Boneshaking Time Back on the Gibb River Road

The first 65km out of Derby on the Gibb River Road are predominantly deceptively calm bitumen. The motor hums, peace reigns in the cab. We even encounter godsent graders with cheerily waving Indigenous drivers on the first section of dirt.

Then ungraded km after km of corrugation hell ensues with deafening sounds of da-da-da-CRASH-Bang-da-da-bang-crash from the suspension and deflated tyres taking a bit of corrugation punishment. Dust billows behind. The CB squawks "coming up on ya right." "Ya good to go", I shout back into the receiver. A ute barrels out from our rear dust cloud and shoots past, blowing a blizzard of rocks and blinding dust onto the windscreen. "Thanks mate!" Welcome to the Gibb.

Fifty shattering kms later, we pull off to a bushcamp on Donkey Creek. Ah, when you turn off the engine, wipe the dust from your brow, there is the glorious silence of the bloody beautiful Bush punctuated by birdsong and framed in a sunlit, searingly blue sky.

Next day's drive saw us acclimatised to the dancing steering wheel, occasional plaintive squeal of the aircon belt and the ever present suspension concerto. We pulled into Silent Grove campsite and enjoyed a chat with fellow travellers. 

This year the tow trucks are enjoying a business boom, some 7-10 breakdowns daily. 

Curiously, even as we spoke, right there in the campground, a ute with trailer drove straight over a concrete fire ring and managed to puncture its diesel tank.

Everyone is out for adventure on the Gibb. A festive atmosphere reigns at dusk, tales are told at liberally lubricated happy hour, kids play games, and the resident flock of corellas gets the last squawk in before bed.

We leave early to pop up the bumpy road to Bell Gorge, reputed by some to be the diamond in the Kimberley landscape crown. Shallow creeks cut through the road at regular intervals.

A pretty path descends through grassland, joins a pandanus-lined creek, before unfolding a glorious view of the top of the gorge.

In the afternoon, Gen takes pics in the campsite of the flocks of finches of all sorts, bowerbirds, doves, and plenty more. Our outside aircon becomes the chosen spot for two finches to start a grass nest. Sadly, they can't travel with us. We take away the nest, only for the persistent birds to start again, just before we leave.

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Gibb River Road, Bell Gorge, Silent Grove, Western Australia