Galvins Gorge

Friday 9 June – Drysdale to Manning Gorge

We all wanted an early start today as the Adamsons want to make it back to Home Valley and we want to get to Manning Gorge with enough time to get a decent camping spot.  Lots of hugs and farewells and then the convoy split back into two touring parties. 

This part of the FSR was just as FS as before and required a few crawling sections at 5km/hour when the corrugations got too big.  Another stop at the Kalumburu Road intersection rest stop for morning tea and to inspect the vans which fortunately seem to be intact.  Another XT15HR being towed by a Landcruiser was there so we each admired the other’s set up.  They had solar panels etc out and it almost looked they had camped up there for a while.  Larry (only slightly sneeringly) suggested they probably didn’t have the superior battery set up that we have – our lithium batteries mean we very rarely drop below 80% capacity even with both fridges running at low temperatures.

We bumped off down the road with only one brief stop outside Gibb River Station (closed their year for some reason but it still has good phone coverage down at the gates) and then on to Barnett River roadhouse for fuel and hot chips before wending our way down to Manning Gorge campground.  We headed through the campsite hoping for the same area we had camped up with the Overmeires a couple of years ago but one little car with roof top tent put paid to that idea.  In the end, it wasn’t a bad thing as it forced us to go that little bit further and find a nice U-shaped spot with big, rock lined campfire ring looking out towards the river.  A bloke across the way kind of spoilt the serenity by running his generator the minute we started setting up but he came across and apologised and explained he has smashed an Anderson plug and had not been able to charge up his van as expected on the journey there.  Having all been there, all was forgiven.

Having already had hot chips we weren’t very hungry so just had a small lunch of a small quiche and party sausage roll each – the last of Kate’s 21^st pastries are now consumed.  Before we could let the thought of afternoon siestas enter our heads we changed into bathers and climbed into the Cruiser to head to Galvan’s Gorge for a swim.

On our many journeys across the Gibb we have always been towing a van past this gorge and the carpark has always been too full of cars and vans to fit ours and Larry has not wanted to stop there.  This trip I had made L promise to fit in a trip to Galvan’s Gorge as being one of few places along the GRR we haven’t been to.  It is marketed as a ‘short, easy walk’ into the swimming hole but it was longer, hotter and more rock hopping than we expected and Jenny was glad she had left her hiking boots on ‘just in case’.  The boys doing it in thongs found it hard going, particularly as we missed the path and clambered up the rocky river bed for the last 50 metres or so.

Unfortunately there were lots of people there and lots of people splashing, shrieking and swinging off the tree rope so it was far from being a place of relaxation and serenity.  It was, however, very picturesque and the water was cool and refreshing enough to make it worth going.  The walk back to the car was much more enjoyable as we followed the easier path back and did it in cool, wet bathers which always makes it a bit more enjoyable.

Back to the vans and it was once again a case of leaving wet bathers on until evening. We still have lots of wood after S&D’s wood gathering exercise so we built up a really good campfire.  As we didn’t need it for cooking purposes we could have it as a proper fire and instead cooked up curried sausages on Shaun’s Weber.  The coals were so good though that we ended up moving some across and had jacket potatoes and L made sure they were covered enough to get the really yummy cooked skin on the outside as well.  The coals were still so good that a whole wheel of camembert was also thrown in there and Shaun’s idea of placing a small pile of coals on the shovel and putting the chese on there worked a treat.

A truly yummy meal once again and we expressed our satisfaction in burps and farts around the campfire which was only acceptable because it meant there wouldn’t be burps and farts in the caravan later on!