Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Bahrain may rightly retain the title of the Island of Pearls but Down Under there is another delightful destiny full of oyster beds hoping to attract visitors from the kingdom.
The Kimberley, in the north-eastern part of the state of Western Australia, is remote and still largely untravelled. Tourists who venture to the region will find a wild and tropical land full of surprises.
An ideal starting point for the journey is the town of Broome, on the Indian Ocean. A two-hour flight north from Perth, it was established around 1880, when abundant pearl-oyster beds were discovered off the coast.
Some pearl dealers’ houses remain, as does Broome’s Chinatown with its restaurants. The town’s Cable Beach, stretching more than 20km, is one of Australia’s most beautiful and the site of a natural spectacle five times a year: “Staircase to the Moon.”
At low tide under a full moon, that is what the light’s reflection makes the beach appear to be.
Broome, which has about 14,000 inhabitants, is a big city for Janice Bell. She and her two children operate Barn Hill, a cattle station in the Kimberleys not far from Broome. They have some 10,000 head of cattle on a piece of property that is 30km wide and 80km long.
“We’ve got a radio telephone, otherwise we’re on our own,” Bell said.
Once a year the “road trains” roll in – multi-axle lorries so long and heavy that they are hardly able to brake for either animals or tourists. The lorries take the fattened-up cattle away to be slaughtered.
Some cattle stations in the Kimberleys, a domain of cattle barons for only a few generations, are as big as sovereign European states. Gibb River Road, about 670km long, traverses merely 11 properties. It was built for the transportation of animals from the widely scattered cattle stations to the ports en route to the slaughterhouses.
The road, which links the towns of Derby and Wyndham, is a popular tourist route nowadays. After rainfalls it can be nearly impassable, however. During the monsoon season it is usually closed.
In any event, Gibb River Road should be travelled with four-wheel-drive vehicles only. Provisions for several days are essential.
People wanting just a small sample of the big Gibb River Road adventure can take the “tourist loop.” It runs from Derby to the turnoff at the Fairfield-Leopold Downs Road, then past Windjana Gorge to the paved Great Northern Highway. The trip can be completed in a single day.
Those who choose to travel the entire length of Gibb River Road should plan on three to four days.
Interesting sights appear right outside Derby. The region is known for its bottle-like boab trees, whose swollen trunks make them easy to spot. The most famous is the hollow Prison Tree. Thought to be more than 1,000 years old, and with a trunk whose circumference is 14m, it once served as a police lockup for Aborigines.
The first section of Gibb River Road is tarred. The road passes through a savannah landscape dotted with boab and eucalyptus trees, bushes and high grass. It then deteriorates into a dusty, corrugated track. There are numerous creek crossings to negotiate.
Over the Lennard River is a bridge, however. A further 25km down the road awaits a gorge with a waterfall and natural pool, beckoning travellers to have a swim.
The turnoff for the Mount Hart Wilderness Lodge appears at km no. 184, followed by a rough stretch of road passable only for four-wheel-drive vehicles. A diversion to Bell Gorge, one of the most beautiful in the Kimberleys, is worth it.
Continuing on to Wyndham, tourists come upon the turnoff to Kalumburu. This track also leads to Drysdale River National Park. One of Australia’s most remote national parks, it can be reached only via walking trails.
Those who do not leave Gibb River Road get a nice view, at km no. 579, of the Cockburn Ranges, the Cambridge Gulf and the Pentecost and Durack rivers.
Probably the best-known stop is another 20km down the road: El Questro Wilderness Park. Among the attractions of this vast cattle station are spectacular gorges and hot springs.
A walk through Emma Gorge is also a must. From there it is just 100km or so to the end of Gibb River Road in the town of Wyndham.
Before heading northeast to Darwin, tourists should take in the Bungle Bungle Range, south of El Questro. Purnululu National Park, including the Bungle Bungles, is a Unesco World Heritage site. Purnululu means “sandstone” in the language of the Kija Aborigines, who are native to the area.
Internet: www.australia.com; www.westernaustralia.com
By Detlef Berg
