Wandjina dreaming - Kimberley trails

[bPeteb]

Driving in to Silent Grove campground.



All of the tents, swags and our bags were unloaded from the back of the truck.



The tents and swags were stored right up in the top, in pretty much a crawl space, the bags on racks. Once everything was down, including firewood, camp chairs out and kitchen set up, Colin had his first venture to a campgound shower block. I have a lot of cough with me to manage Colin and this first time took a while bit it was very successful.

Dinner was steak, sausages, caramelised onions, corn, salad. Once dinner was finished and we'd settled around the campfire, Zane went through what would be a nightly ritual - the next day's plans.



Tiny frog on one of the tarps



Day two would be a 5am breakfast for a 6.30 departure so that we could be at Dalmanyi (Bell Gorge) ready to walk by 7.30. Camp to be fully broken down and ready to be packed at 6.15. And so it was. In fact we surprised them with how quickly we would get this done each and every morning.

After a very delicious breakfast of croissants with leg ham and emmental cheese (Pat was very clear - first and last time), plus cereal, yoghurt, toast, spreads, we loaded up


and drove the short distance start the walk to Dalmanyi


It wasn't a long walk so I gave my newly glued shoes a rest and headed off in sandals. They weren't a problem

 

[bPeteb]

The walk to Dalmanyi.



and the beautiful falls. A couple of us stayed at the top and the rest clambered down to the waterhole at the bottom

so many dragonflies

and a monitor came to visit

 

[bPeteb]

It was a beautiful walk. The falls so beautiful, the swim excellent. We stopped next at the Imintji Community Store.



Lots of the group seemed to have a coffee obsession. Zane pre-warned evryone who cared (not us) that the proprietress of the store was a bit of a hard case and that the coffee was barely passable. One of the group asked "what's the story with the coffee" and she responded with "what story would you like me to tell?". The coffee was scored a four by some and six by others. We just had icecream, that we ate very quickly.

and then to beautiful Galvins Gorge




and the first rock art of our trip. Wandjina/wanjina

 

[bPeteb]

Some more at Galvins

after a lunch of cold meats and salads in wraps we drove to Mount Barnett roadhouse and then on to their campground. KWS has it's own 'safari' tents at Mount Barnett. They were big tents, but quite a few, including ours, had broken zips.

This was a big camp with a large toilet/shower block and even a washing machine. We'd only been away for one night and the washing ladies were already at that machine!!

bAlt began the attemp to sew my soles back on with some thread Zane had given us. He is such a crazy guy.

Dinner was fish tacos. Pat, ever the perfectionist, wasn't really happy with how it turned out beacuse the fish broke up, but they were delicious. After dinner we were given the next day's itinerary - the walk to Manning Gorge. A longer 4km walk that started with a swim. Told to take lots of water.



it had been a short drive, but a beautiful day

 

[bPeteb]

5.30 breakfast for a 6.30 start

First the swim across. Our packs went into a plastic bin that was swum across multiple times. One of our group was a 79yo who could not swim. That's him with the noodle with bAlt pulling him across


I was again in sandals and managed to slip on a sand covered rock and fall before we'd even set off. Landed on my butt and grazed both hands and badly sprained a finger. As my mum would say I'm made of tough stock so up I got and off we all went

It was another spectacular walk

 

[bPeteb]

More amazing rock art before we got to the rock pool. Gyorn gyorn/giro giro that are upt to 22,500 years old. From the tassled period. The gyorn gyorn have tassled conical headdress. There were also long necked tortoise. The art and story is always location based.



it was a bit of a scamble to get down the rocks to the pools. I was super concerned about doing anything that might dislodge Colin's home, but it was all fine



crazy Pat jumping from the top of the falls

 

[bPeteb]

More from Manning Falls and the walk

one of the freshies in the river near the camp

the swim back over

a resident bowerbird. Gee these things make a racket!


bAlt, my sister and one of the group went off on the 1km walk out from the back of the camp. Of course they wandered off course and scrampled along the river before finding their way back. Some of what they saw including a freshie's tail track

 

[bPeteb]

While they were on their walk Zane took the truck back to the roadhouse for fuel and a water top up. I went back and made a fruitless call to Qantas to try to get some seats released back from JNB. I didn't ever get off hold before I had to hang up.

When we got back took over the stitching of the shoes from bAlt. Gee it was hard work. Forcing a little needle through the sole of a shoe was not good on your fingers!

I was glad to stop and help Pat get dinner ready. Roast lamb and veges cooked on the coals in camp ovens. It was bloody fantastic.

despite being told leftovers would be used for the following days lunch, some, two in particular went back for seconds, then thirds. They pretty much did the same every dinner and lunch, sometimes going for seconds before some had even had firsts! It reminded me of cruise ship buffets.

It had been a tiring but terrific day with the usual early start the next day as we had a long drive to Mitchell Plateau.

I had yet another ordinary night's sleep. Zips going up and down. I usually get up a few times in any case but everyone else doing the same made unbroken sleep difficult.

In a dark campground, using only a red headlamp, there are obstacles all over the place. At Mount Barnett there was also a big old bull who wandered around. He gave me the fright of my life as I came out of the loo and he was just stood there looking at me.

