Broome and the Western Kimberley
 

DH and I recently returned from 10 days in the far northwestern region of WA. Since there isn't a whole lot of info here on the region, I thought I'd post a brief trip report.

We left Sydney on a Thursday morning and after a layover in Perth, arrived in Broome early Thursday evening. We picked up our rental car ( 4WD) and drove to our hotel for the night, the Bali Hai resort. Our room at the Bali Hai was clean, spacious and comfortable. http://www.balihairesort.com/ We had a Deluxe studio and were pleased with our choice. The resort is only a block from Cable Beach.

After getting supplies at the mall, we headed south to Eco Beach resort where we would be staying for three nights. http://www.ecobeach.com.au/ It's an easy 1-1/2 hour drive south to Eco Beach resort and can be made with a regular 2WD car. Our accommodation there was a 1 bedroom villa and included breakfast. There are tented accommodations there as well.

The beach at Eco Beach is just spectacular and we spent a good deal of our time there swimming and relaxing at the beach. Meals were above average, and not too outrageously priced considering the remoteness of the location. Sunsets over the Indian Ocean were just spectacular. One evening, before sunset , we took the bushwalk on site to a viewing point called Dampier's Lookout to get sunset photographs.

My only complaint about Eco Beach was that they have lots of activities advertised on their website and it was very difficult to get information from the activities desk as to what was actually going on. We were interested in a couple of the fishing options, but they were booked out by a private charter on all the days we were there. Any time we would enquire about what activities would be going on the next day the desk seemed unsure and suggested that we check back either later in the day, or the next day.

After 3 nights at Eco Beach, we got up early for our "big driving day". We were heading off for the Gibb River Road and Imintji Wilderness Camp operated by APT. (just renamed to Bell Gorge Wilderness Lodge). http://www.kimberleywilderness.com.a...ument_id=16256

We headed North from Eco Beach and drove into Derby to get some lunch and a few more supplies. Alcohol is not sold along the Gibb River Road, so it's best to plan ahead if you want a cold beer after a day of hiking. BYO is welcome at the APT lodges and camps.

The Gibb River Road was in fantastic condition, only a bit of washboarding in a few spots.

We arrived at the Imintji Wilderness Camp and were shown to our tent. This camp is just fantastic!! The tents are comfortable with 2 twin beds, a bedside table with a lamp and that's about it! The showers, sinks and toilets are a little ways away and far exceeded my expectations. I'm a bit of a princess and found them to be extremely clean and bright....not scary at all :) They were undergoing a renovation of all the tent to make them ensuite while we were there.

The staff at the Camp is just wonderful. The couple that run the camp were soooo accommodating and their young staff just lovely. We felt very much at home there.

The meals are all cooked on the BBQ and served family style. We ordered packed lunches for the days were were there, A good deal of the guests are on guided APT 4WD bus tours, but there were also several "self-drive" guests, like ourselves the whole time we were there.

While we were there, we ventured off on several day trips in the area. Lennard's Gorge, Bell Gorge, Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek.

Lennards Gorge was probably my favorite. The hike was a bit scary, along the edge of the gorge. Lots of rock climbing and scrambling. We only saw a couple of people the whole time we were there.

Next was Bell Gorge....the great feature of Bell Gorge is that you can swim there. really refreshing on a 38degree day. We took our packed lunch and had a great afternoon there swimming and lazing in the shade. DH was swimming with and got some great pics of a water dragon.

To be continued....

Next day we leave early for our trip to Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge.

It's a good drive (about 2-1/2 hours) to Tunnel creek from the camp. Probably best done en-route to/from Fitzroy Crossing, but there were no accommodations available in Fitzroy Crossing the night we needed, so during trip planning I had decided we would have to backtrack and stay at the APT camp for a third night. Places to stay are very limited on the Gibb River Road so it's best to book early!

Tunnel creek is a cave with a river running through it. There is a hiking path through the cave and you often have to hike through the water, sometimes thigh deep. make sure you have a flashlight (torch) because you will need it!! There are lots of bats in the cave and I even caught a glimpse of a Freshwater Croc in the Creek. I found it to be just a bit creepy!!

Windjana Gorge is another spectacular gorge, this one being much bigger and wider than the others we had visited. We saw probably about 50 freshies there. There is a beautiful walk to the end of the gorge...probably about 8 K or so return.

We returned to our camp after a long day of hiking.

The next morning we took off for Broome. We returned to the Bali Hai resort where we would spend our last two nights before returning to Sydney.

We had preplanned to meet another couple that we had met at the Wilderness camp at Cable Beach Resort, Sunset Bar for Cocktails and sunset viewing that evening. And what a sunset...

We then hopped in the town bus to get over to Town Beach, as it was one of the "Staircase to the Moon" evenings. This is where the full moon coincides with low tide. This causes a phenomenon where the moon reflects on the mudflats and looks like "steps" to the moon. It was a bit hectic at Town Beach and we were a bit late, so no good pics from that night. There were night markets on at town beach, so we grabbed a bite there from one of the vendors.

I had a massage and facial booked at the Bali Hai the next morning...just heavenly!!!

Later that day we did a bit of shopping around town, drove down to Gantheaume Point where at low tide you can see dinosaur footprints.

Later that evening we drove down to the Golf Course, another viewing point for the Staircase to the Moon. We were there early enough to get a good parking spot so DH could get his camera equipment set up properly on the top of our 4WD. He got some really interesting shots. It is really a surreal phenomenon and pictures really don't do it justice.

We had a late dinner at Zander's Restaurant at Cable Beach (So-so...nothing spectacular).

The next day we had to leave to return to Sydney.

It was a great 10 days. This is the 2nd time we have been to the Kimberley Region and I'm quite sure we will return again.

Our photos are here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2211460...7624831128548/

Thanks very much for posting Dkw! I haven't visited the Kimberley but have been planning to for some time.

Hi, dkw. About 25 years ago my mum and dad spent 3 months in each state getting to know the state and its people reasonably well. I am fast moving to that idea, when we retire in a couple or three years. I have just read your report, and that of melnq8, and the place sounds nothing like my mental image of it. Thank you for creating another picture in my mind's eye.

Great report dkw...and those photos! Love the sunsets.

How were the flies?

Thanks dkw. Great report and photos. As I keep saying, I cant wait to see the Kimberley again!

Nice to hear about your trip and see the photos - we may have crossed paths at the "Staircase to the Moon" evening - was it at the end of July? Those sunsets are indeed spectacular, aren't they?

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

Mel, I didn't notice the flies at all...must not have been too bad.

Tockoloshe, This was in August, so we probably didn't bump into each other :( And yes....the sunsets were magical!