Bradby Triop - 21 and 22 August 2009 Days 64 and 65 – (McGowan’s Island to Home Valley to Wyndham to

We were packed up and said our goodbyes to the new friends we had made by 8 00 am and on the road hoping to make it to Happy Valley by mid afternoon.

The trip down off the Mitchell Plateau was great with the road having been graded from about 50 km north of the Mitchell Falls turnoff all the way to the Gibb River Road. We stopped at Drysdale Station to refuel ($1.98c/ltr – yes it had done up 8 c/ltr in a week) and have a hamburger for lunch – the burgers are great.

We reached the Gibb River road at 2 00 pm and reached Home Valley Station by 4 30 pm. The Gibb River Road was in excellent condition and we were able to consistently sit on 70 to 80 km most of the way.



Home Valley Station is an oasis the accommodation ranging from units to safari style tents to powered and unpowered camping sites, it has a pool, horse stables, a bar and restaurant with live entertainment and is a working cattle station run by an Aboriginal Corporation. The station is used as a training facility for local aboriginals with training in all aspects of the cattle side of the business and well as hospitality services. It is a very impressive set up.

We woke early and had had breakfast, packed up and had a swim all by 8 00 am ready for our drive to Wyndham. We intended taking the Karunjie Track which runs along the Pentecost River, across the salt flats to Diggers Rest Station and then into Wyndham.

After crossing the Pentecost we turned immediately left onto the gravel and sand river bed. The initial 25 km was slow going before we reached the salt flats but great country with the Cockburn Ranges flanking us on the right. It was along this part of the Kimberley that parts of the movie, Australia was filmed.



It was a great drive with stunning scenery and lots of photo opportunities. We arrived at Diggers Rest Station at 10 30 am, had a look around and got some muesli bars and drinks out of the car – this is when the fun began with Jack and I in fits of laughter as an Emu decided to surprise Linda. It was a sight to behold Linda running around the car and the Emu in hot pursuit. Linda just made it into the car as the Emu followed her. Her first words to us were “I’ve just been chased by a Muesli Bar” she was a bit flustered.

I took the opportunity to wind down Linda’s window so she could get a good shot of her new found friend, I was immediately told in no uncertain terms to wind the bloody thing up – so the photo got taken through the window.



We drove into Wyndham around lunch time, it was quite a bit smaller than we had imagined and didn’t take long to have a look around. We headed up to the Five Rivers Lookout which gives an uninterrupted view of the King, Durack, Penecost, Ord and xxx rivers flowing into xxx Gulf.



After the Lookout we drove the 24 km to Parry’s Lagoon Farm where we camped for the night. The farm has shady powered and unpowered sites located beside a lagoon, a café and pool. It is a great campsite and we were tucked into bed by 8 00 pm – real party animals aren’t we!!

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