Wide open spaces

Until a couple of weeks ago, we still hadn’t decided if a visit to Mitchell Falls would happen. The road to the falls was supposed to be in terrible condition, and it would mean a 500km detour off the Gibb. In the end we decided that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and would also add to the adventure so while we were still in Kununurra, we booked a helicopter flight from Mitchell Falls back to the carpark, meaning that we would only have to walk in and then enjoy a short scenic flight back to the car in the heat of the day.

Drysdale

After we left Ellenbrae station, we covered about half the distance we would drive that day getting to the turn off to head up to Mitchell Falls. The road was pretty good along there and once we got to the turn off we pulled over for a quick break at the rest area. As we pulled out of the rest area, Kat and I looked at each other and said “here goes nothing”, looking forward with nervous excitement to this leg of our adventure along the Gibb. Once we headed up along the road towards Mitchell Falls we realised that this road was much worse than the Gibb. The corrugations were horrible and bone jarring and at times we thought the bull bar would be shaken right off the front of the car. After about an hour and a half of driving along that section we finally made it to Drysdale and pulled in, very relieved to have survived the worst part of the road so far. After feeling that the Gibb was very busy due to peak season, it was nice to head up here where a lot less travellers ventured. The campground was lovely and spacious, and after having lunch we took advantage of the free afternoon to catch up on some washing and make use of the great quality hot showers. I then gave the car and trailer a once over to make sure nothing was shaken loose on the drive up, before we finally sat down for a well-deserved drink and a few games of cards with the kids before dinner.

The next morning we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise but it was getting very cold overnight and the mornings were still chilly. Given we didn’t have far to drive to the next campground we had a slow pack up and hoped that the rumour that the grader had recently passed through that stretch of the road would be true. As I was doing my final check of the car and trailer which I did every morning before we drove off, I noticed that the Maxtrax roof rack bracket had snapped in half leaving the Maxtrax dangling precariously from the other bracket that was still intact. Clearly the road yesterday had shaken them so violently that it had sheared straight through the metal. Luckily it didn’t come right off during the drive, otherwise Emily probably would have had her window smashed as they fell down off the roof. I spent the next half an hour finding a new home for the Maxtrax, until we could get to Broome and get some replacement parts.

King Edward River Camp

Although the drive up to King Edward River camp was not the pristine, post grader freeway that we had been hoping for, it was thankfully still better than the day before. The campground was really lovely with plenty of space and loads of fire pits. It was right next to the King Edward River which we had driven through just before getting to camp, and after setting up we headed down to the river with the kids fishing rods and some lures to have a go catching some fish. Although we didn’t have any success it was a beautiful setting to enjoy the sunset with some stunning colours and reflections in the water. We headed back to camp and cooked up some pizza for dinner in the Weber before Em left out another fairy message. She asked them if they would please make her a fairy bracelet, and again left a piece of chocolate as a thank you.

The next morning Em was thrilled to find a couple of fairy bracelets lying on her note waiting for her. After breakfast we hopped in the car and drove to two excellent aboriginal art sites located nearby. We wandered around each of them for about an hour enjoying the really unusual paintings, a type we had not seen previously on the trip. They were made more impressive by a book we had bought at the last campground which explained all of the artworks complete with pictures showing where to find everything. Most of the sites we had visited previously had fences stopping you from getting too close, but here we were just walking around in the middle of the bush enjoying them with no restrictions at all. It was really peaceful with no one else around. Although the drive so far had not been easy, seeing these kinds of sights without the hoards of tourists that we had encountered at other, more accessible places made it worth the effort. After lunch Em and I headed out to get some firewood as we wanted to cook up a leg of lamb in the camp oven for dinner that night. Once we got the fire going and the lamb in the oven, we all wandered down along the river bank to some small rapids and a waterfall further down where there was some great swimming to be had. The walk took us over some massive smooth rock platforms which still had a few pockets full of water, a sign of the much higher level of the river during the wet season. We all carefully negotiated the very slippery rocks on the edge of the water and made our way in to enjoy a refreshing cool off from the heat of the day. We swam out to some rocks in the middle of the river and had a sunbake before heading to the waterfall for a quick shower and then back to camp to check on the lamb. It was cooked perfectly so we sat down to a dinner of super tender lamb and roast vegetables complete with gravy. Another big thumbs up to Kat the master chef.

