El Questro Station 5th - 11th May 2021
El Questro Station is located 110km west of Kununurra, 58km is on the Great Northern Highway towards Wyndham and 36km is on the beginning of the Gibb River Road (all sealed to El Questro turn off) The remaining 16km into the station is on a gravel road and across several water crossings, one of which is over the Pentecost River and when we drove in was about 600mm deep, so a bit of fun with the caravan in tow !! The Caravan Park (Black cockatoo Campground) is all under shade and are quite well grassed and sit beside the Pentecost River and right next to the General store, Swinging Arm Bar, The Steakhouse Restaurant and all the other general campground facilities. Every night there is entertainment provided by a local musician and meals are provided – both restaurant and pub style. Great burgers and pizza’s !!!
After setting up we decided to take a drive to one of the lookouts and as usual we chose the most difficult and the furtherest one away, but omg the scenery was stunning. We drove across two river crossings and along a pretty rough road and up to Branko’s Lookout but so worth the drive as the lookout provided some amazing scenery overlooking the entire area. We then jumped back in the car and decided to see where the road ended up – about 30km later we ended up at Explosion Gorge, the road was very rough but we did see some beautiful scenery. So our little jaunt turned out to be a 3 hour return drive !!!
Day 2 and we decided to get up early and check out the Zebedee Springs – these were a series of Thermal Rock pools underneath dense Livistona Palms. As we were there early there was hardly anyone around and we managed to sit in this warm pool for about an hour without really seeing anyone. Great way to spend a morning and only a small walk from the car park. I can see we are going to spend a few mornings here over the next few days !!
Day 3 We drove out to Emma’s Gorge which is about 30km from the caravan park and is about a 1.5km walk from the Emma Gorge Resort. The walk is beautiful and over rocky ground with plenty of little pool along the way. When you get to the top there is the most amazing gorge with a huge waterhole and a waterfall. The water is freezing cold but amazingly enough when you swim to the right of the waterhole the water is quite warm in spots. This apparently is due to thermal waters trickling from the rocks on that side. Pretty amazing really. The best part is that when you make the trek back to the car park the Emma Gorge Resort is right there and you can treat yourself to a cold drink and lunch !!!!
After leaving Emma Gorge we were told by a few people to go another 30km down the Gibb River road to the Pentecost Crossing. This was a bit of fun crossing this wide quite deep crossing and also watching the many cars and vans crossing. There were a few people turning right before the crossing and heading down along the river to try there luck at catching some barramundi. We ran into a couple of people that had caught big ones and even had the video evidence to prove it !!!
About 15km further on from the Pentecost Crossing you come to a huge lookout that was well worth the drive to look out over the ranges.
Day 4. We were up bright and early and out to Amalia Gorge which is about 5km down the road from the caravan park. Now this was a bit of a walk and probably a bit more intense than the Emma Gorge Walk. It was about the same distance but over rocks and at one points you were hanging off a chain walkway to get across a cliff top. There were also quite a few high steps up to high spots to get across creeks and waterholes. It was fun though and the scenery you walk through makes it all worthwhile, Oh and it did seem much easier on the walk back !!! The walk is so worth the effort when you get to a rock pool at the end with a beautiful waterfall. The water is freezing cold but i can tell you its very invigorating and gets you feeling very refreshed for the walk back to the car.
Another great spot we came across was the Pigeon Hole Lookout – Wow is that a beautiful spot right on sunset. It overlooks a river and huge gorges and the place is packed on sunset. Great place to sit and take in the view while having a couple of beers. We definitely be heading back there to take in another sunset.
We have really enjoyed our stay at El Questro with its many beautiful gorges, beautiful waterholes, awesome sunsets and walks. Now its time to head back to Kununurra for a few days before starting our trip across to Broome with a stop at the Bungle Bungle’s along the way…..
