meters
Difference
Defects
the Tent
Shower
>50% Sunshine
Chocolate
Shaken and dusted through the Kimberley
The second stay in Kununurra also went by in a flash. Apart from relaxing evenings with Ann, the program included short early morning hikes to the Kellys Knob viewpoint at sunrise and through the nearby Mirima National Park.
We were also busy planning and organizing the upcoming stage via the Gibb River Road. This road was built in the 1960s as a Beef Road to transport cattle from remote farms in the Kimberley region to Derby. Nowadays, the well-maintained four-wheel drive route is mainly used by local 4×4 tourists during the dry season.
We allowed two weeks riding time for the 600 kilometers of bumpy road with very sparse shopping facilities and little drinking water. Too bad that the food alone for this little expedition weighs over 30 kilograms and takes up a lot of space… How is that supposed to work?
The Mount Barnett Roadhouse is halfway along the route and we called them to ask if we could leave food with them? No problem at all! Great, now we just needed somebody to transport the food. Thanks to a post in the Gibb River Road Facebook group, we not only became famous locally, but also came into contact with Gary, the driver and guide of a tour bus, who offered us his help.
We had never bought 14 days’ worth of supplies before: 4kg of oatmeal, 1kg of grapes, 17 packs of chips & crackers, 1kg of peanuts, 24 muesli bars, 30 slices of banana bread, 2kg of chocolate, 7 packs of chocolate wafers, 4 rolls of ginger biscuits, 14 packs of tortilla wraps, 2.5kg of cheese, 0. 5kg peanut butter, 4kg spaghetti, 1.5kg tomato sauce, 14 cans of tuna, 0.5kg parmesan, enough soups, dates and hummus… Fresh food was limited to 7 apples, 6 onions, 4 bananas and 8 packs of dried peas😉. At home, we lay out the groceries for a photo before packing half of the provisions into storage bags and handing them over to Gary.
Our food had already reached its destination when we said goodbye to Ann and swung into the saddle. With a wonderful tailwind, we made it almost to the end of the tarmac road on the first day. A first challenge awaited us here with the ford through the crocodile-filled Pentacost River. Our plan was to hope for a friendly driver at the river who would give us a lift to the other bank. Unfortunately, we were on the road so early that the many people who had camped by the river were just getting up. With their steaming coffee cups in hand, they said that there was 99% chance that there were no saltwater crocodiles nearby. The water was currently only 30 cm deep and the ground was rocky, neither of which salties would like. But nobody wanted to wade through the river on foot anyway😉!
Our lack of decision as to whether we should cross the shallow river or wait for a lift made for great morning entertainment. Somehow it seemed ridiculous not to just walk through the water. On the other hand, we didn’t want to rely on the assessments of drivers who found the crocodile situation completely harmless.
We decided to give our front panniers to the next car so that we could push the lighter bikes through the water in one go. We reached the other bank without any problems, but still relieved, and only when we looked back did we realize that many campers had been following our action with curiosity. Oh, how they would have loved to have witnessed a really good croc story… Pushies vs. salties😉.
After just a few kilometers of gravel road, we treated ourselves to a coffee and muffin at the Home Valley Station cattle farm. Once the excitement had subsided, we turned our energy and attention to the road ahead. The landscape changed from beautiful savannah land with baobab trees and table mountains to unspectacular bushland with little shade. As expected, the corrugated road was no great pleasure for us, but thanks to the reduced tire pressure, we didn’t have to push in the sandy passages either. And only a few hours passed before the first driver surprised us with a refreshment. He handed us each a cold beer out of the window: “Drink it while it’s cold!”. David had no problem with that at snack time either… and as I don’t like beer, he had the second one for lunch😊.
A few cattle farms along the route offered camping, snacks, drinks and burgers in wonderfully green surroundings. Opportunities that we gratefully took advantage of! This was also the case the next afternoon when we reached Ellenbrae Station, dusty and exhausted, where we devoured delicious scones with jam. However, we had no problem resisting the temptation of the beautifully laid out campsite with showers. For us, one of the highlights of the route was setting up our tent somewhere in the evening, washing off the dust, cooking, eating and admiring the stars over tea.
On the Gibb River Road, our unusual means of transportation also brought us a lot of very nice contacts! We became a bit more well-known with every day we traveled and were often greeted with the words “ah, you’re the two Swiss cyclists?”. From time to time, drivers gave us something refreshing or allowed us to fill up our water bottles. The guide Mel made us particularly happy when he provided us with lunch boxes, cooked vegetables and apple juice for lunch. And he did this twice on different days😊! Nanette and Bryan even met us three times and treated us with cool drinks. Many, many thanks to everyone!!! A little less pleasant were the clouds of dust in which fast-moving cars covered us. But shaking the worst of the dirt off our clothes and cleaning it out of our ears in the evening was part of the experience.
We arrived at Mount Barnett Roadhouse a little earlier than planned and picked up the food bags we had sent ahead. With more than enough food and overly cautious water reserves of up to 22 liters, our bikes were heavier than ever. Fortunately, the road got noticeably better on the second half of the route! Only on the detour to the waterfall in Bell Gorge was the road so miserable that I arrived at the Silent Grove campsite for lunch totally frustrated and with tears in my eyes. It was anything but quiet at the campsite, however, as a huge flock of white cockatoos made a racket and took my mind off things. These birds, which live in groups, seem to enjoy teasing each other, pushing each other off branches, bathing in the water sprinkler or rolling their white feathers in the sand… An amusing spectacle!
On the last day of the ride, we visited the beautiful Windjana Gorge, where we saw the small freshwater crocodiles for the first time, as well as the elaborate burrow of a bowerbird. To attract females, the male creates elaborate bower constructions. In addition, the Kimberley’s Great Bowerbird decorates its burrow with white objects (pebbles, plastic, etc.) and spends hours carefully arranging them. Extremely artistic indeed!
By the way: after mating, the female builds the proper nest in the trees and raises the offspring herself… without the support of the male, of course, as he is still busy looking for a more brides🙄.
The next stage took us along a good tarmac road to the village of Derby, which had no attractions. Although there was nothing to see, the visit to the supermarket and WiFi made our very extended lunch break a special event😉. The two cans of beer that David received from a stranger were also a special treat… “Have a beer, mate. You deserve it”..
Two and a half days later, we rolled into Broome and were able to arrive at the home of the wonderful Warmshower hostess Martine earlier than announced. Here we have the pleasure of her company, can sit out the hot days, complete the tourist program, enjoy the convenience of supermarkets, cafés, a bed and a kitchen and plan our next steps.