gibb river road

The Gibb River Road adventure is now the most spectacular outback adventure left in all of Australia.No other attraction embodies the isolation, the distances, the road conditions, Australian colonial history, Aboriginal cultural diversity and the most amazing scenery like the Kimberley in the far away north of Western Australia.There are increasingly few places left in the world, in fact, where an authentic remote, long distance trek can be made so safely and with so many completely uniquely spectacular and immersing experiences to be had in the same general area.Nowhere else in Australia can you visit national park areas with no recorded extinctions of any biota ... flora or fauna ... from the time of European annexation and intact lists of birdlife, animal inhabitants and completely endemic flora regimes from desert conditions right through to tropical rainforest stands where plants that date back to Gondwanan times prevail intact.The Northern Kimberley ranges are really like a time capsule packed full of relics of former aeons and ages and they are being managed and presented as best as is possible under very harsh circumstances to anyone who cares to investigate fully before arrival.From the vast vistas of the Leopold Road in the south through the winding gorges and savannah woodlands of the King Leopolds and Kimberley Plateau to the haunting mysteries of the palm forests and ancient rock art of the Mitchell Plateau; the "Gibb River Road" experience that is truly a 'once in a lifetime' adventure and one that should be completely enjoyed as such.BUT this is certainly not a stroll in the park and should be approached with all the preparation that an outback trek of this intensity demands ... and more! Tools, spares, communications, water supplies etc. etc. should all be in working readiness or you court disaster, though not, we would hope, fatal ... any shortfalls in preparations could make for an expensive drain on your rewarding experience of this wonderful land.So the catchphrase is BE SELF-CONTAINED and never underestimate the punishing power of corrugations over long distances.Speed on gravel roads is NOT as necessary as many misled pundits make out. These days many people ruin their holiday through trying too hard to make self imposed timetables that are unrealistic, causing themselves and others around them no end of frustration and trouble.Take your time before you arrive and during your drive ... don't try to break land speed records ... drive steadily and carefully ... take plenty of rest breaks and ENJOY THE TRAVEL as it should be enjoyed!There are literally little roadside stops everywhere to pull up and boil the billy and breath in the sweet Kimberley air. That's what a trek of this nature is all about ... NOT a "blink and you miss it" type of harrowing rush that puts you high of the list of possible casualties of the notorious Gibb River Road. So if there is ONE THING I can advise to you, the traveller, coming from a resident and long-time traveller of this road ... plan ahead with plenty of time ... have 2 or 3 days 'up your sleeve' for the inevitable beautiful spots that just scream out for and extra night or extra day of adventure or just plain relaxation.So many people drive away from the Gibb River Road cursing that they didn't allow more time and vowing to return to finish the trek "properly, one day". Sadly, for many, "one day" never happens!The list of places and things to do and see is literally daunting so I have deliberately NOT attempted that in this post ... another review altogether would be necessary for that. BUT there are plenty of resources online, in publications and, of course, the extensive travel books that can give you plenty of advance information ... and then add MORE TIME ... you will need it!So if there is anything I would happily wish you for this trek it's plenty of time, plenty of driving caution, plenty of stops to look and see and plenty of smiles ! This is one region you need to really be prepared for to enjoy to the full and if you do you will be guaranteed the total immersion into a world like no other on earth with a lifetime of memories that will stay with you forever.

The 660km drive from Derby to Kununurra along the Gibb River road is alot easier these days then it used to be 15 years ago.The first 119km is bitumen and most of the road is alot smoother in may parts as there alot of road works and upgrades going on consistently.There are still some very bad corrugations though and obviously they will be worse just after the wet.There are so many Gorges, Camping spots and Stations along this road to visit, detour to, and spend time in.From Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek, Bell Gorge to some of the private stays at the stations we stayed in including: Mount Elizabeth, Ellenbrae and even the tourist ones, like Home Valley and El-Questro and many others.This is one of THE BEST longer term trips you can pursue.The main thing is; ensure your car is in tip top condition and you carry the right tools and spares.The link below has alot of great information on everything you need to know from preparation, road conditions, camping, gorges and a whole lot more.http://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/gibb-river-road.html

We were fortunate to drive this road as maintenance was progressing making it a reasonably pleasant experience. I believe we could have done it without a 4WD vehicle, but whatever you drive it will be tested by the corrugations in some sections.But the scenery is unique & unforgettable. Too many places to describe.If you are considering driving in the Kimberlies buy the download book "Destination Kimberley" by Brigit Bradtke, it contains everything you need to know.

