Thursday morning it was time to pack up again and make our way to Wyndham, the most northern town in Western Australia.  It was an easy drive of 100 k's with the usual beautiful clear weather.  I don't know if it is because we are further north or just a change in weather, but temperatures are hotting up again with Saturday expecting 35.  The day we arrived in Kununurra it was a top of 26 and felt almost cool.  Our overnights are getting warmer too.  This is  supposed to be another of those great fishing meccas.  We will see how Jim goes.

Westward Ho

Kakadu was quite an experience, probably better than we were expecting.  I think we came away with a better understanding of the indigenous population, many of whom still live fairly traditionally.  It was interesting that they still prefer their traditional foods, and when a rogue crocodile is caught and killed, the meat is distributed within the community.  Talking of crocodiles, we were quite surprised to hear on Saturday that a man had been taken and killed by one in the area we had been in only a few days before.  He had been fishing with his family, and apparently washed a bucket over the side and the crocodile took him.  We were told quite firmly on the cruise we did not to put arms etc outside the boat as they crocs can jump 3/4 of their length out of the water.  We saw lots of people fishing from small boats and always wondered just how safe they were.  Will make a few rather nervous I think.

Turning onto the Stuart Highway we were met with an invasion.  Caravan after caravan after caravan in both directions.  Yes, the southern invasion had caught us up.  Spaces will be at a premium from now on.

We booked the car in for a service, but again it was another long weekend (that's four in about eight weeks) so we didn't want to spend that amount of time in Katherine having been there on our way north.  So we decided it would be much nicer to have a couple of nights at Edith Falls, about 60 k's from Katherine.  We had stopped for a swim but hadn't camped there.  I knew that it is a very popular camping area at this time of year, and being the Friday of a long weekend, it would be even more so.  We had planned to have a good look around Pine Creek, an historical gold area, but opted in the end to make this just a quick breeze through, which had us arriving at Edith Falls around midday.

And how lucky we were.  We got what we believe to be about the best caravan site there.  Many of them are parallel to the road and not very inviting.  We had to back in but it was a huge site and quite private compared to the others.  Best of all, the top of the van was in the sun for the solar panels, but the sides of the van were shaded.  After setting up and lunch, it was off for a couple more swims in the huge bottom pool.

The weather was still quite hot, so we decided to do the walk to the top falls early in the morning.  These had been closed the time we came through, and the walk was so worthwhile.  The pools were delightful and the views down the valley quite breathtaking.  It was lunch time before we got back, so then of course time to have another swim in the bottom pool.  It's a hard life.

Sunday we drove into Katherine and the place was buzzing, traffic everywhere.  The supermarket was packed out, and the shelves empty.  I had to make do with a few alternatives.  I couldn't believe that there was 1.5 metres of empty shelf area, which I discovered used to hold various varieties of tinned tomatoes that I was trying to find.

The rest of Sunday and all of Monday was taken up with a massive clean - loads of washing, and major clean inside and out of the car and the van.  I guess they look good until the next dirt road.  We had planned to leave Katherine on Tuesday after the car was serviced, but in the end he didn't finish until lunch time, and we discovered our auxillary battery that runs the car fridge had died and a replacement would not be available until the next morning, so it was easier to stay another night.  The caravan park here is very pleasant.  It's about twelve k's out of the town on a working property.  Lots of huge trees so lots of shade and green grass.  Just perfect for camping on.  But what a shock we got this morning - we had to put our doona on.  We can't remember the last time we have used it.  So the nights are now getting quite cool, considering it was not many nights ago we were still using the fan overnight.

