Gibb River Road

Gibb River Road The Gibb River Road is the 4WD option of the 2 main routes crossing the Kimberley from east to west (or vice versa) and provides access to the numerous gorges that are the main highlight.
StartClick to Reverse the Dynamic Map and Driving NotesKununurra
FinishDerby
DifficultyDifficulty 4/5 Suitable for4WD AWD Camper Bike 
Distance929.29 kmMinimum Days3
Average Speed56.19 km/hrDriving Time16 hrs 32 mins
Rating Be the first to rate this item0 Reviews
Article By: ExplorOz - Michelle Martin
Page Updated: 31 Mar 2013

Go to top Description

The Gibb River Road is the 4WD option of the 2 main routes that dissect the Kimberley region and is the main way to access the numerous gorges that are the main highlight.

For most who come to explore the Kimberley, the ruggedness of the landform and the large expanse of remoteness are major highlights. However, if you travel during the peak season May - September, you are more than likely to share your camp with scores of other campers. To find solitude you really need to get off the main route (such as north along the Kalumburu Road, or south to Mornington) else you can consider travelling outside of the peak period - although check local conditions first, as the road is often closed in parts from Dec - March.

Having said this, there is no denying that the Kimberley still remains a vast remote region, yet more and more people flock to see it for themselves. There was a time when only the toughest of vehicle and man would attempt to holiday along the Gibb River Road, becoming real adventurers as a result. But with so many 4WD owners and the increase in tour operators visiting the region, over 20,000 people per season come through the Gibb River Road either as self-drive tourists or in 4WD tour buses in just a few months.

The Kimberley experiences monsoonal rains (wet season) from December - March, which will often wash away tracks and bridges. The Gibb River Road becomes impassable at crossings such as the Barnett, Hann, Durack, Pentecost and King Rivers. Road closures during the wet season are a part of life in the Kimberley. Travel must be limited to the months of March - November and only then by checking current road conditions and weather reports for possible effects of cyclone activity experienced.

Once the dry season has settled in, the graders will make a couple of attempts to smooth out the worst of the ruts but they cannot cut out the corrugations.

SPONSOR MESSAGE Become a Sponsor
This could be an advert for your business!
Sponsorship of this page is available now – and for much less than you might think. Find out how you can reach Australia's largest online audience in the 4WD/RV/Camping industry.
www.exploroz.com/Advertising/Default.aspx

Go to top Interactive Route Map

Loading...
Loading
Selected Item is not in View - Zoom Out, Pan or Click to Show....
Places

Zoom & Scale Help

Point Control


Point Features










Linear Features



Member Features


Overlays


Place Name Search Help

Enter the place you are looking for.

Address Search Help

Enter the full or part address you are looking for.
Locate Address

Lat/Lon Search Help

Enter the Lat & Lon you wish to view.
Show Position

Route/Driving Directions Help

Enter an address in the 'from and to' then click 'Create Route'.
Create Route

Select Data Format

GPX GeoRSS OziExplorer
CSV
Hema Navigator WKT
NOTE: All downloads are strictly for personal use, all download activity is recorded and limits may be imposed.
Your download is being generated, you will be promoted to Open or Save this file
Full Screen

Show

Gibb River Road Help

From: Kununurra
To: Derby

This trek supports moving map, to take a virtual tour click on the Play button.
Map Legend
Mouse Position:

Go to top Permits

No travel permits required to drive along the Gibb River Road. Camping fees apply at Bells Gorge & Manning River Gorge (behind Mt Barnett Roadhouse).

Go to top Things to See & Do

The main attraction is the abundant freshwater gorges and majestic scenery. Photography, bush walking & safe swimming are the rewards after a tough day of driving in rugged country over heavy corrugations.

Some major highlights along the Gibb River Road are:

Bell Gorge

Beautiful camping at either Silent Grove camp ground (with facilities) or on banks of river closer to Gorge Walk. Walk to gorge has a steep loose rocky approach before following the creek to the top of the waterfalls. A further walk takes you down to the gorge as pictured, where you can swim and relax in the cool shade of the gorge. No crocodiles.

