Derby, Windjana Gorge, and Tunnel Creek.
Derby is a town of about 10,000 on the coast 2-3 hours north of Broome, famous for its huge tides of up to 11m. And for its Boab trees. These trees are endemic to the western Kimberley, and many we have seen have been growing here for up to 3000 years.
From here we went on a 10 hour 4 wheel drive trip to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. The route was via the Gibb River Road, well known to 4 wheel drive enthusiasts. It had been on my bucket list for years when I was younger. Hooray, I thought, I’ll get to see some of this famous road. Well ...... imagine my disappointment to find out that the first seventy km of this famous road is now sealed two lane highway ! We did get to experience the dirt and the corrugations of the next 40 or so km before we turned off to Windjana Gorge though.
Windjana Gorge is cut through a range formed in the Devonian age (which occurred before the Carboniferous age) 350 million years ago. It was a reef in the ocean built by coral over 50 million years and is rich in fossils. The reef shows 200-300 metres above the surrounding land - but extends 2000m under the current level of the land !! In the dry season the river doesn’t flow but their are several billabongs where the density of the crocodile population increases as the water decreases. In one pool we saw 79.
We were guided here and at Tunnel Creek but an elder of the local aboriginals who made the trip “live” with his recounting of history and of his culture. Much of the history around this part centred on the early struggles of his people to resist the colonialist pastoralists. Not a happy time.
Tunnel Creek was another hour along the range and was, as the name says, a tunnel formed by a creek, right through the range from one side to the other. We clambered over rock falls, waded through knee deep water and used our head torches to explore the amazing rock formations and stalagmites/tites and sand banks to reach the other side of the range.
Off to see the low tide at the wharf before we head off for Broome
From here we went on a 10 hour 4 wheel drive trip to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. The route was via the Gibb River Road, well known to 4 wheel drive enthusiasts. It had been on my bucket list for years when I was younger. Hooray, I thought, I’ll get to see some of this famous road. Well ...... imagine my disappointment to find out that the first seventy km of this famous road is now sealed two lane highway ! We did get to experience the dirt and the corrugations of the next 40 or so km before we turned off to Windjana Gorge though.
Windjana Gorge is cut through a range formed in the Devonian age (which occurred before the Carboniferous age) 350 million years ago. It was a reef in the ocean built by coral over 50 million years and is rich in fossils. The reef shows 200-300 metres above the surrounding land - but extends 2000m under the current level of the land !! In the dry season the river doesn’t flow but their are several billabongs where the density of the crocodile population increases as the water decreases. In one pool we saw 79.
We were guided here and at Tunnel Creek but an elder of the local aboriginals who made the trip “live” with his recounting of history and of his culture. Much of the history around this part centred on the early struggles of his people to resist the colonialist pastoralists. Not a happy time.
Tunnel Creek was another hour along the range and was, as the name says, a tunnel formed by a creek, right through the range from one side to the other. We clambered over rock falls, waded through knee deep water and used our head torches to explore the amazing rock formations and stalagmites/tites and sand banks to reach the other side of the range.
Off to see the low tide at the wharf before we head off for Broome
That "bitumen" may have been a blessing in disguise.
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