Originally we had planned to drive up to the Mitchell Falls campground with the camper trailer and spend a couple of nights there so that we could set off early on the walk to the falls, but given the condition of the road, we decided it would be more sensible to make a day trip of it instead and leave the camper trailer behind. As a result we had an extra day to chill at King Edward River, so enjoyed a lazy day of swimming, fishing and baking. Kat baked a cake, followed by some Anzac biscuits, and we then spent the afternoon preparing for the walk the next day, loading the kids backpacks with snacks and treats. We were early to bed that night as we planned to head off around 6:00am the next morning.

Mitchell Falls

We felt like this day had been building up for far too long, so apart from the excitement of finally seeing Mitchell Falls, we are also relieved that we had made it this far. Having packed the car the night before, we all just got up, had a quick snack, got dressed and jumped in the car. The drive up to the falls was not great but not terrible, and certainly better than we expected. We got there about 8:00am, checked in with the helicopter flight office as we were planning to only walk into Mitchell Falls, and then get a helicopter flight back which would give us great views over the falls as well as saving us all from an arduous and hot return walk that none of us thought we would be up for. Once we had all been weighed, we headed over to a picnic table to have a proper breakfast before heading off on the walk.

The first place we got to was Little Mertens Falls, and after having a look down at the swimming hole from the top of the falls, we followed the track a little bit further before cutting in to an area where you could sit in a big cavern behind the falls themselves. There was also some aboriginal art which we saw on the way in. The setting was like something out of a fairytale, with ferns growing in the cavern, and it felt like our own secret hideout. We sat on one of the big rocks enjoying some morning tea while we looked through the waterfall at the view on the other side before climbing back out to continue along the path. After passing another swimming hole with more art on the walls, we crossed over the top of Big Mertens Falls, which only revealed its awesome size once we had crossed it and went (carefully) to the lookout ledge. Falling from here would send you about 100m down to the rocks below, so Kat and I were super vigilant and nervous for this brief stretch of the walk.

After a little longer we reached the top of Mitchell Falls, which took the form of a river meandering over smoothed rocks, with a few cascades and rapids along its length. There was still plenty of water around but we could see how much water must flow through here in the wet as the banks were a long way from the current edge of the river. We headed down to the river crossing and after changing into our water shoes, navigated our way across the slippery rocks and followed the path to the lookout over the falls. They really were sublime. Once all four tiers came into view we could see why many people make the arduous journey to get here. The falls themselves were massive and looked so inviting, but being a sacred site you are not permitted to swim there, not to mention you would probably get pummelled to death if you swam under them. After sitting in awe of nature for a few minutes we headed back to the river for a well deserved swim in one of the sections with some mini falls. We all had fun swimming against the currents and sitting under the cascading water. We then took turns squeezing in behind another mini fall where there was a rock to sit on. There was just enough room for your upper body, allowing you to breathe but seeing nothing but a wall of white water rushing before your eyes and hearing the thundering noise in your ears. Yet again we were blown away by nature in all her spectacular forms.

All too soon it was time to hop out, quickly get changed and race to the helipad just in time for the flight. We climbed in and after strapping in and donning our headsets we were airborne. What a great experience. We were so glad to have splurged on this. The kids absolutely loved it, with repeated cries of “this is the most amazing thing I have ever seen” coming over the intercom. The pilot flew us over the falls from a few different angles and it was only then that we could fully appreciate the scale of this place. A few minutes later we arrived back on land, the kids almost speechless, with beaming smiles. We sat and had some lunch before jumping in the car and heading back to camp. After an early dinner we all collapsed in bed.

The next morning we didn’t have too far to drive so we were in no rush to head off. Em enjoyed one last swim in the river, and on the drive out we let each of the kids drive through the King Edward River crossing which they both loved. As we drove out with Em still at the wheel, we passed a guy who had stopped to check out the crossing. We laughed as we imagined what he must have been thinking as he saw a six year old driving past. We had been holding onto Oli’s old straw hat, hoping to find something to stick it on, and on the drive back to Drysdale we found the perfect tree stump and nailed it into place.

The drive back to Drysdale was actually pretty good, certainly better quality than the way up. We stop for one more night at Drysdale and enjoyed cleaning our clothes and ourselves after a few days living out in the dirt and dust with no access to showers. The next morning we headed off back to the Mitchell Falls turn off, ready to rejoin the Gibb River Road and continue on our adventure to Derby and Broome. Being the worst stretch of the drive we had encountered so far, we were hoping that the recent rumours that the grader had passed through that section over the last few days were true.

Drysdale

King Edward River Camp

 

Mitchell Falls