As it turn's out the grader had just started the road maintenance from the turn off to Drysdale Station.
The Gibb River is 4k's from the turn off and a great camp spot amongst the tree's on the right, or open space on the left just over the x-ing.
Stat's for the Kalumburu Road
Average Speed :- Gibb River x-ing to Theda about 145k's = 36.5kph
Theda to Kalumburu 112k's = 15.2kph
Tire Pressures :- Same as the Gibb River Road
Tires : Land Cruiser = One staked in the scrub at Pago.
Bushtracker : One side wall 4k's from Gibb River on our return = bugger!
Vehicle & Bushtraker :- No damage or failure's and the 80 series pulled like a tractor when required, and the Bushtracker just rolled along behind. It was almost magical watching the independant suspension work it's magic.
These rock paintings 200 meters south of the Gibb River x-ing on the right hand side, follow the walking track thru the mallee for 200 metre's then it open's out to grass and rocks, follow the faint trail bearing rightist towards the rocks - you can't miss it!! - Huh! famous last words!
Just in case you had noticed these markers and signs in the scrub in your travels, now you know what they are.
Up River!
Down River
We chatted with the folks camped at the x-ing who where also heading into Kalumburu - Butch & Maggie (Maggie being the traditional owner of Beauty Point ) They intend to set up a fishing / tour camp at Beauty Point. We decided to tag along as the road was not offically open!
Butch's mate Mark arrived later in the evening with a trailer load. Butch had his boat and vehicle loaded to the gunales and more.
We departed early to refuel at Drysdale Stattion ($2.12/ltr) and get the latest info on the road conditions' Mitchell Fall was out as the river was still raging and some major washout's. The road was okay till just before Theda Station, with one black soil bog hole and who's know's what from there on!
I walked the bog hole - it had a good gravel bottom, no one had broken thru, or it may have been a different story!
Only the Centre Diff lock engaged, foot to the floor! (automatic) It was like a four wheel drive commercial, with mud shrapnel exploding from the wheel arches, me spinning the wheel to keep on track and grinning from ear to ear, Sue is willing us thru, and white Knucklin' it!
We meet Errol & Helen at Drysdale and they got the low down on the road conditions. Errol was very upset and off he went we thought to ElQuestro. He just wanted to go FISHIN!
But he ran into Butch & Mark - thus we had a convoy heading to Kalumburu.
The first tourist for the season!
It was slow going after the bog hole's, missed photo's of the second smaller bog hole, but all three guy's in the lead vehicle's jumped out to watched us come thru - they were amazed the Bushtracker rolled and pulled thru so easy.
The track was generally washed out, or over grown, which required scrub bashing, up and down or thru washouts.
These's tree's gone on our return - Kimberly Green Construction had been thru.
All diff locks required here, not much of a run up, but still made it without assistance!
Ripped thru town it's 1205pm thus the tourist centre closed until 1400hrs, will come back later to get our permit.
No booze check!
No we don't drink, so okay any way!
Errol and Helen head to Honey Moon Beach
Just up ahead Mark had got bogged in "First Creek' after checking it out, we pulled out and just as well we had a small grass clearing off to the right to turn around!
We bid farewell and best of luck, up the bank thru the grass and retraced our tracks to Honey Moon Beach!
Little did we know!
Just returned from our 1st fishing trip, checking the place out and Butch is on the beach waiting for us.
"Can you give us a hand we are still bogged! "
But not for long - they both got bogged again in some real soft sand. Unhooked and left the trailers behind. Off to find their camp spot at Beauty Point, we went to Pago and a bit beyond before leaving them to it!
Butch got the military (in town upgrading roads and the air strip) to pull the trailers out. It it took them 4 hours, and stuffed up a winch in the process.
Yeah! just talked to Butch on the UHF to let him know we were heading back to camp and turned around in the scrub and the tire pressure sensor alarm went off = 'BUGGER"
Yes, we have pressure and temperature sensor transmitters on all tire's. It's saved the day on numerous occassions.
The alarm triggered at 23psi so not to bad on the sandy track, so we monitor it down to 18psi and we are back at camp - in with a plug!
A pleasant week, fishing and eating oyster's - see 'FISHABOUT'
As we were refueling ($2.85/ltr) at the Mission in town, two Kimbely Green Contruction semi trailers rolled past.
So the return trip was a breeze, sandhill, tree's gone, bog hole's dry.
Mitchell Falls turn off!
Return trip Stat's :- Average speed 246k's = 32.3k's - 7 hrs 37 minutes
Tires :- = Bushtracker - ONE!! side wall damage, unable to plug. Tire's now nearly 6 years old, and in the elements 24/7 just getting old and brittle it seems.
We camped where I changed the tire, just off the road, only one vehicle during the night!
Back on the Gibb and an easy 150k's to Manning Gorge.
