El Questro . . . WA
We packed the tent and camping gear.... and set off on a couple of days R & R at El Questro with our new friends Wayne, Amanda, Shelby and Chloe.
The road into El Questro is the beginning of the Gibb River Road. El Questro has many beautiful spots to visit; but we only had enough time to cover Emma Gorge, El Questro Gorge, Pigeon Hole Lookout/4wd track and Zebedee Springs. This beautiful part of the world has so much more to see - we will have to come back up this way to complete this sweet little paradise of WA. |
El Questro Station
We travelled into the Gibb and stopped off at the well known town of El Questro. We camped a couple of nights at El Questro Station while we set off exploring some of the highlights of El Questro. A shallow river crossing leads into El Questro Station, the perfect spot for a base camp in between day trips to see the amazing places on offer.
El Questro isn't a cheap spot to visit; the Station will set you back $20/night per person, and then you have to buy a park's entrance fee .... we chose the weekly option of $20 - as we were only in El Questro for a couple of days.
No pool here, but you can cool off in the river with the brolga's and barra.
El Questro isn't a cheap spot to visit; the Station will set you back $20/night per person, and then you have to buy a park's entrance fee .... we chose the weekly option of $20 - as we were only in El Questro for a couple of days.
No pool here, but you can cool off in the river with the brolga's and barra.
Emma Gorge . . .
Emma Gorge was our first stop in El Questro... a 1km easy walk leads you through a winding track of luscious rainforest - eventually exposing the stunning gorge, perfect for a dip and a bit of exploring up on the rocky escarpments to find hidden trickling waterfalls.
Emma Gorge is best known for its droplet waterfall - a magical experience that makes time stand still .... you feel as though you are in slow motion; watching the droplets plunge from above. Very pretty.
Emma Gorge is best known for its droplet waterfall - a magical experience that makes time stand still .... you feel as though you are in slow motion; watching the droplets plunge from above. Very pretty.
El Questro Gorge . . .
A very long 6.8km hike - or should I say 'climb' to El Questro Gorge is definitely the highlight of El Questro for us. Our little troopers were amazing the way they tackled this adventure.... and in thongs! (seriously don't recommend doing this walk in thongs though). A whopping 5 hours in total we were walking, climbing, clambering, edging, sliding and swimming through this winding, ever changing terrain. The waterfall/plunge pool at the end is a little bit of a let down - you kind of expect something a bit "WOW" at the end - considering how hard it was to navigate through.... but all the same it is a nice refreshing swim in a small plunge pool as a reward for all the hard work.
My favourite part of this whole adventurous day was the first waterhole, (approx. 1km in from the start) - a waist high pool that is fed from the gorge waterfall, a couple of hours ahead. We had to wade our belongings and backpacks over to the huge boulder, and strategically piff your gear up to higher ground, while navigating a successful path up over the slimey, slippery massive boulder.... it took a little co-operation and team work to help the littlies up.
My favourite part of this whole adventurous day was the first waterhole, (approx. 1km in from the start) - a waist high pool that is fed from the gorge waterfall, a couple of hours ahead. We had to wade our belongings and backpacks over to the huge boulder, and strategically piff your gear up to higher ground, while navigating a successful path up over the slimey, slippery massive boulder.... it took a little co-operation and team work to help the littlies up.
Pigeon Hole Lookout . . .
We took a stroll up to the Pigeon Hole Lookout to have our happy hour watching the sunset. On the way home, we decided to take another 4WD track down to Pigeon Hole. (set the scene - pitch black of night, very rough terrain, wife who doesn't like the feeling of falling out of the car, lights on the car failing, battery losing charge, shockies about to die!) - Totally awesome fun! .... NOT!
Matt was a pig in poo - loves his off road adventure driving.... me on the other hand; nail biting, clenching hands, sweaty palms and heart racing in fear of the car breaking down or worse - Tipping over!
When we talked to reception back at the station, she informed us that we did the hardest 4WD track in town - onya Matt!
Matt was a pig in poo - loves his off road adventure driving.... me on the other hand; nail biting, clenching hands, sweaty palms and heart racing in fear of the car breaking down or worse - Tipping over!
When we talked to reception back at the station, she informed us that we did the hardest 4WD track in town - onya Matt!
Zebedee Springs . . .
Zebedee Springs is super luscious! Super warm water fills rock pools big enough to sit in. Loads of little frogs that zip around like rockets - created a world of entertainment for the kids. You can only visit from 7am - 12pm as the area is closed for regeneration for the afternoons.... however after 12pm the tourist buses rock up. (not sure how loads of tourists assist in regeneration?)
Anywho, ....it's nice for a couple of hours relaxing - after that, you turn into a prune!
Anywho, ....it's nice for a couple of hours relaxing - after that, you turn into a prune!