Upper and Lower Manning Gorges

Both of these gorges can be accessed (after check-in) from behind Mt Barnett River Roadhouse. The camping area is large and there is idyllic swimming on the sandy beach fringed Lower Manning Gorge. A one hour walk over exposed rock to the Upper Gorge is worth doing in the early part of the day. There is more swimming opportunities here with lovely deep cool rockholes.

Windjana Gorge

This gorge offers excellent long walks ranging from just a few hundred metres to where this photo was taken up to many kilometres deeper in the gorge. This is great location to observe freshwater crocodiles.

Tunnel Creek

if you take a torch you can walk for 750m along the sandy bed of a dark cave until it comes to an opening at the far end. In some places you might have to wade through waist-deep water.

Mitchell Plateau & Kalumburu Road

One of the more popular diversions is to head north to Mitchell Plateau and/or Kalumburu Road which heads north from a junction with the Gibb River Road just 290km west of Kununurra. The track leads all the way north to the coastline at the Kalumburu aboriginal outpost. Conditions, facilities and services are very limited.

For those that would like to experience the Kimberley Coast, without a major drive off the Gibb River Road, scenic plane flights can be organised from Drysdale station.

Go to top Preparation

This is not easy country to travel in and requires significant preparation. Your dilemma will be in deciding when to travel. Climate wise, the right time is June/July, but that usually coincides with the school holidays, which can put up to 350 people a night in places like Manning Gorge and rougher corrugations due to the traffic load.

The compromise might be to travel a little earlier, such as in late April - risking deeper water crossings, and wetter conditions or even times of inaccessibility, or later in the dry when temperatures can be extreme, topping 40°C as the dry season moves towards the build-up in late October/November.

At any time, you should still consider that the area is very remote and you'll need a full compliment of , and be self-sufficient with foodstuffs, and outback .

In general, heavy-duty off-road trailers will be fine on the Gibb River Road and Kalumburu Road although you wouldn't tow a caravan.

Travel Planning tips: avoid the school holidays (if you can) and add side trips to places such as the Mitchell Plateau, Kalumburu, the Old Karunjie Road and to the rivers and coast beyond the stations (enquire ahead of time as access may not always be granted).

Fuel Supplies & Usage

Fuel SymbolKununurra, Wyndham, Mount Barnett Roadhouse, Imintji, Derby Diesel4cyl 133 litres * ULP4cyl 150 litres LPG4cyl 186 litres
6cyl 148 litres *6cyl 206 litres *6cyl 232 litres *
8cyl 143 litres8cyl 154 litres
Drysdale Station (58km north of Gibb River Road on Kalumburu Road).

Services & Supplies

The following locations have various services and supplies: Kununurra, Wyndham, Mount Barnett Roadhouse, Imintji, Derby
Limited to very basic supplies along route.

Go to top Camp Sites & Accommodation

Go to top Environment

Geology

The Kimberley is an ancient region formed more than 1800 million years ago. During the Devonian era (375-350 million years ago) most of the Kimberley was covered by a warm shallow sea and coral reefs. As the sea level has fallen to its present level, fossilised materials from old sea beds and coral reefs have been exposed by erosion and now form many of the spectacular gorges that you can access just off the Gibb River Road.

Flora

The Kimberley region lies within the tropics although it encompasses many ecological zones: coasts, rivers, estuaries, semi-arid savannah woodlands, lush rainforest and deserts. Accordingly, vegetation and wildlife vary throughout the Kimberley. The climate and water supply varies significantly at different times of year making a huge impact on lifeforms. Surprisingly for most tourists, the region is said to have low rainfall (even though it experiences a wet season) and only hardy, drought resistant plants tend to survive. Trees tend to be small, shrubs and grasses die off in the dry season, springing back to life from seed at the first fall of rain.

The best known of the Kimberley flora is the magnificent Boab tree. Boab trees live for hundreds of years and the trunk provides shelter for small animals.

