Broome to Kununurra 

Cable Beach Caravan Park – $45/night unpowered

We chose to stay at the Cable Beach Caravan Park. After being on the dusty Gibb River Road for over 3 weeks we needed to spend some time at the beach. After getting set up we went straight to the beach. It is about a 1km walk to beautiful Cable Beach, after about 5 minutes of Chris body surfing and me laying on the beach we both decided we did not want to leave. The caravan park had a great camp kitchen, renovated bathrooms and the most fabulous swimming pool. With the spacious sites, we could tell pretty soon that we were going to stay for a while, 10 days in fact!

Watched the famous sunsets and camels on Cable Beach, Staircase to the moon at the beautiful Mangrove Hotel, saw the Dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point and enjoyed time at Roebuck Bay.

We made our way out to Gantheaume Point today and as you can tell still very windy. This is also known as the dinosaurs footprints. There is a walk down the bottom where you can follow the dinosaurs footprints however this has to be done at a very low tide. The turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean are so beautiful and when the Pindan meets the turquoise waters the view is just amazing. The rock formations here are certainly something to see, quite amazing and very red.

You can notice here how the landscape changes. Here at Gantheaume Point you have the beautiful pindan and as you get closer the Cable Beach the sand turns white. But that water, oh I will never forget that turquoise water.

Whilst at Roebuck Bay we found out that you very quickly get eaten by midges and mosquitoes. However over the other side at Cable Beach there are none, in fact there were no bugs at all. It was such a relief to have lights on at night and not get attacked as we had been along the Gibb River Road.

Roebuck Bay Jetty is also known as the deep water point. This part of the country can experience tides as high as 10 meters. This is where all the cargo ships arrive. You can only walk along this jetty when there are no ships docked. So we enjoyed a walk along the beach at sunset.

We enjoyed some time at the History Museum about early pearling in Broome, tasted a few brews at Matsos Brewery, watched Viceroys House at the famous Sun Pictures and then went on a tour at the Willie Creek Pearl Farm. Mostly we just relaxed on the beach and just chilled after an exciting 3 weeks on the Gibb River Road. I think we will certainly want to come back to Broome some other time.

The Lake Ellendale – Free

One of our favourite free camp has been the Lake Ellendale which is located between Derby and Fitzroy Crossing on the Great Northern Highway. The owners of Ellendale Station have generously opened their property on this lake to free camp. There are plenty of shady sites around the lake and is very easy to access from the road. We ended up staying for 3 nights despite the 38+ degree days. The bird life was amazing with Egrets, Herons, Larks, Hawks, Olive Backed Orioles, the Sacred Kingfishers, Spoonbills, Bittens, Masked Lapwing, Black-Fronted Dotterel to name a few. The cows were very friendly popping in every morning and afternoon for morning and afternoon tea. On the day we were packing up we were very fortunate to see our very first frilled neck lizard who unbeknown to us, was hiding under the camper eating all the crickets.

Fitzroy Crossing Lodge – $43/night powered

With the hot weather settled in we are now only staying in places where we can swim. So with the only caravan park in Fitzroy Crossing that had a pool we chose this place. This place is huge and quite large sites. Not much shade but the best part was there were no bugs at night. The amenities are very basic and very clean. We had so many differing reports of Geike Gorge and with the weather being over 38 we decided to just do the tour of the Gorge. Quite a boring tour and really only saw freshwater crocodiles not much else of any other wildlife. The rock formations are from the same Devonian reef system as Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek and to be honest we had a much better time there.

Halls Creek Caravan Park – $34/night unpowered

Luckily the only caravan park in Halls Creek has a swimming pool. The lady who runs this park does the best job in making sure everyone is happy and shows them all to their sites. The park is very dry and dusty which is just the nature of the area. The amentities are very basic and clean. We went for a walk to the town and did a little shopping in the IGA xpress and said g’day to the locals. Everyone was waving to us and saying g’day it felt quite nice. Night time is a different story and in the morning our decision was made not to stop another night as we do need to sleep at night.

Purnululu (The Bungle Bungles) $12 entry fee (first night only) + $24/night

There are 2 sites to choose from, one south and one north. We chose the north, Kurrajong campground based on the information I received from the Parks and Wildlife lady. There is untreated bore water taps around the campsite and pit toilets. Once at the entrance, Chris put the tyre pressure right down to cater for the road conditions. So once deflated we set off, the road in took us 1 hour and 45 minutes towing our Kimberley Kamper to travel 53 kms. The road was hard going in places with rocky outcrops, corrugations, washouts, creek crossings, hills and some narrow winding roads. The first Creek crossing is quite deep, the next one is shallow another one a bit deeper and the rest were all shallow. We think this road is much worse than the road into Mitchell Falls and was a lot harder on the car and Camper. Once in the park the roads to all the walks are in quite good condition.