For those who love the wilderness and all it has to offer, driving the Gibb River Road is a must. It is definitely 4WD stuff only but you will be astounded by the sheer size and beauty of the Kimberley's. We took 8 days to drive from Kununurra to Broome, stopping at El Questro, Mt Elisabeth, Mornington Wilderness and Bell Gorge Wilderness Camp. Next time we will stay longer at places like Mornington. The fauna, flora and geology of the region are just breathtaking. Start or end you trip with a tour down the Ord River. Add the trip to your bucket list.

Not usually a camper but we hired a Britz 4WD camper and travelled on the Gibb River Road in June this year.This was our first trip to Northern Australia and what a great time we had, there lots to see and do.The highlights were the gorges (be prepared for a bit of walking), Galvin Gorge is a little gem as its quite close to the road and has a great swimming hole The devonshire tea at Ellenbrae. Loved El Questro.The drive can be rough in spots but in the right vehicle its not too daunting.

Gibbs River Road is an alternate, largely un-sealed route from Derby to Kununurra in Western Australia. It provides a great in-sight to some of outback Australia. Its off-shoots are where it becomes even more interesting with the likes of Drysdale Homestead and Mitchell Falls, with numerous sites for viewing aboriginal rock art along the way, and birds and flowers at every stop-off.We travelled with Outback Spirit which made it much easier with a professional driver.

Enjoyed all the attractions along the gibb river road, except our stay at mt Barnett roadhouse, the accommodation and service there was terrible. We do no recommend anyone to stay there. One of the places that stood out that we stayed at was ellenbrae station, lovely paradise in the middle of nowhere... The hosts were really friendly, food was all homemade and accom was perfect. Bell gorge, Emma gorge and el questro gorge are 3 gorges not to miss. We enjoyed this voyage.

