Swirls in Blue

Tailing Dam, Goldfields Region, Western Australia.

Bamboo Creek

One of many water crossings we came across on our recent trip across the Gibb River Road. This one had dried out. Apart from the Barnett River none of them were very deep or flowing strongly and the Barnett was just a little slower going.

Cockburn Ranges Sunset Panorama

Another from the Gibb River Road just east of the Pentecost River. Click to view the Panorama in full screen for the full impact.

Cockburn Ranges at Sunset

Cockburn Ranges at sunset.

Towards the eastern end of the Gibb River Road, the crossing point on the Pentecost River sits beneath the spectacular Cockburn Ranges which feature in so many photographs of the Kimberley region.

Here I have tried to gain a different perspective using a drone to photograph the striking colours on the cliffs at sunset.

The Pentecost River crossing is the easternmost river crossing on the Gibb and is a big attraction for travellers. Where we once camped beside the river and saw one other couple there are now dozens of rigs camped for over a kilometre plus more on the rise to the east.

Winter Sunrise on the Gibb River

Gibb River

Winter sunrise on the Gibb River in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia

Midday temperatures may be around 30 degrees C but it gets pretty cool (for us) just before sunrise. I think between 10 and 15 degrees C although we once had a 6 degree morning on the Pentecost River!

I was standing in shallow water in the middle of the river to take this photo which was fine with me because the water was warmer than the sandy riverbank.

I had taken quite a few photos before the sunlight started to penetrate between the trunks of the paperbark trees. Needless to say I was pretty happy with the effect.

Derby, WA

Sunset on the mud flats at Derby

Drove the 200+ km from Broome to Derby today. We are here for 4 nights after which we will head across the Gibb River Road … if it is open. At the moment it is still closed after recent heavy rain.

We watched the sunset at Dinner Tree this evening. Apparently it is called the Dinner Tree because this is where the stockmen had their dinner of sausages after driving cattle from the Northern Territory. They were tired of eating steak.

There’s a fresh water spring on the edge of the mud flats where the cattle spent the night which made it easy to keep an eye on them.

The Dinner Tree

Mud Flats at Derby

This place has the second highest tides in the world at over 11 metres today. Keep an eye out for those saltwater crocodiles!

Walkabout on Eighty Mile Beach

Kimberley, Western Australia

Eighty Mile Beach

Sunset at Eighty Mile Beach.

I’m not sure exactly how long it is but you can certainly drive for miles on this beautiful beach. We have been here for two weeks. Moving on to Broome tomorrow but I think we will be back.

Island Lagoon

Fish Mountain

A view of Fish Mountain in Island Lagoon, minus any water, a little south of Pimba on the Stuart Highway in South Australia.

The Old Pub

Gwalia State Hotel

Days Gone By

The remains of the old pub in Gwalia Ghost Town. A few hundred metres behind the pub is a massive open cut gold mine that is in operation twenty four hours a day. You can hear it in the distance but otherwise there is very little going on here these days.