Kimberley Tour - 21 July

Mitchell Plateau – El Questro Wilderness Park:  21 July [529 km]

Our time in this fabulous spot had to end and we were on our bus at 7.00 am (yes, 7.00 am!) for a long drive to Emma Gorge.  We bid farewell to the beaut staff at Ngauwudu Safari Camp and started back along the Port Warrender track for the Kalumburu Road.  After two bone-rattling hours, we turned south to rejoin the Gibb River Road.  We turned east and crossed the Durack River - where there was more Kapok and a lovely wattle in flower. 

Another significant activity was not all that far away:  the Cockburn (pronounced ‘co-burn’) Range.  All of a sudden, there it was in all its glory:  and what a sight it was in the afternoon sun.  All the ramparts, cliffs and gorges were highlighted in the afternoon sun.  It was a magnificent sight.  We stopped to soak in the splendour of this example of geology:  particularly of the land forms and the effects of weathering.  It was simply stunning. 

We drove to where the Pentecost River crosses the Gibb River Road and enjoyed the sight of the river with the Cockburn Range in the background:  quite a breathtaking sight. 

It was hard to drag ourselves away from this scene but we had to continue to Emma Gorge Resort, part of the world renowned El Questro Wilderness Park.  The Emma Gorge Resort is located right under one side of the Cockburn Range and is dwarfed by the grandeur of the Range.

It is worth emphasising the beauty of the country we had been travelling through to this point.  We had driven long distances over quite rough roads but we had seen extra-ordinary panoramas:  the Napier Range, the renowned King Leopold Range, the savannah plains stretching off into the distance, the Gardner Plateau, the Mitchell Plateau, the Mitchell Falls and the Pentecost River valley with the backdrop of the magnificent Cockburn Range.  We had been privileged to visit such remote and beautiful places in the Kimberleys.