Heading off down the hwy , we cross the diversion dam - very disappointed that we can't go out on the bridge on foot - there are no footpaths and pedestrians are prohibited - there is an overhead crane on tracks that can move back & forth across the bridge . One side of the bridge is Lake Kununurra / Upper Ord River and on the lower side its the Lower Ord River .
Another 500 m or so and you cross over the Dunham River , which flows into the Lower Ord River as well , and another bridge without footpaths .
Continuing on , we reach section of roadworks - and they need some of these desperately !! The landscape is absolutely amazing here , with escarpments & rocks & hills & Boab trees in all directions - it's hard to concentrate on driving !!!
Soon we pass the road south , and then the iconic Gibb River Rd disappears between two sets of mountains off to the west .
Continuing on we find a sign to The Grotto , so turn off and go in the 2klms to the parking area . There are a few cars & a motorbike there already . Wandering down a creek bed , we find a dry waterfall , with a plunge pool below it . There are 140 steps and some rock hopping over a lot of big rocks to get to the bottom .
Tackling the steps we find ourselves walking down the side of a cliff with no hand rails , the steps kept switching back & forth , not a place to slip or fall - you may win the race to the bottom if you did !! Clambering over large rocks for the last 10 m , we arrived at the bottom to a nice pool with green water - it doesn't look like it's been flowing for a while !! There is a sign at the top saying the pool is over 300 ft deep - a little hard to believe , but what do we know .
Trees are clinging to the walls of the Grotto , with roots reaching down to reach the water .
Back on the road to Wyndham , and as we round each corner or crest a rise , we have a new panorama unfold in front of us .
We leave the ridges behind for a while and start driving along the flats into Wyndham . We could see a vehicle driving over the mud flats - a dust cloud emerging from behind it , it appeared to be driving on water - that was just the mirage from the heat haze .
We reach Wyndham and find the road to 5 Rivers Lookout , and take it . I don't think we will be purchasing any property for investments here . Passing the school & hospital on the way , we are getting a bit excited with the prospect of a good view from the lookout . The road climbs up along a ridge and winds around the back of it till we arrive at the top , there is a communications tower and a possible radar station ? , a large picnic Bbq area and views looking north south east & west . It is called 5 rivers lookout due to the 5 rivers that all flow into Cambridge Gulf . There is the Durack , Pentecost , King , Lower Ord , and Forest Rivers - the Ord River flows in also but is further north and is hard to see . The tidal flats look quite spectacular , with green from the trees / mangroves , the gulf is muddy brown , and the rivers look blue and clear .
After some lunch on the summit , we drive down and check out a couple of the lower lookouts that face south , and have views to mountains & escarpments .
We drove down to the port area and check out the wharves , at least the 2 you could get to - one was beside the boat ramp and was a floating type , the other was a fixed one and had a walkway down to a pontoon . The tide was still streaming out , and had already gone down 5m .
There were some ships anchored and waiting to be loaded / unloaded - not too many though !!
With that done , we decided to head back , the tank repairs were complete as well , so we went & picked it up . Grabbed some hose & hose clamps , then back to the park where we decided to put it back in . It was back in place and finished in less than an hour - even considering we had to remove one of the batteries to get access to one of the bolts . To say we were impressed , would be an understatement to say the least !!!
Time for a beer !!!!! Yahoo !!!!
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