Bandilngan Windjana Gorge National Park

 31 August – 2 September 2022

We left the Gibb River Road at the Fairfield – Leopold Downs Road and travelled on yet another unsealed road. Although Windjana Gorge is not actually on the Gibb River Road, most people include it as part of the adventure. We arrived just on lunch time and found a shady tree to have a quick bite to eat before choosing a lovely site nestled under some trees. The view from the campground was stunning and we were looking forward to walking in the gorge itself.

In the afternoon the ranger came around to check bookings and she stopped to have a chat and to provide some information about Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. We decided to leave the exploring until the morning, but Mick did go out looking for birds.

We set off on the gorge walk early in the morning to beat the heat, hoping that there would be some shade. The walk is about 7 kilometres return and was much easier than any we had done recently. Most of it was along a well-defined dirt track that followed the creek line. To say Windjana Gorge is spectacular is perhaps an understatement. It was formed by the Lennard River flowing through a Devonian reef and the sculptural effect is undeniably beautiful. It is so completely different to the other gorges we have visited. Unfortunately the large freshwater crocodile population means that swimming is not possible. We saw plenty in the water and some on the bank along the walk.

Top of the list of ranger suggestions was sunset drinks on the sandbank so we felt we should do that. We took a couple of drinks in a small cooler bag and headed down at about 4:30pm. We sat and took in the surroundings as the sun started to set, and watched the colours of the cliff face change. It was a magical way to end the day.

The following morning we set off fairly early so we could stop at Dimalurru Tunnel Creek, about 36 kilometres down the road. Mick was unsure about walking through the “tunnel” as he suffers rather badly from claustrophobia but he agreed to come with me to the start. We changed into our reef shoes as we knew that walking through water was part of the experience. The start of the walk involves a scramble through and over rocks to the creek. Mick came that far and decided he could go a bit further through the tunnel in the dark with only a headlamp to light the way. After wading through water and walking along the sand in the dark we emerged into daylight – created by a significant rock fall. Mick decided that was enough for him and he found a spot to sit while I continued on.

Heading into the dark in Tunnel Creek is a bit scary on your own so I attached myself to a couple who were happy to be my chaperones for the walk. Just after the wet season there are sections where you have to swim but at this time of the year the deepest part was only about thigh deep. At the end of the tunnel, which is about 1 kilometre long, you emerge out the other end to a lovely shady spot. There is some art work at the end of the tunnel, and also at the beginning, but no interpretive information.

For the return walk, I once again attached myself to a friendly couple and made my way back to where Mick was waiting patiently. We walked the rest of the way out together. I had taken a few photos so Mick could see what he had missed.

After leaving Tunnel Creek we continued on and found a lovely shady spot by a creek for an early lunch, before driving on to the Great Northern Highway, and then to Fitzroy Crossing.