Day 35 – Kunanurra to El Questro

WWe rose early – light and noise from other campers woke both of us not long after 5 and I was up not long before 5:30. After showering and dressing, I had breakfast, repacked ARTIE for travelling on roughish roads and then we broke camp. I wandered over to the kitchen to do some internet work (booking a flight, accommodation in Broome and checking up on friends. We finally left the park about 9:15, did some shopping in town and were off to El Questro by 9:30, after filling ARTIE at Shell. The drive along the Victoria Highway was uneventful. We turned off onto the Gibb River Road and soon after came across a lookout. The views were good and we had some morning tea there. We chatted to another couple (matching tops) but left soon after as it became crowded when another vehicle pulled up. We called into Emma Gorge but there was only the walk (a bit warm by then) and room accommodation. We went onto El Questro and ended up booking for two nights. After selecting a spot, we set up the tent, had some lunch and then by 1:30 headed off to Explosion Hole / Branko’s Lookout. The crossing over the Chamberlain River was a little rugged and the road didn’t improve after, so I turned around and we went to pigeon Hole Lookout. This gave stunning views over the Pentecost River to the north and the Chamberlain and Pentecost Rivers to the south. The road and the river crossings were a lot easier than the others. On the way back we spoke briefly to a vehicle travelling up there and told them of the stunning views. Back at camp we unwound a little, got an ice cream (had to go up as they melted even coming out of the shop) and finally back to camp about 4:40. Lynn went to do some washing (not much of an opportunity now for the next week). Currently plans are to be in Derby for Tuesday 23rd August as we’ve paid for a flight and boat ride over the Horizontal Falls on Wednesday 24th and I’ve already booked into the YHA in Broome for the evenings of 25 – 27 August. To give you an idea, since we entered the Territory, days have been very warm (32°C to 38°C) but evenings have been warm and muggy (if cloudy) or cool and dry (if the skies were clear). Generally the days have been cool until 9, then become warmer until sunset. We had some tea and then went to bed.