Cathedral Gorge

This is classed as a class 4 walk and is a 2 km return walk. Walking through the sandy creek bed was the hardest part. Once through that it becomes a bit easier walking through towering cliffs and rocks. You are certainly rewarded once you make it to the amphitheater at Cathederal Gorge, it was very beautiful. The only slightly challenging part was walking along a cliff edge, they do have a hand rail for people like me. I certainly did not find this walk a challenge. I would have been happier if wasn’t 37c. We even set off at 7am to get most of walking finished by 10am.

The Domes Walk

This is a 700 meter loop walk walking through the banded domes. I feel to do the domes justice you need to see them from a distance or from over the top in a plane. I personally didn’t get all that much from this walk.

Kungkalanayi Lookout

This short walk is accessed by walking straight up a steep hill. We decided to walk it after our other walks during the late morning and it was already well over 30c. It was an extremely hot walk up however, we were rewarded with amazing views over the western escarpment of the bungle bungle range.

So we were back at the campground by midday to contend with the rest of the hot day. The only way to cope was to keep throwing buckets of cold water over ourselves until the sun went down.

Campground lookout

We set off close to sunset to do this walk. The temperature was 37c off we went up the big hill to the lookout. We were not disappointed as the the sunset and views were amazing.

The Mini Palms Walk

We set off again very early in the morning to do what they classed as a class 5 moderately challenging 4.4km return walk. This really was a beautiful walk, unlike Cathederal Gorge where you trudge through a sandy creek bed and fill your shoes with sand. This one you have to walk over rocks and pebbles in the creek bed. Once you get through this section which is the hottest part the rest is in shade. So off we go heaving ourselves up and over boulders, I even managed to squeeze through one, the only thing that got squashed was my boobs.  Then you reach a couple of platforms so you can view the chasm. This is the end of the walk and I found it very peaceful just sitting on the platform taking in my surroundings. Unfortunately you are forbidden to walk into the chasm, it certainly did look beautiful.

Echidna Chasm

This is a moderate 2km return walk. Once again you walk through a rocky creek bed and then start your walk through the chasm. The temperature in there was not cool but definitely cooler than outside but was very humid, so my dry parched skin just loved it there. These walls are amazingly tall and was certainly the highlight for me. They say not to stand still too long in one place due to rock falls. You can certainly see why. There are 2 massive rocks that have fallen that would have prevented you from reaching the end, however they have put in 2 step ladders to assist with the climb. This once again was not a challenging walk but would be for the not so nimble.

Osmand Lookout

This short walk takes you to a lookout to an elevated ridge with panoramic views of the Osmand Range. Due to the heat the walk up is definitely challenging only due to there not being any shade along the way. People are not allowed to gain access of the Osmand Range as Parks and Wildlife in conjunction with the Aboriginal Elders are trying to restore the land that has been over grazed in years gone by.

Our journey back out of Purnululu took about the same amount time however, the last waterhole which is very wide and quite deep (up to the step on the Colorado) was worrisome. As you are on the left hand side there is a very large rock that we didn’t see until we heard the almighty bang under the car. So once out of the water we inspected the car and could not see any damage. So when tackling this waterhole be careful of that submerged rock. It is only on the left hand side so if you do encounter it, it will be during your exit of the park.

Kununurra – Lakeside motel and Caravan Park Resort – $35/night unpowered

Our friends we met on the Gibb Terri and John recommended when we stay in Kununurra at the Lakeside Resort and Caravan Park and get a site down by the lake.

We have a fabulous site right on the lakes edge and is a fabulous spot for watching birds and the sunsets. The caravan park once again is very basic but with clean amentities. The pool and bar facilities are lovely. The pool is the best for temperature to date. You don’t have to talk yourself into getting in, just perfect. The FREE Wifi was a bonus.

Diversion Dam

This dam is designed to regulate the waterfrom the Ord River into the Ord irrigation area. The dam forms part of the Victoria Highway and is very interesting to see and drive over.

Hoochery Distillery

They are makers of Ord River rum. We enjoyed our sampling of the different rums in the cafe, then we sat down for some Rum cake and a rum and raisin ice cream. Chris reckons this has been the best ever rum and raisin ice cream he has had anywhere! My rum cake was delicious!