Kimberley Tour - 20 July

Mitchell Falls:  20 July

One of our most significant days had arrived:  our trip to the Mitchell Falls.  The Mitchell Falls are one of the most sensational attractions in the Kimberleys and so it was ‘game on’!

On a very hot day, our first activity was to drive about 20 kilometres to the Mitchell River National Park – and that trip took nearly an hour, with a couple of ‘jump ups’ and many bumps in the road to negotiate.  After our safety briefing for our return helicopter ride, we set off on our walk to the Falls.  This is a 4 km walk of moderate difficulty through some rain forest and savannah.  Brownie was our guide and he displayed his extensive knowledge of the area and of the Aboriginal involvement and art of the Mitchell Plateau.  We walked past Little Merten’s Falls – with its quite spectacular Indigenous rock art dating back over thousands of years.  This art is rarely seen Gwion Gwion and Wandjina rock art. 

We walked on to Big Merten’s Falls – with its large gorge and waterfall.

We finally reached the top of the Mitchell Falls – where we had to walk carefully across the Mitchell River to avoid being washed over the Falls!  Kerryn sat near the edge - but not too near - looking very relaxed after a four hour walk in 40 degree heat!

We clambered out to a superb lookout site to look down on the three steps of the Mitchell Falls.  How magnificent they are, with the river thundering over quite high drops and large pools at the bottom of each step.  We could only wonder what they would look like in the wet (such as the enormous wet of 2010-11).  It was awe-inspiring to watch the Falls:  every Australian should attempt to visit this magnificent part of our beautiful country. 

As far as we and a number of our fellow tour members are concerned, it would be fantastic to visit these Falls during the wet season.  This is another objective to add to our list!!

We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the top of the Falls.  The water in the Mitchell River was very refreshing. 

Then we all boarded our helicopters for our flight over the Falls and the enormous gorges that the river has created.  This flight in helicopters without doors was a little scary, as the banking during the figure of 8 flight left us looking straight down at nothing except the Falls, the river and the gorges directly below us!!  Phew!  Then there was the spectacular view downstream and out to Admiralty Gulf.

It was something of a relief to get back to the heliport.  We then set off on the bumpy ride back to camp for another enjoyable swim and dinner on the Mitchell Plateau.  It was refreshing to see the outlook from our safari tent after the heat of our travels during the day.

Although the helicopter ride was a bit testing, the entire day had been fabulous and provided everything we had been anticipating.  The Mitchell Plateau and the Mitchell Falls are a truly extra-ordinary part of Australia and, although very remote, are well worth a visit.