NOW: WINDJANA GORGE NATIONAL PARK, TUNNEL CREEK AND FITZROY CROSSING
Just as well there was some shade from a few scrappy trees at the Windjana Campground because it was hot, dry and dusty! The Devonian limestone here formed the King Leopold Range with it’s spectacular cliffs and gorges. When you enter Windjana Gorge you pass through a cave before it opens out along the creek.
It was getting late in the season and the water was starting to dry up. This meant close quarters for the hundreds of crocodiles that live in the gorge. There’s no way we were going swimming! At dusk thousands of bats fly down to drink and the crocs snap them up when they get close.
Down the road at Tunnel Creek we climbed over the big boulders that conceal the entrance to the limestone tunnel. The stalactites were dripping water and creating limestone pillars. The drips were fine but when we realised that there were crocodiles in with you in the dark was fairly creepy.
We did have to walk in the water to get through the cave with the only sign of crocodiles being their red eyes glowing in the torchlight. It took some nerve to go back into the dark once we’d reached the end of the tunnel. At least I knew to watch for the red eyes glowing in the dark!
At Fitzroy Crossing we travelled by boat up Geike Gorge where the crocodiles were sunning themselves on the rock ledges. There was something comforting about being in the boat and not walking in the water. The limestone cliffs and caves towered over us as we cruised along as the birds watched and waited for a meal. We stayed in Fitzroy Crossing near the Fitzroy River which was extremely wide from bank to bank with sand and no water as far as we could see. It would be awesome to see it in the wet!
We’re starting to miss the ocean, so…….
NEXT: DERBY, BROOME, CAPE LEVEQUE.
See you on the emu track
Cheryl and David
