Today is day 7. We passed the half way mark of our trip and have started to count the days down. No!
I woke up early and did some laundry with Michelle 1, Jeanne, and Romilly – the girls from Albany. It’ll be nice to have some clean clothes to wear for a change 🙂
Then I got some help to move my tent to a better place. It was on a bit of a slope and I could not sleep very well last night. So Peter, Brian, and Michelle helped me move it to another spot. Hopefully I’ll have a better nite tonight.
After breakfast we went for a visit to Emma Gorge.
Jerry took us to the trail head by bus as usual. It was not far but it took us about 45’ given the rough roads, creek crossings etc. Then we walked for about 1.5h before reaching the swimming spots – again only a short distance but the trail was quite rocky and uneven at times.
What we found at the end it was more than worth the effort. Emma Gorge is one of the best in the Kimberley – a unique scenic walk through the Cockburn range ending in crystal clear pools and waterfalls! The massive cliff faces on both sides of the trail were formed 1800 million years ago and can reach up to 120 metres.
We spent some time at Emma Gorge, swimming and admiring its beauty, before heading off for lunch. Our trailer still not sorted, camp kitchen supplies and facilities limited, so Jerry shout us all lunch at Emma Resort. We didn’t complain! 🙂 I had a Thai salad this time. Quite tasty.
After lunch we went for a cruise on Chamberlain Gorge.
It was ok, but not fabulous. Don’t get me wrong, the views were great! But the day was hot, the boat small, all seats taken, and not much shade left!
Despite that, the cruise was still enjoyable. Chamberlain Gorge is only accessible by boat – a 3 km fresh waterhole sided by very tall cliffs.
Unfortunately you can’t swim in it as large crocodiles have been found in the area.
But the gorge itself was… well, gorgeous! Now you know where the word ‘gorgeous’ came from!
As we glided along, the cruise tour guide told us a little of the history of how the gorge was formed, how it may have evolved over time, and how it may continue to change every many many years, over many many many more wet seasons.
We obviously don’t notice most changes as they occur unless they’re sudden and obvious, like some massive rocks breaking off from the escarpments every couple of decades or so. Apparently recurring floods in the wet season cause erosion, cracks are formed, which can break off under further pressure. Or something like that.
Despite the initial heat on the boat, when the skipper moored our boat between two cliffs in the gorge the temperature suddenly dropped and was very pleasant.
We drank sparkling wine and ate fresh fruit while trying to spot crocodiles and rock wallabies. We did spot a couple, but not many. They’re probably hiding from the heat and us humans!
We did see a lot of fish swimming around the boat though – huge barramundi and the small, cheeky, spitting Archer fish! They seemed to love Michelle 2 and Jenny!
Jenny and Brian won a bottle of sparkling wine each for being the first to spot a rock wallaby on the cliffs. Well, Michelle was the first first – but with binoculars! She was nearly disqualified but in the end both were considered winners. Fair enough, no one said binoculars were not allowed!
Said sparkling wine would come in handy the next day at sunset…
My Pilgrimages in Europe (and Australia) 