Day 157

3 July 2013

We had decided to only stay one night at El Questro, and we might stop again here in the way back. We still had a few things we wanted to see before we left so packed up early and headed off to Chamberlain Gorge, there are gorges galore here but they are all different so it is definitely not the case of seen one gorge, seen them all.

Chamberlain Gorge is better seen from a boat which you can hire here and we may look into when we return. This gorge is also known for regular croc spottings and a good piece of advice from the office is to keep all arms and legs in the boat, fair call! While it is better from a boat, it is still fantastic from the boat ramp! The landscape here is like no other I have ever seen, it honestly looks like someone just rolled down a screen with a painting or picture and placed it wherever you look!

Next stop Zebedee Springs! Ooh yea baby hot springs, our favourite! Pulled up and noticed a tourist bus and hoped there was still room for us in the springs! Nice easy walk around 1km to get to the springs and through beautiful forests of tall tall palm trees.

You then see masses of people all clambering to get their clothes off and get into the springs! There were a few oldies which we managed to beat in as by the time we took our clothes off, they were still struggling with the Velcro on their shoes! The springs cascade down so we decided to climb to the top where it flows from and were lucky enough to find a pool that was empty! 32 degrees all year round, yes thank you! The hardest thing we did this morning was get out of those springs! Was hard to leave but with more adventure awaiting, we kept moving.

Turns out El Questro must of bitumened the Gibb River Road to their stations so once we pulled out of their driveway we finally hit some dirt. The ranges as you drive in this area are nothing short of spectacular and while it was a little bumpy and some sharp rocks could definitely be your undoing, it was a relatively easy drive to Home Valley Station. First we had to cross the Pentecost! Joel was pretty disappointed with the river crossing, i think he thought it was going to be a raging river and on the other side we would be opening our doors up and letting out half the river....however it was not quite like that! We did work out later that it was low tide so may have been why it was quite low! Normally at high tide it is up around your bonnet!

9km on and we see the HV8 sign and we are home, at least for a couple of days! Home Valley Station is such a nice place, really rustic looking reception area which opens onto a huge restaurant area with bar and kitchen and then further there is a resort style pool and outside huge boab trees line the paths. We are booked in here for 2 nights and we are also doing a fishing tour tomorrow!! Please please let a barramundi end up on the end of my rod!

We are camping down on the Pentecost river, I asked if it could get much better, I think it just did! Whoever keeps pulling that screen down with the great landscapes, has pulled a stellar one down here! Cockatoo ranges backdrop the Pentecost River, beautiful!

Camp setup, snacks eaten, now we are on the hunt for firewood and a drink at the bar! First things first, drink at the bar and throw some chips and gravy in the mix. Stuffed we head for some firewood, now just imagine this.....Joel finds a dead tree, perfect for chainsawing some logs off, sets up his chainsaw, I take a few pictures of him chainsawing, mainly because of the range backdrop, his chainsaw is playing up so he's giving it a few revs,

just goes back to cutting a log and I look up to where 2 secs ago the backdrop was the nice ranges. Now we are faced with this.....

A angry mob of cows, bulls whatever they were! I was screaming at Joel but obviously with the noise he couldn't here me...so I had to go over and tap him on shoulder as they kept moving closer, like they were magnetized to the chainsaw! Joel looks at me and I point to the cows! We both scramble to put everything back in the car and jump in the ute to get away from the angry mob! Hahaha it was hilarious! I later said they probably associate that noise with farmers and thought we were going to feed them, but what it looked like was they heard the noise and came to get rid of us away from their tree! Needless to say we found another dead tree where the cattle couldn't access us! Probably one of those you have to be there moments but hopefully you can get a picture!

Fire started, stew cooking in camp oven, Joel drinking too many beers and stars shining bright! Wouldn't be a night camping in the bush without Joel tipping all the ash from the top of the camp oven lid into the stew! Apparently it's the pepper?!

Carly & Joel

 

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