Days 27-30 (30 Jul – 2 Aug) Up to the Mitchell Plateau and Beyond

Back behind the wheel, we again headed west on the famous Gibb River Road. Not long afterwards we came across two vehicles stopped in the track, with about eight young people milling around looking slightly distressed. We stopped, and were informed by a young European backpacker in broken English that he had left his backpack, including his passport, back at the Mt Barnett Roadhouse, some 300 kilometres to the west (for some reason I thought of DanVB at this point). His friends looked most unwilling to back-track this distance over the slow and rough dirt road, and negotiations seemed to be taking place. We offered to post him his passport (we would be at Mt Barnett in about a week), but with his flight out of the country scheduled to depart Darwin in only 3 days, many more hundred kilometres east, some of it also over rough dirt track) that would not work. This young man seemed to currently be in possession of not much more than the pair of trousers he was wearing. As we could not assist, we wished him luck and left him to ponder the repercussions of whatever wild nights preceded his current predicament.

We detoured off the Gibb River towards the north on the Kalumburu Road (should be named Kalamity Rd), stayed a night at Drysdale station, then left our caravan in the “van nursery” to be babysat, taking just our tent for the rougher ride up to the plateau. Mitchell Falls was the first stop, and the falls are certainly spectacular (more so in the wet season), despite the constant drone of helicopters overhead ferrying tourists to or from the top of the falls so they are exempt from having to do the 1.5 hour hike both ways. On arrival at the campground, we did the short walk to the nearby smaller Little Mertens falls for an evening dip, with Liz only remembering on exiting the water that she still had the car electronic remote button safely velcroed in her swimming shorts pocket (still works!).

A little bandicoot visited our campsite in the evenings, playing around the edges and sidling in towards us, scooting away if we looked his direction. The dingoes and crows are very wily here, and all possessions have to be locked up at night, including shoes and even power cords (the dingoes have taken to gnawing them).

Feeling adventurous, we then ventured even further north from Mitchell Falls, heading up to Port Warrender, on a road that eventually (literally) goes right up to the northern coast. If you go far enough you can follow the track straight into the water, which is what those with boats do. It was very quiet (just six other people bush camping) and very scenic (gorgeous turquoise waters), but swarming with mosquitoes and sandflies, so we are now both red, lumpy and very itchy (Low Irritant Aerogard does indeed irritate mossies and sandflies very little). Being the dry season, with no rain expected for several more months, and balmier nights near the coast, we slept with the tent cover tied back at both ends, open to the stars. It was all very peaceful. We didn't discover until later that a huge salty croc called Elvis lives in the creek crossing there.

Mitchell Falls (Dave)

Mitchell Falls (Dave)

Mitchell Falls Swim. Doesn't get much better than this (Dave)

Sunset at Mitchell Falls Campground (Dave)

Port Warrender (Dave)

Port Warrender (Dave)

Creek Crossing, King Edward River (Dave)

Starry Night Boab (Liz)

Boabs at Port Warrender (Liz)