FriendlyBrooks

Fourteen days of bumps, corrugations, falls and unforgettable places

Lance Brooks, driving the Gibb, July 2026

We knew we needed to be prepared for the Gibb River Road GRR and we thought we were, but there’s always something. It’s known as the bone rattling caravan wrecker for a reason. It’s also an incredible, iconic,  not to be missed journey.

It was a 4 hour drive from Lombadina to Derby, with only a fuel stop and a rest stop in between. On the way into Derby we stopped at the Prison Boab Tree, where they used to chain Aboriginals, not at all nice!  We did the shopping and got some information then drove around through the marshland sculpture park and visited the jetty.

It was getting late but we were finally starting the Gibb River road. Luckily we were only going 20km to Birdwood downs station. This is one of many cattle stations that offer accommodation. This one also sells delicious beef so we bought a tomahawk steak for dinner. It was delicious.

Our first morning on the GRR we started by first driving back about 8kms to the The Mowanjum Aboriginal Art & Culture Centre. They had an exhibition of paintings which we liked so much that we bought one. There was also a very informative museum about the community and their history. We also spoke for a long time with the manager who explained more about the history, culture and the 3 tribes of the area. We ended up spending nearly 3 hours there.

Once we were finally on the road we had a 2.5 hour drive to the next campsite at Windjana gorge. Although the GRR is harsh its actually bitumen until the turnoff to Windjana. Its a 30km dirt road to Windjana, so we had to let our tyres down (25psi for those interested). When we got out to do this we couldn’t find the compressor gauge tool. Lance thought he must have left it back on the Dampier Peninsula! We searched all over the car, pulled everything out and started calling the one tyre mechanic on the GRR to see if he might help us. Just as we were pondering what we should do, Lance found it in the picnic bag! Unbelievable! Anyway we let the tyres down and drove 30km to the campground. We found a beautiful spot right near the dramatic cliffs and set up just before 4pm. Lance had a meeting to do so I decided to walk into the gorge a little way. I stopped to look at the crocodiles in the river and chatted to a woman who wasn’t able to walk any further. While I was still chatting, Lance appeared as his meeting was over quickly. We walked to the end of the gorge together – not far only about 1.5km. We walked back watching the sunset through the gorge and spoke with the Aboriginal park rangers. We had the second tomahawk steak for dinner that night.

We got up early to get to the gorge for sunrise, which of course came half an hour late due to the high cliffs. We walked back and packed up and drove 39km further down the road to Tunnel Creek. 

Tunnel Creek is a short but exciting walk as it involves walking through a pitch black tunnel 750metres, wading through thigh high water that houses freshwater crocodiles. A torch is a basic requirement. We didn’t see (or feel) any crocs and the walk was a spectacular adventure. The tunnel goes through a limestone cliff and many ancient cave features are still visible. At the end we were treated to a peaceful creek where we stopped for a while before making our way back through the dark.

It was a 2.5 hour drive to the next campsite but as usual it took us longer 4 hours. Along the way we stopped for a picnic lunch at a supposed historic site, then drove over the Napier ranges in the Western Kimberly where we stopped at a number of viewpoints. There were a few minor creek crossings on the Gibb of but on the road into Silent Grove campground there were 3 reasonably deep and rocky creeks to cross. I am pleased to say that both the car and the van made it through easily and Lance drove superbly.  By the time we arrived at the campground it was almost dark and the campground was packed. We managed to find a spot amongst the trees and all the other vans. Children played hide and seek under our van. School holidays had arrived!

We had a whole day to spend at the beautiful Bell Gorge. We had a leisurely breakfast and then drove 10km over several more creek crossings to the start of the walk. It was an easy 1.5km walk to the top of the waterfall. Then it was a difficult climb down steep slippery rocks to a magnificent large pool at the bottom of the falls. There were several more pools to explore. All the pools were deep and fresh. We spent most of the day there. The campground was pumping again that night.

The next day we had a little over 2 hours to get to the next campground but along the way there were two beautiful gorges to visit. The first one was Adcock Gorge which required a 4km drive down a rocky track. Most people left their vans at the start of the track (or didn’t go at all) but we managed it easily with our trusty Ulti.  The gorge contains another beautiful swimming pool with waterfall and (harmless) freshwater crocodiles. The next was the popular Galvans. Gorge which is easily accessible from the road and 1km hike. This is an extremely pretty gorge and there is a Windjana painted on the rock wall.