We spent some time on the Gibb River Road in July 2014 in a convey of 10 people, here's my review of the places we visited and stayed.The road itself is definitely 4wheel drive territory. Most of the road IS really rough, though the newly graded sections are great - a hard job for Main Roads to maintain these, so well done. Especially rough are the the access roads into stations, etc. The National Park access roads are a bit shameful, in very poor condition for Government facilities. I think some of the campsite money they get should go back to the parks themselves, not to the Department's general revenue! We did one tyre on a very rough and rocky section on the Gibb before Mt Barnett.Cable Beach Caravan Park, Broome - I posted a separate review of this. Despite a lovely pool area and being close (walking distance) to the very beautiful Cable Beach it's a horrible caravan park. It consists of line after line of dusty, rock-hard sites, it was like camping in suburbia! "Do not" signs everywhere you go. Instead of building a new admin building they need to make the place more attractive.Birdwood Station, just out of Derby - I'd say: don't bother! We stayed for 2 nights as some of our party were interested in their famed environmental sustainability - but there's nothing to see! No power, which is fine. But it's a dustbowl paddock with nothing to do, a rather grotty bbq and sink in the open, and owners who charged $22.50 PER PERSON for a one hour walking tour around the station to see some banana trees and not much else - oh, and and a cup of tea. I'd call it rip-off the tourist day - we're just glad we didn't go on their $55 a head 4WD tour. On the second day we went to the pub in Derby for lunch and free wifi!Windjana Gorge - this is a great spot, a well run National Parks site, basic but clean facilities. They could do just a little more - a sink and table by the shower facilities would cost virtually nothing and make it a lot easier to camp. I can't understand why they only provide just ground level taps with no sink or shelf - I reckon you waste more water trying to balance a bowl to keep it off the dirt while you turn off the tap, or having to wash out clothes under the shower! They also need to fix the solar water heater. If there is no hot water at midday when no-one else is in camp, then it sure doesn't work! The gorge walk is really good.Bell Gorge - Also National Park, the facilities are exactly as at Windjana, and the same comments apply. Rangers here were really friendly. There's a 10 km drive, very rough road, to the gorge carpark. The walk to the gorge itself is in two stages, the first part from the carpark to the top of the waterfall is challenging (very rocky path to negotiate), but do-able, and lovely views and swimming in little rockpools on arrival. The second part of the walk is over the hill and to the bottom of the waterfall to swim in a deep pool. While the deep pool is lovely, the walk is very difficult indeed. Mornington Sanctuary - this place really annoyed me! It's run by the Australian Wildlife Conservatory, and we were interested in their work, had planned to stay 3 nights. But they refuse to take bookings for the campsite - instead they expect you to line up at the gate and ask for admission, first come first served. But as they limit places to 50 people, that makes getting a group of 10 in rather tricky. Our group got up at 4am to break camp and drive there, only to be turned away, and told to try again in a couple of days! I would not bother returning there, despite their supposed work, as I felt their attitude and this process of admittance is arrogant and dismissive.Charnley - the rest of our our group went there instead of Mornington, and they had a great time.Mt Elizabeth station - we stayed 4 days. Still a bit dusty and no powered sites, but they tried hard to encourage grass cover and there's good shade. Their facilities are ok, hot water and wash up facilties, but a basic camp kitchen would be a good addition. Dinner at the homestead was pleasant, but I wouldn't bother again - we cook better food on a camp stove! Drive to the river is VERY rough and rocky, but a gorgeous place for a few hours or take a picnic for a day of peace and swimming. Nearby is Manning Gorge, buy a day pass from Mt Barnett station. It's a long walk to the waterfall, but close to the carpark are lovely places to spend a day with a picnic and swim.Mt Barnett station - this place is badly run and really expensive. They hold a monopoly on food and facilities for passers through, and they use it. Yes, sure its very remote and you expect high prices. But they could try a lot harder to make it a NICE expensive stop!Drysdale station - the camping area is (inevitably) a bit dusty, and their powered site set-up is weird, with only one connection point, so that meant if you wanted power it meant camping in a non-shaded area! We opted for no power, and camped under the trees. Lots of space to spread out your camps.The facilities here are really good, washing machines and big washing line, wash up station and good hot water showers. Again, I'd have liked a camp kitchen. However, no complaints, because their bar and restaurant was just fantastic! Their burgers really are the best in the Kimberley, and their buffet dinner was plentiful and well cooked.Not wishing to risk our car on the drive to the Mitchell Falls we took a flight from Drysdale Station to see the falls, river and harbour. Expensive yes, but it was a great 2 hour flight, I can recommend it.Home Valley Station - Apparently they won a Trip Advisor award, and I can see why. They have grassy powered sites, with lots of very good shelter pavilions provided, and the pool and bar areas are great. We ate at the restaurant 3 times as our party wanted to, but once would have been enough for me, although the meat really was of excellent quality. That's because it is pricey, and the menu could definitely do with some imaginative changes.On the negative side - there's not much to do there. We stayed 4 nights on the promise of "some of the best barra fishing in the Kimberley", but were very disappointed.First, they are still advertising boat fishing tours, which my husband wanted to do. But on arrival, we are told they were not available, and haven't been for several years! So why are they still promoting them on their website? Most misleading.So he opted for the half day shore fishing tour, which he did 2 days in a row @ $110 each time. Also it was very misleading and disappointing. There were no 'special spots'; the "guide" took them to the same, nearby location on the river nearby on both days. Two other members of our group ambled to the same spot for free! So $220 to get driven to the river and given some live bait? Hmm.... He's done chartered fishing all over the world and Home Valley's was just not up to scratch.Facilities - the bathrooms are good, and usually had hot water, but not always! Plus they need a shelf of some kind in the cubicles, there's nothing to put your gear on. Also the camping area only has combined showers/toilets, so there's long wait for toilet in morning. Some stand alone toilets are needed.Their failure to provide a basic camp kitchen is obviously financially driven (they want you to go to their restaurant) but it's a bit unfair, as it isn't cheap camping. In addition - two washing machines are just not enough for such large numbers, they were in use all day with long waits. And why can't they chain some plugs to the sinks like most parks do? To fill up a sink to handwash or wash up dishes you have to "plug" it with paper, which is very wasteful.In short, Home Valley IS good, but not as good as it claims it is, or it could be.El Questro - sadly, our blown tyre and our decision to stay extra time at Home Valley meant we didn't get there, which I regret. The rest of our group loved it.Lakeside Resort Kununurra - We visited two other caravan parks before settling here for 3 nights. It's a little gem, and gets my vote for the best one in the Kimberley! Sure it's in a big town, making it easier to provide facilities, but this was a great stay, from the lakeside (we were literally by the lake!) camping site, great pool, good bathrooms and washup area and always had hot water, plus free wifi. The staff were really friendly too. They had accommodation as well as camping, which I got good reports of.Bungle Bungles Caravan Park - a good location to visit Purnululu. We rented a tent-cabin to save setting up our tent, it was good, and well priced. Bathrooms were demountables, they looked a bit suspicious and could have done with a good scrub - but brilliantly hot water. Also need a hook and shelf to put your gear on. They lit a big joint campfire at night - a nice touch.Staff however - helicopter pilot was rude/bit of a smartypants, I wouldn't have flown with him! The office staff were either a bit incompetent or not very helpful, it took ages to book us in, and they told rest of our party that the nice grassy area with a bbq area was booked out - 2 days later it was still empty! What-the?Purnululu itself was just amazing, a great finale to the trip. We then did 3 long drives (8-11 hour drives) to get back to Perth.All in all, a really great journey and well worthwhile. Just be prepared to rough it a bit!

