Red Rocks & Crocs
September 2012
We put the windows down, turned Johnny Cash up and struck out across the wild west Kimberley. We were soon surrounded by a magnificent rugged landscaped dotted with boab trees and sliced by mighty rivers.
The boabs look like they might grab you if you turned your back
Fires in the sky....controlled burning and lightning-strike fires are a common feature in the Kimberley and create a dramatic backdrop.
Hmm - Now we just find a place to camp - without getting barbecued
Tunnel Creek
With our head torches providing the only light, we waded through the eerie dark water with bats screeching above...needless to say, the kids loved it.
Windjana Gorge
The hot blue Kimberley sky contrasts dramatically with the black and orange cliffs at Windjana Gorge
Our first close encounter with Freshwater crocodiles.
And these guys are the nice ones apparently!!
Action adventure....zzzz
That's more like it - time to get the wheels wet
The Good: Running so late in the dry season that all the swimming holes had heated up to about 28C and we had most of them to ourselves.
The Bad: Our physical collapse after 4 months on the road. It wasn't only the car that needed a service and major overhaul before setting out across the Kimberley. We spent our last week in Broome booking into physios, doctors for bung shoulders and backs. Leanne's was diagnosed as rotator cuff tendinitis, which I prefer to call heavy-crate-awkward-trailer-wriggly-Archie-itis. After a spot of acupuncture and pressure-point stuff, I was on the mend. Paul fared even worse....
The Ugly: Craigie's lip after having a skin cancer removed (see below). Fortunately, it wasn't a nasty.
The Gibb River Road
With great excitement and anticipation - and a few prayers that the car and trailer would stay in one piece - we finally turned on to the Gibb River Road and it didn't take long for its treasures to reveal themselves.
Bell Gorge
Ministry of funny walks
Rock hopper
Made it and what a treat
Last one in's a rotten egg
Great campground at Manning Gorge.
A rare restful moment for Paul at Manning Gorge
But, it's not all laying about is it Paul? He's getting heavy our almost 3-year-old
Manning Gorge Falls - a tough walk in, but a big reward at the end
Oh guys, do I have to go swimming in another waterfall?
Yee haa!!!!
Not so good for the rotator cuff tendinitis ....but I had to do it.
The Good: The road-grader fairy that seemed to be just ahead of us wherever we travelled in the Kimberley and made our Gibb-River-Road and Mitchell Plateau crossings much less nerve wracking.
The Bad: Despite the above-mentioned fairy, we still managed to shake off our spotlights and spare-tyre carrier, requiring some emergency welding repairs at Drysdale River Station.
The Ugly: The poor lady who broke her leg at Manning Gorge Falls and had to be stretchered out by 6 obliging tourists enduring a torturous 2-hour retrieval over a scrambly, rocky trail with limited pain relief before being helicoptered to Derby and flown to Perth. Happy holidays!
The observation deck - we enjoyed plenty of morning coffees overlooking this beautiful bay with whales breaching and tail slapping. In the quiet of night we could hear what sounded like car doors slamming...only after a while did we realise it was the whales crashing about. 
