Crossing the Kimberley: Ultimate Gibb River Road adventure

Crossing the Kimberley: Our ultimate Gibb River Road adventure

Off-road, Travel Itineraries, Western Australia

From Tunnel Creek to Mitchell Falls, we chased cascading gorges, croc-filled rivers, and wild Kimberley skies on the ultimate Gibb adventure.

Our ultimate Gibb River Road adventure

Hilux stacked with supplies and caravan hitched behind, we set off down the legendary Gibb River Road – 700 dusty kilometres of river crossings, rugged gorges and Kimberley wilderness beckoning us forward.

We’d dreamt of this moment for over four years and our rig reflected our wild endeavour – a high-clearance single-axle van and 4WD armed with snorkel, upgraded suspension, rooftop tent and chunky off-road tyres.

We spent the first night of our journey gathered around the flickering fire at Birdwood Downs Station, listening intently as travellers full of stories traded wild Kimberley tales, hard-won wisdom, and bold plans.

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this,” Jane whispered in my ear.

After nine months roaming Western Australia’s wildest corners, we felt as ready as we’d ever be. The Gibb was to be the ultimate finale to our WA adventure—an infamous track that would test us, reward us, and call on every lesson we’d learned along the way.

The next morning we rose with the sun, bellies knotted with nervous excitement.

Within a few hours we were wading into the pitch-black waters of Tunnel Creek—eyes scanning for the eerie glint of freshwater crocs. And surely enough, sprawled on the sandy edge was a hefty croc—a chilling preview of what lay ahead.

“I’m glad I didn’t spot him on the way in,” Jane laughed nervously. “I don’t reckon I would’ve gone near the water!”

Down the dusty road at Windjana Gorge, a dozen crocs lazed on the riverbank and the gorge walls rose high around us in breathtaking grandeur.

That night, we sat by the fire, beneath a Kimberley sky blazing with stars.

“It really is wild out here babe,” I said to Jane, clutching her hand in mine.

The next day we pushed deeper into the Kimberley, tyres splashing through the first of many water crossings, bound for Mount Hart Wilderness Lodge—an outback oasis of luxury lodgings, grassy campsites, live music, and culinary delights.

“C’mon let’s splurge,” Jane joked, before ordering a bowl of hot chips – a vanlife dinner out – and settling in for the nightly show.

It was here that we crossed paths with an unlikely trio—a pair of grey nomads and a Canadian backpacker with a wicked sense of humour. In true Gibb fashion, our journeys would weave together many times over the week ahead.

Unhitching our van beside the dusty Gibb, we bumped our way down a gnarly side track to Lennard River Gorge, where we scrambled down near-vertical walls to reach its narrow pool.

A cascade tumbling over the rock shelf caught the current and carried our bodies slowly downstream. Just two souls surrounded by untamed beauty, the past and future fell away.

That night we cooked dinner over the fire at our campsite high above the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges, as the sun dipped below the horizon and left a fairy-floss pink sky in its wake.

In the days that followed—pilgrimage style—we traced the dusty, rutted road and well-worn tracks of those before us, chasing one epic gorge after another, from the spectacular cascading falls of Dalmanyi (Bell) and Manning Gorge, to the picturesque swimming holes of Adcock and Galvans.

“Come on Jane, let’s climb to the top,” I’d call, as I began scrambling up the rock face.

In true Gibb fashion, wild moments of joyous exploration and deep connection to nature went hand-in-hand with the inevitable tyre puncture, blowout, and bolts and fittings shaken loose.

Outback stations, like Ellenbrae and Mt Elizabeth, broke up the journey and softened its rough edges with hot showers, fresh food and a hearty dose of country hospitality.

The road to Mitchell Falls is known as the Gibb battlefield, serving up 85 kilometres of deep, bone-rattling ruts. After a few ‘Do we or don’t we?’ moments, we did.

Leaving our van at Drysdale River Roadhouse for a few nights, we pressed north and were rewarded with some of the most spectacular country we’d ever seen. We were deep in Kimberley country now, where the stories of its First People are etched into the rugged land.

Standing before this vast landscape and a culture spanning tens of thousands of years, we felt beautifully small, humbled and in awe.

On the Mitchell Plateau, days blazed with sunshine, while nights turned icy—us curled up in the rooftop tent, burrowed deep into our sleeping bags.

Our final week on the Gibb saw us rattle our fridge to death on our way to Balanggarra Home Valley Station, before crossing the notorious Pentecost River. We camped here for several days soaking up the wild beauty of this croc-infested waterway.

Our final mission – El Questro Station and all of its majestic river and gorge systems.

We spent three days exploring this outback wonderland. We drove through metre-high waterways, crawled in low-gear over submerged boulders, tiptoed across swamps, and pulled ourselves around gorge walls with ropes.

We left no rock unturned, venturing through Champagne Springs, El Questro Gorge, Zebedee Springs, Amalia Gorge, Emma Gorge, and up to the Cockburn Ranges Lookout.

With red dust etched into every crevice of our van and 4WD, skin sun-kissed and only a few cans of food left rattling onboard, we rolled back onto the bitumen – our great Gibb adventure complete.