The day started in the King Leopold Ranges, and the Gibb River Road was to take us up and through them. Most notable because the road over is bitumen, not because they are of any real size. It did however let us get a good view of the plains surrounding.
Down the other side and back into serious beef country. Napier Downs seems to take it seriously, and it must have been at least 30km across.
A brief diversion into Lennard Gorge, another steep sided cutting with waterfalls and rock pools, but no swimming this time. The track notes warn you to stay out of the gorge because “once in, the options for getting out again are limited.” Unseasonably warm for the last week according to the local ranger, and today that walk was hot.
Napier Creek also saw us into the Devonian Reef country that we will stay with for the next few days. This is an ancient coral reef which grew upward as the seabed fell over millions of years. It is estimated that it grew to a height of 2km before the land lifted again and the seas retreated. This part of the reef is seen at Napier Downs, Windjana Gorge (where we are camped tonight), Tunnel Creek and Giekie Gorge, on the agenda for the next two days. The reef continues out into the Timor Sea and makes landfall again at the other end of the Kimberley, near Kunnunurra.
Windjana Gorge was probably a tidal break in the coral reef and became Lennard River which carved the gorge into the shape we see today. It is a spectacular limestone formation, but it is also notable as the place most likely for viewing freshwater crocodiles. It did not disappoint.
Back in fly country again, the likes of which we hadn’t really seen since Kakadu. This photo is as requested by my brother.
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