We arrived at Mt Barnett Roadhouse at 2.30pm. i know that because that’s exactly when the kitchen closes for their famous Barnett Burgers. We had to settle for chicken strips and chips instead. We also refuelled for the first time in over 400km, refilled water and bought a few very basic supplies. We also booked a campsite for 2 nights. The total bill for this stop was over $400, including $280 worth of petrol. When we arrived at Manning Gorge campground 7km away we were met with the biggest crowd we have seen to date. There must have been 500 people there, at least. We drove right to the very end of the campground, a good kilometre away and found a lovely spot overlooking the creek, and only a small number of vans near us. After we set up we walked along the creek bed in the shallows and then through the campground to the main swimming hole. We had a swim as the sun set and checked out where we would start the hike in the morning. We went back to the campsite and started a fire, the first we could have in a while. We also enjoyed watching the Tour de France.

The hike to Manning Gorge is 2.5km and starts with a 100m swim across the creek, putting your belongings in a blue tub. The hike starts with a steady uphill walk for a kilometre or so. While we were doing this, miraculously the phone rang and I had a long conversation with my Mum. It was nice to speak with her and feel connected to her while we were so far away. Onwards and over the hill and there’s a strep rocky slippery climb down to the pool and waterfall. This pool is a favourite for many people, especially families as there is a large pool and lots of rocks to jump off. Lance and I both enjoyed a dive off one of the smaller rock platforms. We stayed most of the day, as it was really beautiful and we had our picnic lunch there as well. While we were at lunch there was great excitement amongst the children as a snake slithered across the rocks. It was fun watching the fathers tell their kids not to get too close as they themselves got closer and closer. As did Lance, which was good as he got some great photos.

Eventually it was time to leave the water hole and hike back the 2.5km . We hung around the swimming hole for a couple of hours, relaxing in the sun. We enjoyed another fire and watched the Tour de France.

We hung around the campsite until about 11am as this is one of the few places that doesn’t rush people out.  Lance did some work while I caught up on all the World Cup games from the weekend. Once we had packed up we stopped by the water hole for a final swim. We got back to the roadhouse in time to order two Barnett Burgers and fill the water. Luckily we only had an hour and a half drive to our next stop.

We drove into Mt Elizabeth Station MTE just before 4pm. Again it was very popular but there was plenty of room and we found a spot in a large paddock with only one other van. MTE has a very nice bar area with shady lawns. They serve burgers and tacos most nights but we didn’t have that as we already had our dinner ready. We had a drink watching the sun go down instead.

Mt Elizabeth has a few good 4WD tracks and one of them is ranked as extreme. It leads to a spectacular gorge and waterfall and as the woman at reception said, it would be a shame to come this far to MTE without doing that track. So we set off on our 12km adventure. And it surely was an adventure, driving over large boulders and rocks, at times on very steep gradients of 35⁰. Lance used all is skills and lessons negotiating the track and the Prado handled it with ease. It was actually great 😊. Once at the end of the 4WD track there’s a 1.7km walk to the swimming hole. Somehow we took the wrong track (we followed white markers instead of blue). The track ended up being a little longer, steeper and rockier than anticipated but eventually we found the swimming hole by following the river. We were rewarded with another huge deep pool with waterfall and jumping rocks. The GRR keeps giving and giving.  Our walk back was easier, by following the blue markers. And the drive out was every bit as much fun. We stopped at a smaller, tamer water hole along the way.

After lunch we visited the other gorge on the property – Warla. It is accessed by another 19km drive but way less challenging. The gorge itself is quite different,  with wide open areas and a sandy beach. We arrived back at the station in time for me to have a delicious hot shower where I could wash my hair. Then we joined the station dinner where you sit at long tables and enjoy the delicious home grown roast beef and salads we sat with a lovely couple who were doing the GRR for the second time and visiting all the places they missed the first time.

Our next stop was Drysdale Station just a couple of hours away. The plan was to stay at Drysdale a night, leave the van and drive to Mitchell Falls and camp as we have packed our tent and camping gear for such occasions, then hike up to the falls and camp along the road back before picking up the van a couple of days later. But the GRR had other plans for us. The GRR between Mt Elizabeth and the Kalumburu turn off was rough with washouts and corrugations shaking us. Once we turned into the Kalumburu road the conditions improved somewhat as the grader had been through. Only 5km along is a beautiful waterhole at the Gibb River crossing. It’s also a rather nice free camp which we would like to go back to. After our swim we carried on up the road. We passed the grader and thanked him for the great job he was doing (using our CB radio which is now working). Once we passed the grader though, the corrugations became intense again. Whilst driving along we spotted a couple whose van had broken its axle. They assured us that they were fine and we would see them at Drysdale. We felt so sorry for them.

