The Gibb River Road, In A Nutshell
The 660km dirt Gibb River Road that crosses the Kimberley was perhaps, (at least for me), the most anticipated leg of our trip. It had always stood on the horizon as something we'd been working our way towards. The allure was three fold; 1. the challenge - the road is notoriously corregated, responsible for many a shredded tyre; 2. the remoteness - it has little to no internet service and limited fuel and food supplies; and 3. the beauty - it provides access to an array of incredible gorges and water holes and vast tracts of Kimberley wilderness. With these expectations we were excited and nervous to be on the cusp of this long awaited chapter.
Did it live up to the hype? The road conditions weren't actually that bad. At least not the full 660km. The road is kept in pretty good nick and it seemed we were lucky to come in not long after the grader had been through. That was until we got to Ellenbrae Station, about half way along. After that we certainly got a good rattling, all the way to the Pentecost River crossing. Still, we made it through with trailer and car fully intact.
Two weeks without internet was an interesting social challenge. I was slightly disappointed in myself at how excited I was to be returning into Telstra range. But aside from grappling with my own internet addiction, our disconnect from external information was resolved with direct personal exchange. People reverted to "old fashioned" chin-wagging to find out what road conditions were like, where the best campsites were and how the world was turning beyond our tent flap. Food, water and fuel supplies weren't an issue. We'd left Derby stocked to the hilt so there was little chance of us perishing and the "essential" non essentials like ice-cream and burgers could be purchased at the few roadhouses en route.
The road is now so popular, that despite our geographic remoteness there was no sense of isolation. The campgrounds were incredibly busy, probably the most congested we've felt in the whole eight months of travelling.
An upside of the route being busy was sharing the adventure with other families we'd met earlier in our travels and with new ones we fell in step with. The kids had an absolute ball, forming gangs of playmates, running wild in an adventure playground. For me that was one of the biggest highlights, watching the kids blossom together. Even amongst the adults, with everyone we crossed paths with, there was a distinct energy of comradery and shared experience. More than anywhere on our lap, fellow travellers would stop to exchange stories and information. Everyone was positive, revelling in our common freedom and privilege to be accessing such an incredible part of the country.
And it was incredibly beautiful. The road itself passes through some great country, but it’s the side trips that reveal the hidden gems. We covered a lot of the highlights (Windjana and Tunnel Creek, Bell and Manning Gorges, Ellenbrae and the legendary El Questro Station) but there were a number of side tracks, closed still because of Covid, that we missed (Mount Elizabeth Station, Mornington and Home Valley for example). And of course Mitchell Falls Plateaux, a point of much deliberation on our part, which we finally opted out of.
All up we were on the Gibb for sixteen nights and for us it was a journey of two halves. The first, an exciting, sight seeing and social rollercoaster, and the second a decelerated, battery recharge in a few quieter corners of the track. I was glad for both halves and feel it’s a journey you could do again and again without ever having the same experience twice.
