Mornington Wilderness Sanctuary

From Silent Grove we head for the Imintji roadhouse where we put the satphone to good use to book ahead. Luckily for us, Covid cancellations allow us to book in for six nights at the stellar Mornington conservation sanctuary. Graders are out in force for the first section of the Gibb, before we turn off for two hours of rough, dirt road and multiple creek crossings to get to the remote campsite.

En route we passed the magnificent King Leopold Ranges.

Annie Creek trail on the Mornington property is alive with birds, including delightful, iconic, threatened specie purple-crowned fairy wrens flitting around our feet.

Crimson Finches were also here in numbers, buildings nests and bouncing off the grass while trying to feed.

In the afternoon we make an abortive attempt to reach Sir John Gorge, but are defeated by a massive washout at Roy Creek. Instead, we visit the wetland bird hide, stopping en route to help a bloke who has burned out his Ute's clutch.



A freezing cold 5.45am start next day sees us out in an open sided, safari buggy with bird guide, Jen, to spot graceful brolgas, finches, spinifex pigeons, and a pheasant coucal. We warm up at a creek crossing with coffee and choc cake.

We popped up the road at dusk to photograph evening starlight with boab and moon romanticism. En route we came across cattle fighting by moonlight and several startled nightjars.

The following day, we visit Bluebush waterhole, then spend the day at our campsite observing wildlife.

The surrounding eucalypt trees host masses of lerps or scaly insects secreting sweet nutrients on the leaves which attract honeyeaters, corellas, bowerbirds, cuckoo shrikes, and many more bird species. As an experiment, Robert gathered some of these sugary excretions and they tasted good, sweet and vaguely eucalyptus flavoured. In his next life he will definitely be a bird.

The sanctuary reception building is lovely, airy, and has an open layout. Perfect for relaxing in the morning with a pot of coffee and watching the hilarious, roly-poly antics of the noisy corellas as they play with sticks and tickle each other.

An early start takes us into the savanna and spinifex landscape towards Dimond Gorge which shines in the morning sun. 

Back at camp, drama ensues where birds are frenziedly mobbing a pandanus plant. We also get excited when we see a fat snake is the centre of attention.

Each afternoon we received visits from lovely lizards which did the famous tata or organ grinder wave with their foot which I reciprocated.

Just outside the campground, the savanna trail walk followed the colourful escarpment in a pleasant meander through ghost gums and grassland.

The day we depart, we make a 50km detour to see Nev who runs the only mechanic shop on the Gibb. We join the queue of burst tire and damaged chassis customers, but our seized aircon belt pulley can't be fixed, so we drive with aircon off and windows open. We eat plenty of dust!

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Gibb River Road, Mornington Wilderness Sanctuary, Dimond Gorge, Western Australia