Here he is in daylight


camp all packed up


a full day of driving. The road up to the Mitchell Plateau is terrible. It was corrugations like no other.
loo break at the intersection up to Mitchell Plateau

 

[bPeteb]

Another river crossing. Possibly another crossing of the Fitzroy




we'd been told to dress casual, things ok, but of course we had a firewood stop where thongs weren't really ok. Out amongst the scrub were these beautiful little creepers. They look just like a hibiscus but no-one knew what they were

passed this cattle wrangling equipment

stopped at the rangers station near King Edward River campground. They were selling books, art, shirts. They did well out of us. I bought a beautiful tshirt with a brolga on it and Pat bought this one.

Zane also organised for one of the local people to provide a tour of one of the nearby cave art spots when we came back down off the plateau in a couple of days.

We stopped for lunch at the King Edward River campgound . Beautiful. I wandered off from the group around to the waterfall. It was surrounded by the most amazing polished laterite. Just wow.



Somehow I forgot I wasn't wearing my glasses. We'd packed up and were nearly ready to go when I realised. Just how? This was a bit of a theme that had already started and would continue through the trip. People were losing things/leaving them behind left right and centre.

 

[bPeteb]

Lots of palms started appearing on either side of the just terrible road as we drove up onto the plateau. These are Mitchell Plains Fan Palms (?)

frilled necked lizards sun themselves on the road and we were told to keep an eye out. In reality the only people who would see them would be Zane and Pat. We came to a very sudden halt when this fellow did a dash along the road

quite a few sighs of relief when we finally got to the campground at Mitchell Plateau National Park. Hot and dusty maybe, just not corrugated


Delicious green chicken curry for dinner. I fell into a pattern of being one of the main food preppers. I love it so it was no effort.

Own tents again. It was quite amazing sleeping just under the net without a fly. The stars are just incredible. I got up at some point and took a wrong turn when I left the loo. I had no idea where I was so just kept walking. Luckily I came to the road and knew which way we had to be so followed it until I came to the truck. Yikes!

Of course another early start for this our longest walk. I started in my shoes but they gave up the ghost pretty much straight away. It will be the bin for them.

Our trip includes a six minute helicopter flight back to the camp from the falls. For another $120 each we could extend to 18 minutes. Sign us up! The helicopters were based right beside the campground


Track map

and larger view


first stop was Little Mertens. Supposedly only 800 metres but they were some very big metres!


another amazing monitor, this the biggest we'd seen so far

 

[bPeteb]

We went down to the swimming hole below Little Mertens to see some amazing art

 

[bPeteb]

and more

 

[bPeteb]

and yes more


further along were some more that bAlt scurried across to and where he too also fell. Of course he didn't say anything until much later in the day

Pat and bAlt then accepted the invitation for a quick swim before we continued the walk

 

[bPeteb]

not much further along the trail was yet more amazing art. Sandlas meant no scrambling for me but bAlt was over there in a flash

 

[bPeteb]

group photo at Big Mertens sans falls


then onwards to Mitchell falls

 

[bPeteb]

Mitchell Falls.

When we got to the falls some continued on to the falls proper (incl bAlt) and some just sat in the shallow pools (me, Zane and some others). Then the groups of people assigned to their choppers slowly went mosied off their flights back to the campground.

 

[bPeteb]

Helicopter flight was fantastic. I was lucky to be sat in the front. bAlt facing backwards. This was the last chopper.

 

[bPeteb]

after lunch quite a few of us went back for a swim at Little Mertens. Just so nice. Nearly left my sunnies behind here! Lucky some other campers saw them sitting on a tree branch



bAlt even spotted a little wallaby. We saw so few mammals on this trip. Mainly birds and reptiles

while we were down at the waterhole Pat told us that some people on the Outback Spirit tour that had been shadowing us had been 'rescued' from above Little Mertens.

When we were waiting for our helicopter at Mitchell Falls there were three people and a guide/host sitting there. These three had apparently walked to above Little Mertens and decided they could walk no further. So the guide called them a helicopter who flew them to Mitchell. By the sounds of things they got out of the helicopter and walked to the seats to wait for their return, a couple of hours later!!!

 

[bPeteb]

Everyone else finished up and Pat and I lazed about in the pool. He was very interested in Colin, how I ended up with him and what the future held. It was nice to talk to someone about it. Both of the guides were aware of him. It had been passed to them from the main office as I'd asked some questions about showers a while before the trip. On the first night they asked if I needed anything or had things I couldn't eat. All I said was I wasn't able to lift anything heavy and that was my only limitation or requirement.

Back to camp and began prep for dinner - pasta bolognese preceeded by a cheese platter!



Pat's dinner prep music even got people up dancing





So much for Intrepid basix Yet again the usuals just sat around doing nothing. Lazy or just entitled?

Another beautiful campfire


Stars again amazing. bAlt has been sleeping out in the open in a swag. So far no issue with bugs or mossies. He continues his run of waking, seeing a shooting star or two, a satellite or three, then going back to sleep. I saw zero and was up during the night more than anyone on the trip!

Dawn


the loo with no view


One of the 'do as little as possible crew', who complained every morning about having to get up so early and rush to leave, was just sitting there sipping her tea when pretty much everything was away. I said to her "sorry to disturb you but I want your chair". Actually had the nerve to respond with "really?" and I said "yep, up you get". Later in the trip she told someone one morning that they were sitting in 'her' chair. Really rudely. Someone must have said something to her, possibly Zane or Pat, because she ended up apologising to everyone for her shortness in a morning.

Camp packed up, ready for the horrible drive back off the plateau

 

[bPeteb]

Two important rock art sites down towards the end of the road - Bradshaw/Brolga and Wanjina. Pat led us around Bradshaw and it was amazing but we had to rush a bit as we were meeting a guide to visit Wanjina