We travelled the gibb river road towing a jayco swan .. It was a great experience for the kids and us . It is a well travelled road few speedy Gonzales on the road . Lots of dust lots of fun . Just a few rough patches but nothing to bad. They are doing it up so get on and do it !

We travelled the Gibb from East to West and loved every minute of it. Road was very good, the one going to Drysdale was rugged and there wasn't a speed to make it easier on the passengers and vehicle. We decided to stay at Drysdale and fly over the Mitchell Falls. Love the Kimberleys!

Arrrh I cant post my review its sooooooo frustrating can somebody please help!!!!!! Its sooo annoying it says error. Is there a limit on how long it can b

It had been an ambition of mine to travel along the Gibb River Road and I achieved this on an APT Wilderness Tour of the Kimberley and Kakadu. The road has clearly been much improved since some of the guide books I have read and videos I have seen were first produced. There certainly seemed to be fewer difficult river crossings than I expected. The road itseld is one of the main arteries of the area leading to some amazing places in the Kimberley and I was very pleased to be able to travel along it at last. My only disappointment is that I could not do the driving myself!

I travelled the Giib River Road about 12 years ago and again this May 2014. The amount of facilities and traffic has increased heaps in the 12 years. This has it good points and bad points... Will it be bitumen in another 12 years time? I remember the road was very rough from the start of the turn off to El Questro - now it is bitumen! The last 80km (Derby end) to get to Windjana Gorge is also Bitumen. This is great that it enables more tourists to visit these spectacular places... But... Where is the adventure going? Still plenty of "off road" stuff to see gorgeous gorges and scenery! And to anyone who says "didn't you get 'gorged' out" hasn't had the experience to visit these spectacular places each one unique in it own right! Each station/homestead has it uniqueness too! The Gibb River Road - great experience, as Nike says "just do it".

In 10 years time I expect the Gibb River Rd to be a bitumen highway as the Kimberley is further opened up to tourism. This will certainly take away the adventure, excitement and romance currently attached to travelling the Gibb. While some people now decry the traffic on the road and the crowds in the gorges and campsites it is only going to get busier. As it is, yes you need a 4WD vehicle, yes there are river crossings to negotiate and yes food & fuel stops are a long way apart so you have to plan and prepare carefully. However there are plenty of good camp sites all within an easy days drive of each other and usually based around a gorge or waterhole. We camped at Windjana, Manning Gorge, Charnley River Stn, Home Valley and El Questro, spending at least two nights at each giving us plenty of time to swim in the gorges and explore the local areas. From reports July is the busiest month. We travelled in August and while daytime temps were in the mid 30's it was not overly oppressive and we had no problems getting a campsite at any of our stops. Also the river levels are pretty low by then making the crossings much easier. This is an iconic Australian landscape, lots of birds and wildlife, amazing gorges and brilliant night skies. Go do it while it is still an adventure.

The Gibb River Road stretches almost 700kms from Derby to just out of Wyndham/Kununurra. It is a gravel road off which lie many gorges, my favourites being Bell Gorge and Manning Gorge. Some of the gorges are close to the car-park and easy to access while others involve long walks and in some cases climbing over many large rocks and crossing small rivers. A 4wd is necessary to access some of the roads. Accommodation is mostly camp-sites but there are a couple of high-end resorts. I highly recommend the Home Valley Station restaurant as a great change from camp food along the way. Be sure to take plenty of water, good footwear, a camera, sunscreen and an insect repellent with high deet content. I made it along the Gibb with a one night detour up Kalumburu road and managed to see 6 gorges and other attractions in only 6 days. However I would recommend taking a few more days to enjoy the Kimberley region if you can afford to.