Swimming in the water holes Boating down the Chamberlain Gorge (before the battery ran out) Dan's "perfect view"

A fewmungus (Dan's word - it means really big) Boab tree

13th and 14th August, 2009
Now we’re on the Gibb River Road and our first stop is El Questro. This is such a beautiful place. Probably lots more commercial than other campgrounds along the way, but great none-the-less. The lodge dammed the river in a few places behind the restaurant which gives a nice place to swim or sit on lush green grass.

We took a drive up the Saddleback Ridge which gave 360 degree views around the Kimberleys. The drive up was really steep and fun, an unexpected treat. The boab trees here are amazing. We found one that was so big, we could park the car under it. It must have been thousands of years old. The Kapok tree is also everywhere. We discovered it is known as a Calendar Tree which means when it is in flower it means something integral to the indigenous tribes – in this case, it means that the crocodiles are laying their eggs, a real delicacy.

We also hired an electric boat to take up the Chamberlain Gorge which was a great opportunity to see a gorge from a different angle – water. I was constantly struck at how grown up the boys have become as I watched Cam take the rudder and steer us up the river while Dan perched on top of the bow for the perfect view. Unfortunately, the battery ran out half way through the return trip, so Steve and I had to row back while Cam kept the rudder straight. We couldn’t work out why we kept veering left when we turned around to find Cam had let go of the rudder and was picking his toenails – oblivious to our exertion. This is also the time that Dan announced he could communicate with birds! The whole trip was echoed with Dan going Tweet Tweet Tweety Tweety Tweet in response to the plentiful birds along the gorge. It was funny at first, but now……not so.