The Gibb River Rd ( eat my dust...) Kunnunura to Derby W.A.

We made it! The Gibb River rd is officially ticked off the 'bucket list'! The Gibb River rd is a much hyped (and even notorious) 4wd track from one side of W.A.to the other, across the remote Kimberley region beginning for us in Kunnunura and finishing in Derby. There is of course a perfectly good, sealed road running alongside the Gibb but that is for 'caravanners' and mere mortals:)We spent 10 days exploring the Gibb River rd, and actually found it to be much less challenging than the 'hype'. Some sections of the road are in the process of being sealed and graded so much less thrills and spills than anticipated. The main reason tourists drive along the Gibb is to see the remote gorges/ waterfalls that populate this harsh landscape. The first stop, was the famous El Questro station, over a million acres of spectacular land that they luckily share with the uber-rich and us scruffy camper types also. El Questro have an ultra slick marketing arm, so the campsite and gorges were pretty crowded with local/international tourists. We had a long walk into the spectacular Emma Gorge and a dip in the warm Zebeedee springs. We also did a few 4wd tracks around the property, such vast and stunning scenery.The most remote part of the Gibb is the drive further north off the road to the Mitchell Plateau. This was most definitely a heart thumping road, 5hrs of heavy corrugations, heat and dust and an overnight stop at Drysdale Station to complete the journey. The Mitchell Falls were an awesome sight- in a 'Bear Grylls' moment we caught a chopper into the falls ( it took 6mins), climbed down a cliff for some happy snaps and then stripped down for a river crossing to start the walk (this was all before 8.15 in the morning). As Alice said " this is like a real adventure", sure felt like it!We explored the Manning gorge, that involved yet another river crossing, this time with a small boat and an interesting pulley system ( see pic). A stunning waterfall and beautiful plunge pool was our reward at the end of the walk. The Bell gorge was another beautiful cascading waterfall past wonderfully smooth rocks and meandering creeks. The Silent Grove campsite here was particularly pretty, set amongst huge boulders and shady trees.Towards the Derby end of the Gibb, the kids were excited to explore the Tunnel Creek N.P. The tunnel was a hangout of a famous Aboriginal man on the run from the law. The walk involved a 1km long tunnel crossing through a cave system, wading though freezing waters and negotiating a dark passage with our torch. We saw a few ghost bats and imagined a lot more lurking in the dark depths of the cave, a fun distraction and something different from all those gorges.What a great adventure, we arrived in the town of Derby in desperate need of food supplies, a washing machine and a hot shower. We were feeling pretty chuffed with our outback challenge complete, until we started chatting to some ladies who just finished riding their pushbikes along the length of the Gibb...amazing.We are currently enjoying the beautiful turquoise waters of Broome, more from here later...