September 2022 - Travel nut

El Questro

Located about 100km from Kununurra in East Kimberley, EL Questro is a popular destination for anyone travelling on the Gibb River Road, as well as for many more tourists entering from the east of Western Australia. This 700,000 acre private property is home to some amazing gorges, thermal springs, adventurous drives, hiking trails and dramatic lookouts. We spent 3 nights there which was not enough to see everything this amazing place has to offer. Below are the places we have visited (and we’ll be back in the future to see and experience the rest!).

Branko’s Lookout

Branko’s Lookout is 10km from El Questro Station. Somewhat moderate to difficult 4WD only track crosses Chamberlain River, which is wide and very rocky. It takes a few minutes just to cross the river itself. Going slow, with the right tyre pressure and gear selection, it is a challenging but actually very fun drive.

The scenery on both sides, as you go through the crossing, is quite beautiful. Branko’s Lookout is the highest lookout on El Questro property. The climb to the summit is steep and the track is narrow (there are pockets to go to, if there is an oncoming traffic).

If the drive to the Lookout is fun, the view from the Lookout is spectacular beyond words. Visiting this place just before sunset is the best. Then you can see sun casting its rays onto the Cockburn Range with the S-curve of the Pentecost River below.

The river, and Branko’s Lookout in particular, is a popular place to spot salt water crocodiles. Sure enough, we did see a few of them there.

Pigeon Hole Lookout

Pigeon Hole Lookout is 5,5km drive from El Questro station and is less challenging than Branko’s Lookout. There is a small river crossing on the way to the lookout. After that, it is quite an easy drive all the way up, with the steep ascent at the very end of the track.

The time when the sun goes down is quite magical.

This is when the sun, just behind the horizon line, casts an array of colours onto the sky, which get reflected on the surface. The colours change rapidly from blue, to orange, to red, pink, making it one of the best times to take scenic photos.

When there are a lot of vehicles driving through the place on a dirt road, the dust stays up in the air for a while. In the dusk it creates a spooky feeling of being in a fairy tale.

Amalia Gorge

Amalia Gorge is a 3,4km return, hiking trail in El Questro. It is one of the less popular gorges, probably, due to the fact that the water is not flowing in dry season.

We found the track challenging due to a couple of rock-climbing places (“squeeze and climb”). One of them has now a chain installed to help you balance. While the other is still pretty much an exercise in aerobics where you have to coordinate where you put your feet and hands. It could be tricky for elderly people or if you are carrying a backpack which tends to pull you backwards 😊. We remembered that trail as a challenge to overcome.

Still we had a very enjoyable experience. The half way pool was pretty and the whole trail was quite picturesque.

Zebedee Springs

Zebedee Springs is a true oasis on the Gibb River Road. Located within El Questro, it is the easiest and shortest hiking trail on their property (only 600m return) to a series of rocky thermal pools. The thermal spring comes from a permanent supply of water deep within the earth. The water temperature is -28-32 degrees C all year round, which makes it a very pleasant and relaxing place to be, whether the weather is hot or cold. What is interesting about the trail itself is that during such a short distance, the vegetation changes from Savannah Woodland forest to Livistona Palms forest.

Zebedee Springs is only open to public from 7am to 12pm. We expected this to a super busy place during the school holidays in July. However, there are a number of rock pools and there might be one empty just for you (or for us, in our experience), especially if you climb higher.

Emma Gorge

Emma Gorge is the most spectacular of all gorges we visited. As it is on the Gibb River Road itself, there is a separate post about it, which you can read here.

Emma Gorge

Emma Gorge is one of the most spectacular gorges (and personally, my favourite) on the Gibb River Road. It is a definite “must to see” attraction. It is easily accessible, only 2km off the Gibb River Road, close to Kununurra. Located on El Questro property, permit is required to visit Emma Gorge (like any other attractions within El Questro). The walk to the gorge is classified Grade 4, which is moderate, 3,2km return. It has some big and smaller rocks to scramble, occasional steep climbs but generally a very pleasant hike with beautiful scenery.

There are a few small pools with clear emerald water on the way.

One of the pools on the way to Emma Gorge

One of them is home to a fresh water crocodile that is often seen there.