Fauna

Birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish are the more obvious creatures to be found in the Kimberley. Most mammals are small and nocturnal and many are declining in numbers.

Until recently, this region was protected by its remoteness and travel difficulties. Now, with improved roads and frequent air services, the Kimberley is being discovered, by the rest of Australia and the world. We urge you to be conscious of your impact when you visit this unique region.

Go to top History

The Gibb River Road is actually an old stock route. It was originally constructed in the late 1800's as a beef road to transport cattle from surrounding stations to Derby and Wyndham and in fact, although tourism now accounts for the majority of traffic, cattle stations continue to rely on the track as their only service route.

Go to top Driving Directions

Time
Direction
Distance
Kununurra to Kununurra West Rest Area 8.95 km W 277° 6 min
Kununurra West Rest Area to Great Northern Hwy & Victoria Hwy 32.98 km W 250° 21 min
Great Northern Hwy & Victoria Hwy to Gibb River Rd & Great Northern Hwy 8.18 km NW 301° 5 min
Gibb River Rd & Great Northern Hwy to Esrine Range Rest Area 4.75 km N 344° 3 min
Esrine Range Rest Area to The Grotto Pool 10.03 km NW 331° 7 min
The Grotto Pool to Maggie Creek 8.09 km N 348° 6 min
Maggie Creek to Great Northern Hwy & King River Rd 21.09 km NW 336° 14 min
Great Northern Hwy & King River Rd to Wyndham 5.61 km NW 300° 4 min
Wyndham to Anthon Landing 5.57 km NW 316° 5 min
Anthon Landing to 5 Rivers Lookout 10.18 km NE 58° 12 min
5 Rivers Lookout to Great Northern Hwy & King River Rd 10.22 km SE 141° 11 min
Great Northern Hwy & King River Rd to Moochalabra Dam 18.93 km SW 211° 29 min
Moochalabra Dam to The Diggers Rest 6.05 km S 192° 12 min
The Diggers Rest to Police Tree 0.65 km SW 242° 2 min
Police Tree to East Bank Pentecost River 46.38 km SW 247° 1 hr 20 min
East Bank Pentecost River to Pentecost River, Gibb River Rd 5.24 km SE 156° 17 min
Pentecost River, Gibb River Rd to Bindoola Jump Up 25.97 km W 281° 29 min
Bindoola Jump Up to Bamboo Creek Crossing 49.19 km W 253° 46 min
Bamboo Creek Crossing to Durack River, Gibb River Rd 17.85 km SW 241° 16 min
Durack River, Gibb River Rd to Dawn Creek, Gibb River Rd 23.41 km W 256° 20 min
Dawn Creek, Gibb River Rd to Gibb River Rd & Kalumburu Rd 65.25 km W 255° 56 min
Gibb River Rd & Kalumburu Rd to Gibb River Rd & Barnett River Gorge Turnoff 78.98 km SW 221° 1 hr 6 min
Gibb River Rd & Barnett River Gorge Turnoff to Barnett River Waterfront Campsites 2.28 km N 4 min
Barnett River Waterfront Campsites to Barnett River Campsite 1.36 km NE 33° 6 min
Barnett River Campsite to Barnett River Waterfront Campsites 1.36 km SW 213° 6 min
Barnett River Waterfront Campsites to Gibb River Rd & Barnett River Gorge Turnoff 2.28 km S 183° 4 min
Gibb River Rd & Barnett River Gorge Turnoff to Mount Barnett Roadhouse 28.38 km SW 229° 23 min
Mount Barnett Roadhouse to Manning Gorge 7.06 km N 360° 10 min
Manning Gorge to Mount Barnett Roadhouse 7.06 km S 180° 10 min
Mount Barnett Roadhouse to Turn Off Galvins Gorge 13.45 km SW 224° 10 min
Turn Off Galvins Gorge to Phillips Range Lookout 0.64 km SE 145° 3 min
Phillips Range Lookout to Saddler Springs Crossing 62.67 km SW 226° 48 min
Saddler Springs Crossing to Imintji 1.02 km W 255° 1 min
Imintji to Turn Off Silent Grove & Bell Gorge 8.21 km W 272° 6 min
Turn Off Silent Grove & Bell Gorge to Silent Grove Campsites 18.81 km NW 302° 19 min
Silent Grove Campsites to Bell Gorge Carpark 9.56 km NW 330° 16 min
Bell Gorge Carpark to Silent Grove Campsites 9.56 km SE 150° 16 min
Silent Grove Campsites to Turn Off Silent Grove & Bell Gorge 18.81 km SE 122° 19 min
Turn Off Silent Grove & Bell Gorge to Turn Off Lennard Gorge 22.26 km W 273° 20 min
