Up The Centre and Down The West Coast 2014: Friday, 15 August

We packed up camp at Ellenbrae and then made a beeline for the fresh scones with jam and cream at the homestead which we found is owned by Rino Grollo. After the early morning tea we continued along the Gibb River Road noting the numerous tyre remants, discarded tyres and abandoned vehicles.

The road turned out to be in very good condition until we took the turn off onto the Kalumburu Road. This was christened a B of a road due to the almost continuous corrugations. Before long we arrived at Drysdale Station and set up camp.

Unfortunately the evening cooled down a lot and we didn’t have enough warm gear after being used to the warm evenings since reaching the Top End. David and Christine loaned us some warm clothing and bedding because the night was very cold. Also, the air is so dry that our skin is cracking and we continually get electric static shocks when getting out of the vehicles.

Next day we took a short excursion to a pretty spot on the nearby Drysdale River called Miners Pool. The water was fairly cool so we didn’t take a swim but did enjoy a paddle along the sandy riverbed.

Relaxing At Drysdale River Station

Green Shirt Day (For Some)

One size Does Not Fit All

Wading In The Miners Pool

That afternoon some of us took a plane flight up to the coast and around to Mitchell Falls. While not the same as going to the falls it was still spectacular. Despite the turbulence none of our group got sick but a couple of other people didn't fair so well and you can't get out in the middle of a 2 hour flight.

The nights continue to be very cold, especially by 4am. We weren’t prepared for such low temperatures so we have utilised everything we can to stay warm, including towels, car rugs, double socks and even the windscreen shade under the sleeping mat. Still, the days are beautiful.