El Questro and the Gibb River Road

When we departed Doon Doon, Bob and Fiona were heading to Kununurra and Katherine and we decided to go to El Questro. The El Questro option was a natural decision for us, as we had originally planned to traverse the Gibb River Road (GRR) for its entire length, which meant that El Questro was part of that journey. The trip to El Questro is a must for anyone visiting the Kimberley. The gorges in the area are absolutely stunning. Its a sort of quintessential Kimberley, if you like.


We went to Brankos Hole and Lookout first. The views were stunning and the climb up to the lookout was difficult rock staircases, but Max coped very well. At the top, we met a Swiss couple admiring the view. We compared notes on mountain views and they agreed that the Kimberley views were superior to the Alps. So there you have it, from the mountain experts, no less.






















We then went to Explosion Hole, named after the early use of the "short fishing rods" to catch fish. It was dangerous, environmentally unfriendly and generally required the use of ear protection (or at least fingers in the ears) for multiple "casts". Not recommended. The scenery was fantastic, with my first "mirror pool" shots of the trip. I like them, I hope that you do too, at the Picasa site.







The park at El Questro is a non-powered, non-water connection, non-sullage, go-it-alone kind of outfit, but quite nice, if a bit commercial and dusty at times, but it provides access to some of the most stunning scenery in the Kimberley. We did not have time to see it all, saving it for another visit - any takers?




As for the fearsome GRR, it was a lot easier than we expected. Travellers at the park at Kununurra said that the El Questro end was the worst of it, with the southern end being quite smooth by comparison. We thought that it was quite good and a lot better than the Leopold Downs Road from Tunnel Creek, for example. The "corduroy" did cause one minor problem - a fractured gas line from the regulator. The copper line fractured right at the bottom of the flare, caused by vibration of the line due to it not being fixed to the body of the caravan for about 500mm. The vibration of the rough roads just fatigued the copper pipe and it let go. I found out by the old "I can smell gas" routine when I turned on the gas bottle at Kununurra. I then had to go to the local Home Hardware store and purchase a flaring tool to re-flare the pipe and reconnect it to the regulator. All done and dusted and leak tested with detergent too.

From Kununurra, we get a tyre repaired tomorrow morning, then off to Victoria River Roadhouse for a camp. Then we head for Mataranka and meet up with Bob and Fiona for our return to Queensland.

It's not over yet. We still have some travels in front of us and some sights to see, so you haven't heard the last of us.

See you online again soon.

J&M