Turn Off Lennard Gorge to Lennard Gorge Carpark 6.32 km SW 219° 12 min
Lennard Gorge Carpark to Turn Off Lennard Gorge 6.32 km NE 39° 12 min
Turn Off Lennard Gorge to Mount Hart Outcamp 4.66 km NW 311° 4 min
Mount Hart Outcamp to Inglis Gap 3.54 km W 276° 3 min
Inglis Gap to Macs Jumpup 25.07 km W 260° 19 min
Macs Jumpup to Stumpys Jumpup 7.79 km SW 236° 5 min
Stumpys Jumpup to Yammera Gap 20.6 km SW 210° 14 min
Yammera Gap to Gibb River Rd & Fairfield-Leopold Downs Rd 9.24 km SW 229° 6 min
Gibb River Rd & Fairfield-Leopold Downs Rd to Windjana Gorge Camp Area 21.74 km E 95° 22 min
Windjana Gorge Camp Area to Gibb River Rd & Fairfield-Leopold Downs Rd 21.74 km W 275° 22 min
Gibb River Rd & Fairfield-Leopold Downs Rd to Derby Hwy & Gibb River Rd 118.85 km W 273° 2 hr 22 min
Derby Hwy & Gibb River Rd to Derby 5.09 km NW 326° 6 min
Kununurra to Derby 929.29 km     16 hr 32 min
Distance is GPS recorded driving distance (not straight line), Direction is straight line from start to end, Time is calculated from actual GPS driving data.
Lance & Marion's 2013 Trip
Only 5 days before we head north for the vast desert spaces of Australia's outback via the Oodnadatta track, East and West MacDonnells around Alice, then out west for 1000kms or so along the Gary Junction track to meet the Canning Stock Route. From here we'll travel north to the Tanami and Halls Creek and then further on up to the Kimberley and Kakadu. We've booked Koolpin Gorge (hope the wet has receded enough for it to open) and also the 5 day Jatbula walk from Katherine Gorge to Edith Falls.
Burnin Up Some Diesel - Sixteenth Blog on the road
[Embedded Video] Howdy all, been a while we have been inland and out of range and on the odd day we have been in range I have been feeling lazy. We are on holidays and finally worked out that being lazy is what that is all about. It is the 9th of October and we have passed half way in time for our trip. We are currently camped on Ningaloo Station, right at the beach. Great spot but let me bring you up to date. I believe that in the last blog we were loaded up and ready to leave Marble Bar,
Port Augusta, Painted Desert, Dalhousie, Innamincka etc. Aug – Sept 2012
Account of Trip – Port Augusta, Painted Desert, Dalhousie, Innamincka etc. August – September 2012 On this trip we were going to Port Augusta for a conference before heading off into the wild blue yonder, so stayed in motels until leaving PA. We often use motels for the first couple of days on a trip to clear territory we know well. Then the real holiday starts. As usual I have included dates for each stop for future planning info. Wed 15 Aug – Narrandera Left home at 1.30pm after golf and Probus.
Burnin up some diesel - Gibb River Road Blog
Gibb River Road Please check out the pictures section as i am having trouble including them in the bliog.i will put them up later today. This is my third attempt to write up the Gibb River Road part of our trip. It was 9.30am Friday morning we had just returned from the Horizontal Falls, the highlight of our trip thus far, and still is to today. Our car had been safely babysat overnight at the resort and we were ready to hit the road.
Gibb River Road Second Attempt
Gibb Rive Road Attempt 2 Well here we go again!!!!! Hopefully this attempt will be much more successful. As we turned onto the Gibb River Road my thoughts were very mixed, worry that everything was going to be OK and there would be no more car trouble and excitement as we attempted a road that was famous for its wonderful scenery and hoping it would live up to the expectations we had for this trip. As we crossed the Pentecost river again my worries started to subside.
Bungles here we come in a rental car
