Over
500 kilometres inland from Broome is Geikie Gorge, a short hop from
Fitzroy Crossing. Boat tours during the dry season along the Fitzroy
River show off the sheer yellow, ochre and grey gorge walls. The gorge
is 14 kilometres long and the limestone cliffs tower 30 metres high.
You may well see sharks, stingrays and sawfish far from the ocean they
inhabited millions of years ago, as well as crocodiles and a wealth of
birdlife - and of course the magnificent gorge itself.
There is a fascinating boat tour though the Gorge which provides an
insight into the formation and wildlife of this ancient Devonian Reef
(approx. 350 million years old) , it's wildlife and the regions wealth
of Aboriginal culture. Also intriguing are the sawfish, sharks and
stingrays which have adapted to the inland water system over the
centuries.There is also a great tour run by the local Aboriginal people
whose connection with the land goes back to the Dreamtime.
The town makes a wonderful base form which to explore Geikie Gorge
National Park, Windjana Gorge or the fantastic Tunnel Creek. Though it
is not a big town, it has a big past and you can hear many tales of the
awesome power of the river in flood and about the local Aboriginal
outlaw, Pigeon and his gang at the end of the 19th century.
Fitzroy Crossing is 256km from Derby and 288km from Halls Creek.
Often referred to as the oasis of Kimberley, Halls Creek sits on the
edge of the Great Sandy Desert. In all directions the landscape is vast
and harsh. A gold find at the Elvire River in 1885 resulted in 2,000
miners living in makeshift sheds and calico tents around old town site.
The rush lasted for only four years, although the town never quite
died.
At the old twon site you can see the ruins of the old post office and a
small cemetery. There's a picnic spot nearby at Black Elvire River and
local prospectors still find gold there today. The natural phenomenon
known as 'China Wall' can been seen on the way to the old town site
about 6km north of the new town. It is a subvertical quartz vein which
projects above the surrounding rocks and is believed to be part of the
largest single fault of its type in the world.
Two popular swimming and picnic spots, both situated on the Black
Elvire River, are Sawpit Gorge and Palm Springs.
The town is the closest to the Purnululu National Park with its
astounding Bungle Bungle rock formations. The ecology of the parks is
very delicately balanced and vegetation includes many contrasts from
the unique Fan Palm to the eucalypts and spinifex of the plains.
Purnululu is also rich in Aboriginal heritage.
The Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater, the second largest on earth, is about
100km south. The road distance between the two towns is 288km and the
distance from the Crossing to Kununurra is 365km.
The Backpackers Guide to WA says:-
Fitzroy Crossing enjoys a daily coach service from Derby and Kununurra.
There is a hotel-motel, a motel and two caravan parks while a
backpackers hostel has been established in the original post office in
the old part of town. Budget priced meals are available at the hotel
and a takeaway shop. The “Crossing’s” major attraction is without doubt
Geike Gorge, which offers visitors the opportunity to see at close hand
not only bird and wildlife along with magnificent unprecedented scenery
but fresh water crocodiles and marine life that has adapted to the
inland waters over thousands of years.
The gorges are part of a coral reef cut by water over the years and
have a strong Aboriginal link over a similar period. Many caves in the
gorge have wonderful examples of ancient Aboriginal art for tourists to
see. Darngku Heritage Cave has an intimate knowledge of the area and
whether visitors have a car or not, this tour is fully commentated and
gives visitors a far greater insight to the area than ten trips alone
could impart.
The Crossing is aptly named for it is here that the mighty Fitzroy
River crosses the highway. In the wet season it is not uncommon for the
highway to be closed to traffic because of flooding. Testimony to the
seasonal flooding is the fact that the original Crossing Inn was built
to cater for the travellers unable to cross the swollen banks of the
river. Remnants of the footbridge constructed in 1934 but washed away
in the flood of 1971 can still be seen today.
Bookings can be made for 4WD tours of Windjanna Gorge and Tunnel Creek.
Visitors can see fantastic scenery while wildlife and birds abound and
there is a chance of sighting crocodiles.
An air charter company operates scenic air flights through the rugged
Kimberleys including the Bungle Bungle ranges.
Two hundred and eight kilometres to the north of the Crossing, Halls
Creek has the same coach service. The town boasts a hotel-motel,
caravan park and cabins at one of the roadhouses, but no specific
backpacker’s accommodation. Budget priced meals can be obtained at the
roadhouses or the hotel.
The world's second largest meteorite crater is located 152 kilometres
to the south and regular safari tours are operated to not only the
crater but to the Kimberley Goldfields, the Bungle Bungles and the
famous Canning Stock Route. The crater, discovered in 1947, measures
some 700 metres in diameter, rises 37 metres above its surrounds and is
about 60 metres deep.
Carved through the Napier Range by the Fitzroy River, Geikie Gorge is a
photographer’s dream: reflections of towering limestone cliffs in the
water, freshwater crocodiles basking on rock ledges and a variety of
birds in the vegetation along the banks make it well worth a visit.
Accommodation in Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek
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