The end of the hiking trail is the most impressive sight to behold with the waterfall dropping from 65-meter-high rock into a big waterhole, enclosed on three sides by red cliffs. This creates the impression and acoustics of being in an amphitheater. The water is cold but there is a thermal spring on the right side of the gorge. Did we swim? Yes, we did – although it was more like a dip followed by sitting at the hot spring, which was too busy for us to take a picture without other people in it.

Manning Gorge

Manning Gorge is one of the most beautiful gorges along the Gibb River Road in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Roughly halfway the Gibb River Road, it is 7km from Mt Barnett Roadhouse. You need to purchase a permit to visit the Gorge (at Mt Barnett Roadhouse). It is included in the cost if you stay at Manning Gorge campground.

Getting to Manning Gorge

Getting to the gorge is a bit tricky and will require probably half a day for a return trip. The most interesting and fascinating thing about this gorge is that you would first need to cross Manning Creek to get to the other side of the trail.

You can either swim 100 meters across (if you don’t mind the cold water and fresh water crocodiles which inhibit the creek 😊). Or you can use the plastic boat, provided by the campground to pull yourself along the ropes to the other side. If you swim, there are plastic drums to put your belongings to get across to the other side.

The hiking trail is approximately 3km one way. It starts as an easy track but not so clearly marked, so it is easy to get lost. Unlike many other hiking trails that follow the creek, this trail goes overland and has hardly any shade.

It gets more challenging with many steep rocks to climb and steep inclines, which get even harder towards the end. The good thing is that when you get to the swim hole, you are in for a treat with one of the best views on the Gibb River.

The waterfall is multi- tiered and the swimming area is very large. It can be tricky to get in, as the edges are slippery and the rocks are quite big.

One thing that we learnt during this hike was to always carry at least some high energy snacks and plenty of drinks. We could have stayed longer at the waterfall, if we had some food with us to feed hungry children. 😊

Hungry but happy family at Manning Gorge

Adcock Gorge and Galvans Gorge

Adcock Gorge and Galvans Gorge are among the most spectacular gorges along the Gibb River Road.

Adcock Gorge

We travelled the Gibb River Road from west to east (from Derby) and Adcock Gorge was only a short detour on our way. It is one of the lesser known and much quieter gorges on the Gibb River Road but still worth a visit, if you have time. Located on Mt House station property (between turn off to Mornington and Mt Barnett Roadhouse), it is 5km off the Gibb River Road, accessible via a 4WD track. We did manage to pull our caravan but we wouldn’t tow a big caravan there because the track is quite rough.

We parked just before the creek crossing and decided to walk the remaining part of the track (only 200meters or so). It didn’t look like towing a caravan through the creek with lots of rocks was a good idea. Also, the parking space after you cross the creek is quite small. So you might not have enough space to park or turn around if you tow anything past that creek.

The trail goes along and through the creek, where you can admire lilies and spot some fishes.

It is a relatively short and easy trail ending at the green pool. It is suitable for swimming, although fresh water crocodiles are often seen there. We decided to stay dry until we reach the next gorge (Galvans Gorge). It would have been nice to see the water flowing in Adcock Gorge. Being the dry season in July, it wasn’t the case. With the water flowing there, some people claim it to be the prettiest gorge on the Gibb River Road.

Galvans Gorge

Galvans Gorge is the most accessible gorge on the Gibb River Road. Close to Mt Barnett, it is only 1km off the road. This makes it a great rest stop along the Gibb River Road. The hiking trail follows the path of the creek, is easy and quite pretty with a few boab trees along the way.

The short trail ends at the swim hole, fed by a small multi layered waterfall.

A big boab tree on top of the gorge, next to the waterfall makes it look very unique.

Big baob tree at the top of the waterfall at Galvans gorge

Being so easily accessible, Galvans Gorge is, of course, very popular, so I had to wait for a while before I could take a picture like this :).

Wildflowers along Great Northern Hwy

When you travel along the Great Northern Hwy in winter months, you might be able to see quite a variety of wildflowers. So keep an eye on the beauty that grows along the road. The variety of colours and shapes of the wildflowers in season is amazing. These pretty wildflowers (Rhodante chlorocphala splendida or Splendid Everlasting) are growing in Mid West region of WA, along Great Northern Hwy, between Newman and Paynes Find.