Bungle Bungle After organising to hav our car repaired we were in contact with the NRMA and they arranged for us to hve the use of a 4x4. A Pajero to be exact. After some thought we decided to use this time to see the Bungles, which we intended to do on our way home so our enforced stay in Kununurra would not eat into our time frame too much. We headed off to check out the prices of a cheap tent and air matress, our big finds were a $30 tent from Coles and a $30 air matress from the other supermarket.
Three 80s to The Kimberley
One more sleep and we're off, well two of the vehicles. Waz and Trudi will meet us at the Cuttabri Wine Shanty, or Pilliga Bore Baths Sunday night. We're taking our three 80 Series Landcruisers across the country. A lot of preparation of the vehicles has taken place, partially because we're going to some of the remotest parts of Australia but also because the Cruisers have a combined total of over 1.3 million kilometres on the clocks. They're just run in. Camping, feasts from the camp ovens,
Burton's Perth to Cape York - Barnett River Gorge to Manning River Gorge 2-3 July 2012 Day 94-95
Overnight, our little deserted turning circle campsite next to the Barnett River was very cold! Our huge environmentally unfriendly bonfire threw a warming glow most of the night, crackling quietly, the scent of wood smoke making sleep come easy. Jeff the wood-whisperer had worked his magic locating huge old deadfall logs that burnt all night long…ah the pleasure! Braving the cold morning, carefully climbing down on to the hard floor from the surprisingly comfortable queen bed, locating trackies,
Burnin Up Some Diesel - Twelfth Blog on the road
Gooday everyone I have to catch up on these blogs sooner or later I will write a blog on the trip up the Gibb River Road, flight out to the Mitxhell falls the bungkle bungles and our boat trip up the Gekie Gorge. We have been busy havent we. So today we found a spot where we will camp for a few days to a week. I am going to bring the blog right up to date by ttalking about the last couple of days and our current camp.
Burnin up some diesel - eleventh blog on the road - HORIZONTAL FALLS
Gooday againfriends family and anyone else out there in the ether. update first then blog in order. We came off the Gibb River Road two nights ago. We have been holed up in a caravan park and boy did we need it. Anne thought the tops of my feet were tanned they are not they are grimed and it will not wash off. The red earth has taken over and did I need a shower. We spent our last night in the tent at a spot called Maggie Creek.
Burnin up some diesel - tenth blog on the road - Katherine to Derby in a hurry
Metho Dettol Baby oil equal parts Gooday all, I think we were in Katherine when I last transmitted information to you. We left Katherine a couple of days ago and made our way toward Western Australia. We have had a couple of good overnight camps as we made our way toward Kununurra. Now I am completing this blog sometime later than when we were in Kununurra. We arrived in Kununurra and had to leave in a hurry (No Anne didn’t fall foul of the constabulary, you will need to read the next blog to see why.
Calamity at El Questro
After many people giving their differing veiws on El Questro we decided to back track to El Questro to experience one of the icons of the Kimberley for ourselves, as well as catch up with our good friends the Cowling's. It was with mixed emotions we turned into the drive into El Questro, would it live up to our expectations or would it disappoint us like it had other people we had met along the way. We crossed the water crossing into the main station where we had to pay,

Go to top Trek Feedback
ReviewCreate a Review/Discussion
You must be registered and logged in to 'Have Your Say'



Registration is free and takes only seconds to complete!
Loading...