When we arrived at Drysdale Lance wanted to get one of our tyres checked as he was worried it was shredding. First we chose a spot to camp and while we were unpacking we found that the stairs had lost a bolt and were no longer attached properly. This was a little upsetting but we decided to keep setting up and see if we could fix it later. So Lance went to get the tyre fixed while I finished the setup. While I was doing that I stupidly stepped on the step that was broken, then I fell with it and scraped my shin badly. I looked down and saw a lot of blood. Damn! No one was around so I had to walk about 200m with blood pouring out of my leg. When I found Lance he was a little shocked at what he saw. What i thought was scraped was much deeper and longer than i had initially thought. He asked the girl from the station reception, Jane, for some water to clean up my leg. When she looked at it she wouldn’t give it to me but said I had to walk another 100m to the office where she would call the Royal Flying Doctors (RFDS). Until we spoke to them we were not to touch it. The doctor at the RFDS was lovely but he suggested that we get to a hospital. When we told him that it was a 2 day drive away he talked Lance and Jane through how to clean the wound. Lance did an amazing job using all his Life Saving first aid skills. The doctor was quite impressed when we showed him the cleaned leg via text and photos. He then instructed them on how to dress the wound and prescribed antibiotics which were in the station medical chest. Lance even got to use the steri strips from our very well equipped first aid kit. The doctor then told me to get to the hospital in Kunnunurra within 72 hours. The service from the RFDS is incredible. They have always been one of my favourite charities, as a former client, and seeing the job they do first hand as a patient was a privilege and understandable how important they are to regional and remote communities across Australia.

At this point we felt the trip was taking a severe beating we commiserated with our friends with the broken axle and rethought our plans. Firstly we booked into a room, which was basic but nice, so I didn’t have to negotiate the broken stairs again. Then we had dinner in the bar and after a meal and a good night’s sleep our prospects seemed better. When we woke up we decided to take a scenic flight over Mitchell Falls since camping and hiking was now out of the question. We booked it for late in the afternoon and decided to stay another night in the basic room so I could keep my leg up.

We boarded the 4 seater plane at 2.30pm. After 2 and a half hours of incredible scenery we returned as the sun was setting. Our little incident gave us the opportunity to take one of the best experiences you can have in the area, in fact anywhere it is absolutely magnificent country. We flew over Prince Regent National Park, an area where there are no roads and all the way up the coast to Mitchell Falls. We flew along the coast over gorges and waterfalls and finally over Mitchell Falls themselves. We were in awe for the whole trip. What luck that I had injured myself.

After 2 unplanned nights at Drysdale it was time to say goodbye to the fantastic staff. I will always be grateful to Jane and her manager Lolo for their care. We drove back down the Kalumburu road which was now fully graded and smooth. We stopped at Gibb River crossing and Lance, sadly not me, had a swim. Then we drove to Ellenbrae station to try their famous scones. Apparently they serve 21,000 scones a year and the season only goes from May to September. Eating scones in  that beautiful manicured garden was a treat but let me tell you the scones were not as good as those served at the shop tower in Taroona near Kingston, Tasmania who may have sampled that delight. Lance had a swim in the water hole which was nice enough but I didn’t feel like I missed anything.

We drove on and after about an hour we hit bitumen as we drove over beautiful hilly country. We stopped at a lookout to admire the incredible Cockburn ranges for the first time. While we were taking photos there was a couple doing the same thing. The man offered to take a photo for us and took great care to get some very beautiful pictures. Turns out he is a professional photographer and we gained a magnificent panorama shot of us standing in front of the Cockburn ranges which we would never have gotten without him.

We headed into Home Valley station where we decided to lash out for a private cabin, as it was still difficult to use the stairs, and my leg was still pretty painful. We hung around for an hour or so before dinner in their restaurant where we watched the Swans lose to Adelaide

Leaving home valley we only had an hour and a half drive to get to Kunnunurra. First we had to cross the mighty Pentecost river, which is a wide and somewhat deep river.  On this day however it was quite a simple process, as river crossings go. We drove to the start/end of the GRR and took our photos. We had completed the road but we would be back as we were still going to El Questro after our unplanned Kunnunurra stopover. After the photo op we hot footed it to Kunnunurra as needed to get to the hardware store to buy a step ladder while we waited for the part to arrive to fix our stairs. It was Saturday and shops close at midday in the North West.