Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek

7 August - Windjana Gorge

Windjana Gorge, Lillimooloora Police Station and Tunnel Creek on the map.

The sign at the entrance to the Gorge tells us that, the "Lennard River has carved a 4 km Gorge through the limestone of the Napier Range which is part of an extensive fossilised barrier reef from the Devonian times, 360 million years ago." 

The Devonian Reef is a distinctive feature of the Kimberley; the limestone range stands high above the surrounding plain of savannah woodlands and grasslands. It is truly majestic. 

View from our campite.

Windjana isn't a Gorge where you get to luxuriate in cool waters - it is the territory of crocodiles. "Freshies" as they are, there are still warning notices around telling us not to swim here - and there's also a photo of a mangled foot, courtesy of a croc, on a notice board. On our early morning walk we saw about two dozen crocs sunning themselves on the banks of the river however another camper told us, "there are hundreds of them later in the day - you just walk through them!"

Crocs sunning themselves on the opposite river bank.

The walls of the Windjana Gorge abruptly rise out of the wide, sandy flood plains to stand over 100 metres in some places above the river. Apart from the cultural significance to the local Aboriginal people, the Park is of world geological significance and is apparently the "premier place in Australia for viewing freshwater crocodiles". The leaflet tells us that the crocs feed on crustaceans, frogs, fish and small reptiles, water birds (like George, the crocodile at Kununurra did) and small mammals. They lay about 20 eggs at the end of the dry season, but floods, hot weather and predators such as goannas and dingoes mean that only about 1% survive. 

Tunnel Creek

We drove from Windjana Gorge down the road to Tunnel Creek and the view before us was spectacular - black, orange and white cliffs raised up out of the earth.  Tunnel Creek flows through a water-torn tunnel beneath the limestone of the Napier Range. The Range is part of an extensive fossilised barrier reef from Devonian times (360 million years ago). 

The magnificence of the Range.

Cave warning sign.

We made our way into the tunnel clambering over huge boulders, after removing our back packs and shimmying between the huge rocks.

Entrance to the tunnel.

Walking through calf deep water my feet froze, John's were not so cold he said, but they were wrapped in reef shoes. We smelt the bats before we saw them, tiny little fruit bats, unlike the huge ones that fly overhead at home. A goanna came out to greet us as we passed by. 

Our torches highlighted the red in the crocodile's eyes that we spotted as they nestled under the waterfall about half way along the tunnel. 

During the 1890's an Aboriginal freedom fighter, Jandamarra and other Bunuba warriors used Tunnel Creek as a hideout from police capture for nearly three years. 

At Lillimooloora Polic Outpost, Jandamarra, conflicted between his indigenous heritage and being part of the law, initiated Bunuba armed resistance by shooting the local Constable, taking weapons and distributing them to the Aboriginal prisoners he then released.  

Remains of the Lillimooloora Police Outpost.

In April 1897 Jandamarra was shot and killed by an Aboriginal police tracker at this exit to the creek. 

John at the creek exit on the far side.

Wednesday 9 August

Leaving Windjana Gorge heading for Derby we are still amazed that the Devonian Reef exists - that it rose out of such a flat land. The yellow-flowered Kapok trees still dot the landscape and the trees alongside the road look sad and bedraggled covered as they are in the thick red dust of the Gibb River Road. 

We only have about 80 km to go now until our GRR journey will come to an end. I will miss it. I have absolutely loved every minute of it: the Gorges; the clambering over the rocks and wading through thigh-high water to get to the waterfalls and water holes; the people we have met; the campgrounds we have enjoyed and the experiences along the way at the outback stations and roadhouses have all been wonderful and opened my eyes to the vast expanse of the inside of Australia. I will miss not  acknowledging oncoming drivers with a small wave of the hand, or the obligatory raising of a finger or two as a fellow GRR traveller. 

Now, we are hankering for a laundry - it's been over a week since we've been able to do any clothes washing and like Cat's jeans on the Oodnadatta Track, our shorts could walk by themselves!  And we're out of beer, white wine and bubbles a truly sad state of affairs.