So Wednesday after getting our new car battery installed, we headed off into the land of no phone and internet.  Because we had now got away earlier in the day, we changed my original plans and decided to continue on to Timber Creek and the Big Horse Creek Campground.  The first 100 k's were mundane, but then we got near the Victoria River and the scenery started to take on a life of its own.  Beautiful brick red cliffs, bright blue skies and green dotted around it.  It was just before midday when we stopped at the Victoria River Roadhouse to take in the scenery.  I checked my faithful Wikicamps (fortunately if content has been downloaded, you don't need an internet connection), and discovered our proposed camp is very busy at this time of year, and people were suggesting to arrive by 1.00.  Checking the GPS, if we didn't stop we would be there at 1.05! So we decided against the walk at Victoria River, and stopping to explore Timber Creek on the way, and headed straight to the camp.  We got the second last site, and the last decent one for a caravan.  After lunch we drove the 10 k's back into Timber Creek and looked around this remote town.  There was a very interesting museum at the original police station, and we spent some time there after being given a guided tour.  We also drove up to the lookouts which had great views of the town and the expansive Victoria River.  The town had phone reception, but we lost the signal as soon as we left the town.

Victoria River from the lookout near Timber Creek

Beautiful big boabs

Our campsite at Big Horse Creek Campground

The next morning, we packed our lunch and headed into the Judbarra/Gregory National Park.  We drove into Limestone Gorge area, and firstly did a very nice lookout walk which included the interesting white waterfall.  We then did the two k each way walk into the gorge.  About 700 metres of this was through the river bed, which was very rocky and hard going.  In retrospect, the walk was a bit disappointing as there used to be a campground there, but everything has not been maintained, and you could not even get near the billabong any more.

Impressive white waterfall

We drove on further to the Bullita Homestead.  The homestead is from the 1960's, and it did give you a really good idea of how hard life must have been back then.  No air conditioning, not even insect screens.  We had been told at the museum that the area had a very high suicide rate, and we could understand why.  There was a reproduced letter from the woman who lived in the homestead during the 60's.  One night during the wet, her husband was away droving, and she went to bed early because of the insects coming in when the lights were on.  She was awakened by a huge snake knocking over things in her kitchen, and then discovered that the river was rising.  She ended up spending the whole night hanging on to a dead tree with just her head above the water.  At one stage she tried to reach a live tree that was nearby as it was higher, but wasn't able to get there.  A few hours later this tree was washed away in the force of the water.  Everything in the house was ruined by the mud.  A hard life indeed.

Huge boab at the homestead

Overall though, we thought the National Park was a little underwhelming, I guess because we had been spoiled with such great scenery.

On Friday morning after a detour to the historic Gregory Tree, our next stop was the campground at the Zebra Mine, just within the NT/WA border.  Zebra rock is found only in this area, and was quite interesting.  We were given a guided tour of the gallery and heard the history of the mine.  They only open in the peak season, and have only been going for two years.  There were quite a few campers there, so word is getting out.

Boab tree inscribed with the arrival and departure dates during the expedition of the explorer Gregory.

The next morning it was a short drive of about 45 minutes to the Keep River National Park, still within NT.  This is supposed to be a mini Bungle Bungles, so the real thing is going to be something else.  Our campsite was lovely, and we immediately decided to stay two nights.  This is the best type of camping, plenty of space and a lovely open fire.  We did the 2 k walk from the campground before lunch, and it was so spectacular, we did it again late afternoon to see the colours change with the setting sun.

Lovely bush campsite

From the walk near our campsite

Extraordinary colours

The next morning, we were up early driving the 18 k's to the other campsite to try the walk there.  This was an 8 kilometre loop, and was very enjoyable.  Some of the route is rated as moderate to difficult and we did it quite easily.   In fact we are finding with all the walks we have done, these walks are getting easier.  A couple of months ago we were puffed going up half a dozen steps, now all this rock climbing seems easy.  It took us two hours to complete the circuit.

Starting on the 8 k walk

Beautiful scenery

View from the top

More great scenery

and breathtaking colours

So feeling emboldened with our success, Jim suggested we try the 3 k one half way between the two campsites.  Just what I had been thinking, so off we headed.  The info sign rates this one as easy, let's go for it.  Who the hell rates these walks!  This easy walk was like a goat track, narrow, rocky and up and down.  Plus when we reached the end, it was not very interesting at all.  Oh well, that was 11 k's we walked for the day, and we were still in one piece.