Easy late start today as we had to time our departure to coincide with low tide to cross the Pentacost River….the tidal movement here is about 1-2 meters and we are about 30km from the sea…….the other complications are that the river is full of salt water crocs, so if you get stuck half way, don’t get out…..chomp chomp…wallygater.
Arrived at the crossing and waited for a few other sucker’s to navigate their way through…one woman thought her new Prado was a speedboat and decided to see if it would plane over the water, the next thought that speed towing a trailer was the answer,,,we watched as the trailer almost bounced out of the water with all the bumps….enough of this so we set to cross….me first….. approaching slowly and descending into the water seemed easy, about half way it got deeper and the rocky bottom made for some bouncing around…but we emerged on the other side, the water depth just under the front bumper, to be about 500mm… nothing really but the additional risk of meeting wally half way across added to the experience….we waited for Tom and Di to cross without incident…🤣.the Gibb is now blacktop, no more gravel or dust, but we soon pulled up at the El Questro turn off….back onto gravel roads and into the station, some 16km off the road..as we approached there was 2 smaller but deeper crossing, no issues here and soon we are at Station HQ, checked in and headed for our private camping area, about 11km away from the centre of the station….all to ourselves…..near the river but beyong croc range, we set up camp for the next 3 nights.
Today we rose early to get to Zebeedee Springs, a natural hot springs set under millions of palm trees and nestled between to ridges….just beautiful, but busy…the place was full and it was nice relaxing in the crystal clear waters at 32c….once our fingers and toes resembled shriveled prunes we thought we had bettybe off, towelled done and back to the car to head off for Amalia Gorge..once there and parked we set off with back packs full of water..it was getting hot again….about halfway, the trail started to get really difficult…..chains to hand onto we shimmying across a ledge…..1.5 meter climbs up rock faces and our age was starting to show…not a boomer friendly walk…we stopped and took a rest, Tom and Di succumbed very shortly after, so we all decided to call that gorge quits and head back…. defeated but safe and uninjured….back to El Questro Station central for some lunch, coffee and tea and showers then back to our camp….a great day but the first gorge that beat us… tomorrow Emma Gorge….
