It was a very gravelly 10km drive from Silent Grove to Bells Gorge with a couple of creek crossings. Jordan did his own creek crossing inspection for the first time, and we all congratulated him for his efforts when he came back.
Bell's Gorge certainly turned out to be a breathtaking gorge. There was a rocky and sandy walk down to the river at the top of the falls. Then a more strenuous short scramble down to view the waterfalls at the bottom. After some initial trepidation crossing the water ways, the kids built up some confidence and handled them in their stride. At the base of the Bell's Gorge waterfall, there was a stunning site, with a large pool, sheer cliff faces and water cascading down the wide waterfall. It was time for a swim, so in we all went for a splash, pretty happy with the exertions of the day being washed away.
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| Jordan helping the family across |
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| Intrepid explorer |
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| Bells Gorge |
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| This is the life |
Our next pitstop on the way was Galvan's Gorge. A pretty gorge and a nice place for a dip.
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| Silky Grevillia |
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| Silky Grevillea |
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| Galvan's Gorge |
Then it was a rough 30km road off the Gibb River Rd to our next stopping place. We decided to take the less beaten track and head to Mount Elizabeth Station to get a away from the crowded national park camping areas.
We camped in a well shaded area with its own fireplace and close to flushing toilet and showers! It doesn't take much to make us happy!
We took what we were told was an OK 10km dirt road to the private gorge on the station – only to find that the road became progressively more challenging. However, once committed we were going to do it and as Robyn says, we did our own advanced 4WD'ing course to get down the track. The track consisted of sandy bits, creek crossing and rough rocky terrain which required us to get out and visually inspect the area to figure out the best way through. Robyn and Jordan often got out of the car to have a peek and tell me what to do. Right at the end was the worst bit, but we were able to get through, relieved. The 10km track had taken us 1 ½ hours to complete – maybe we should have walked! The gorge was a further 20 min walk away from the parking area but when we got there, we were treated to a waterfall and large swimming hole with a soft sandy bottom. We clambered over some rocks to take a look at the fantastic Windjana art work which looked like aliens from another planet. The ride back from the gorge wasn't much better and I ended up dinging the side step of the car for our efforts. With that mark as a reminder of our adventure, we thankfully made it back to camp otherwise unscathed.
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| Will we make it? |
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| Yes we will!!! |
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| Windjana artwork |
We cooked some nice meals on the campfire. As our supplies were running down we had to be creative but we managed to cook a plum cake in the camp-oven, pancakes for breakfast, and jaffles for another brekkie. We all sat around the campfire in the evenings as the sun set - where we were joined by small kangaroos (which kept nibbling my toes!) and peacocks strutting by.
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| The best pancake ever! Big call |
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| Finally, I get to eat! |
The kids spent their time, playing board games with Robyn, drawing the landscape and generally mucking around. It was great seeing them all sitting on their stools in their own separate spaces, staring intently and drawing what they saw. I'm not sure, however, where Adam saw the Transformers...
Mount Elizabeth Station had been a little more rugged than we expected, but we certainly were happy with this peaceful and unique spot of the world.
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