The Munja Track

Off the beaten track in the Kimberley

Mid September 2012

We dropped off our camper trailer and embarked on our most adventurous trip to date when we tackled the Munja Track from Mt Elizabeth Station (about half way along the Gibb River Road). We didn't see any other travellers for five days on this rocky, remote track which took us to the edge of the pristine Prince Regent River National Park. Majestic rivers cascading over mighty waterfalls awaited us. We camped with rarely seen northern bandicoots and quolls and enjoyed some amazing Aboriginal rock art dating between 1000 and 20000 years.

Hold on to your hats kids.....it's going to get bumpy!















Hmm - I'm not sure that actually classifies as a road. But, Craigy had that glint in his eyes that big boys get when they are playing with big toys and we made it with all tyres intact.



























Checking out some Aboriginal art that we stumbled across - the overhangs preserving art of 10000 years.

Wonderful discoveries of ages past

 

Please don't tip the car over Craigy...or squash the kids - looks like they're off for another swim

Some of the driving was smooth sailing through classic Kimberley bush

 

 

 

 

Camping minimalist style......

Well maybe not quite that minimalist

 

 

A few flies....but handling the great outdoors well



















Miss arty-farty with her interpretation of the local butterflies

 

 

A cherished moment. For the most part, the kids drive us mad....but mornings like this make it all worthwhile......until one of them jumps on your head that is.

 

 

The Good: The sense of total isolation in a frequently breath-taking wilderness. The competing sounds at night of cicadas, frogs, bats, owls and dingoes even rivalled the sounds of the Rowdy Roadtrippers at times.

The Bad: Depleting our one month supply of alcohol in the first 10 days (no take-away supplies at all along the Gibb River Road) and having to resort to soft drinks and cups of tea which, quite frankly, didn't cut it for us.

The Ugly: Head lice and March flies - an occupational hazard of travelling in the tropics. Our sweet little Nikita with her lovely locks became an overly generous lice-manufacturing factory, taking at least four treatments to destroy the beasts.

 

 Bachsten Creek Gorge

 

Okay kids, we're miles from anywhere. There's no one to help us. It's long pants to protect from snakebite, hats, sunscreen, lots of water, sensible footwear.....everybody stay close to mum!

 

 So who's the eejit who sprains her ankle miles from nowhere????

Another great walk to Bachsten Creek Falls on the edge of true Kimberley widerness.

Small boy - big view

 Water everywhere - creekside camping makes life much easier

Brolgas - a lovely addition to our campsite

































With no camera to capture the sights, Paul is inspired to pen a few words after an amazing walk.....

A Morning to Remember

I leave camp at dawn, leaving Leanne in bed nursing her badly sprained ankle and cuddling the kids.

I have three hours to descend into the lower lagoons of Bachstan Gorge and return, so I set off at a trot through the bush giving hardly enough time to take in the cacophony of birds partying with the rising sun. What a racket.

I over-shoot the unmarked route down the escarpment by a few minutes so I approach the edge of the gorge to take my bearings.

Perched on a boulder there, I look to the east to the series of waterfalls drifting down to the lagoons forty metres below. The nearly sheer rock face on the other side sweeps in front of me then off to the west for miles before opening up to a view that goes absolutely forever.

It’s big and its spectacular and nobody else is here.

I find my way down the falls to the base of the gorge then on to a white sandy beach totally covered with animal tracks. They include wallaby, goanna, bandicoot, quoll and dingo, to name a few.

Not one human print.

I hear a big splash down river and notice (harmless) freshie croc tracks trailing to the water. Big black bream dart under dark ledges.

I ford the river and make my way upstream to the first lagoon and find I have to cross back to the other side as the north face of the gorge is a sheer drop into the water. I think I can see a route up the edge of the waterfall on the other side.

I’m halfway across and mostly wet so bugger it I decide to swim the fifty metres to the base of the falls. On the way I can see a massive overhang just a few metres above the water and the colour of the rising sun is reflecting off my ripples up on the ceiling of the overhang.

There is lush forest on the other side and it is alive with noise.

I reach the base of the waterfall then scale the side which is a bit hairy at times due to my wet boots.

It is another amazing view from the top looking down, then I turn around and see another lagoon and waterfall much the same as the other one.

So I swim and climb that one too.

Then I'm standing at the top and looking back and it's awesome

 



Back at the Farm - Mt Elizabeth Station 

 

The kids had a great few days here feeding, loving (and occasionally tormenting) various fowls, cows and ponies.

 

Nikita and Archie had the time of their lives bottle feeding the baby calves. They even allowed Nik to name one..."Rosie"....how sweet.

 

 

But our most vivid memory was of our overly-excited, corn-tossing children at chook feeding time with terrorised chickens fleeing toward the sanctuary of their pen only to discover their tormentors coming in to `feed' them. And here comes our Archie burning around the corner of the shed brandishing a piece of poly pipe, hot on the terrified heels of a scraggly chook....boy were they sad to see us go!!!

Burning around the farm - woo hoo!